A Knight’s Tale

Making something to spark a child’s imagination seems to me to be the very best of projects.  It was making a costume for Huwyl last Halloween that really sparked my creativity and brought be back to sewing and, in some ways, brought be back to myself.  Seeing him proudly wear the costume I had designed and created lit a fire under me and I have been sewing and, hopefully, improving ever since.

Then who wouldn’t want to make that little face glow?

Since this costume I’ve made several crowns, a couple of  capes and now a full knight’s costume.  My lovely friend allowed me to make a costume for her son’s 4th birthday gift.  She had looked at the (expensive) store bought versions and was not inspired and I was looking for a new project…a match made in sewing heaven.  I felt the repsonsibility of working on someone elses behalf keenly but, I have to say, I’m happy with how it all turned out.  Here is the finished product.

Working with the silver velveteen was a real challenge; the fabric is very strechy and tangles easily.  To resolve this I used a zig zag stich for seams and then bound the edges with binding tape.  This worked really well and actually gave the costume a much more finished look.  I will definitely be taking this approach with future costumes.  The trickiness of the fabric also forced me to slow down and think about what I was doing.  The lessons from my mum when I first started to sew alongside her loomed large in my mind.  Pin, tack, check then sew.   It saves time in the long run, and by George she was right.

The details were what made this project work for me, I was excessively pleased with the neckline for some reason, it seemed, well very knighty.

I chose the silver velveteen because it has a metallic look but still has movement and flexibility.  What I don’t like about many store bought costumes is how itchy and unpleasant the fabrics are, as if children shouldn’t expect something that feels good and inspires their imagination.

I am constantly amazed by the way that Huwyl sees the world, how a piece of toilet paper becomes a super hero.  A shiny cape is a magicians costume but also a king’s,  a super hero’s or a ‘rescuer’.  It gives me such pleasure to make something for their imaginary world that is functional and attractive, knowing full well they will make things of it I would never have thought of.

But the final detail, the piece de resistance, I can’t take credit for.  The dragon design that sits so perfectly on the knight’s tabard was, of course, designed by Stephen, chief dragon creator of the Jhompson household.  Upstaged?  I think so ; )

Enjoy Evan, you fabulous four years boy.

P.S.  Yes I am making one for Huwyl next.  One for Neirin too you say?  Matching Jhompson boys at Halloween you say? Now there is an idea…