Halloween 2018 (rad patterns cosplay 2.0)

Lisbon has loved penguins for the vast majority of her life. She was a penguin for two Halloweens in a row and finally outgrew the penguin costume we found at TJ Maxx. She wanted to be a penguin for Halloween again this year and Rad Patterns released their Cosplay 2.0 pattern around the time that we were talking about Halloween.

The Cosplay 2.0 is slouchy jumpsuit with a center front zipper, designed for knit fabrics with about 10% stretch like fleece. (I think the original cosplay suit was designed for stretchier fabrics) It is drafted to fit over a layer of clothes. The unisex pattern comes in sizes 2-12 years. There are also versions for men and women. The pattern can be printed in layers so you only need to print the size(s) you need. The pages are no trim but they do require overlap, if that makes sense. I still trimmed two edges so I could overlap them more easily. The Cosplay 2.0 has a band option or hood option and included pattern pieces for several different animals.

I don't recall installing a zipper with the method suggested in the Cosplay 2.0 and I quite enjoyed it. Neither turned out perfect but I am much more lenient on perfection when it comes to Halloween costumes. Also unpicking in fleece fabric is not very fun. ;) This was my first Rad Pattern and I was a little surprised by the layout of the instructions and that there wasn't a picture with each step. However the text was easy enough to follow.

Lisbon's is a size 7 because I'm hoping it'll still fit next year and that she will still love penguins! Her measurements put her in a size 5. I did not alter the height or length of anything in hers. Ansley's is a size 12, which she requested. Her measurements put her in a size 10. I shortened hers by an inch because I really wanted to use a nylon zipper and they didn't have longer ones in my store.

The penguin is not one of the included animals so I did some sketching and studying of online pictures and penguins from Lisbon's stuffed penguin colony. I was pleasantly surprised that my first attempt worked well! I used black and white sweatshirting fabric and the newer plush anti pill orange for the beak. All fabrics (and zippers) came from Joann Fabrics. The sweatshirting is starting to pill a little on the outside since this little costume gets worn pretty much daily. I was expecting more pilling on the reverse of the fabric but that has remained soft. I wash in cold water and line dry. The plush anti pill fleece is pretty nice. I thought I might need to interface the beak but it's so plush it just stands out on its own.

I color blocked the front piece and the hood. Lisbon really wanted me to make the undersleeve white like real penguins but after doing the hood and the front and getting them to pretty much line up I was ready to be done. I used some Joann's loungeletics compression fabric for the black eyes. I did briefly consider sending it to the embroidery shop but remembered the price for set up and then stitching was pretty much what I'd spent on the entire costume.





(She learned the Chicken Dance in preschool which is the best!)





















I finished Lisbon's costume in the first couple of days of October, right before a week of cold weather. She wore it all week around the house because I hadn't turned the heat on yet. Ansley insisted that she wanted to "be herself" for Halloween but I think the cold and seeing Lisbon's costume finally persuaded her. She was invited to a costume Halloween party at 4 pm on a Saturday. On the way home from choreography around noon she decided she wanted to be an emoji with a yellow suit and the face.

Last year I picked up McCall's 7674 but we never got around to making it and she decided to be a Ranger instead. I quickly made another trip to Joann's for more plush anti pill fleece fabric in yellow, black, and white. I totally missed the very light pink tongue when I glanced at the pattern envelope before leaving the house., so hers is tongueless. I was also surprised I had to trace some of the face pieces since they weren't all separate pieces in the pattern.

Anyway, I did the best I could with the time I had. I tried to make sure the pattern placement of the face wasn't weird. I sewed the face onto the front pieces before installing the zipper. I added the hood and arm and leg bands the next day. And Ansley's worn her costume around the house almost every day since I finished it.





(Ansley said this needs to be captioned "hashtag Halloween handstand" so #halloweenhandstand








Happy Halloween! Thanks for stopping by!