My very own spider skirt, finally

A few days ago I blogged about becoming a Halloween party animal.  This is my first step.  Many years ago, probably before Miller was born (maybe even before I was married!), I saw a great idea for Halloween fashion in the Martha Stewart catalog.  I ripped out the page and put it in my Craft Idea Binder.  Here's the page from my binder.  I refer to the really cool spider skirt.

I think about that skirt every Halloween, and I have finally taken action.  I picked up supplies a few weeks back and have been sewing the last couple of days.  Want to see?

Did you notice the seam across the front - it runs right above the spider?  I made a terrible mistake of assuming my 60-inch tape measure was one yard long (my logic being that everything is measured in yards, so naturally my tape measure must be one yard long).  I grossly underestimated the amount of fabric I would need.  But resourceful as I am, I was able to piece together the fabric to create a panel big enough for the back of the skirt ... which accidentally ended up being the front.  But I thought the seam was so cute anyway, I'm glad it worked out that way.  I will wear a simple black shirt with my skirt, just like in the catalog.  I'll take Miller trick-or-treating in style this year.

As far as the details of the project ... I used an A-line skirt I already had as the "pattern" and just added length to it.  The spider web is thin black rick rack.  The spider body is craft felt.  The eyes are Swarovski crystals.  I don't know if it is washable with all that black trim, but since it will only be worn for a couple of hours each year, I'm not too worried.

This was the first time I have used my sewing machine in five years, but overall the project went smoothly, despite the shortage of fabric.  A needle may or may not have been broken, but I had a great time creating my skirt ... the spider skirt that I have daydreamed about for years.  It may not be an actual Halloween costume, but it's good enough for this party animal.