At least the King enjoyed 2nd Grade.

All this sewing nonsense started in earnest the year the Young Mr wanted to be Aragorn for Halloween.

You could argue about whether or not we should have allowed him to watch The Lord of the Rings at the tender age of 7, and perhaps we should not have. But we did, and it all fit within his obsessions with dragons and swords–fully developed by age 4–so when he wanted to be Aragorn, a trip to Lorraine Fabrics was in order.

The boots are rubber riding boots from the Salvation Army, and the sword came from the party supply house next to the craft store in Warwick. It’s the toothless sneer that gets me.

If I were to do this again, what would I change? Probably the cloak fabric and cloak design, but not much else: it’s a costume. Yes, those are stretch velvet leggings from the $2 a yard fabric loft at Lorraine’s, or else their remnant table. In the dark, who notices? They worked well for a kid who needed ease and speed in dressing.

The Young Mr wore this to play in until he outgrew it–and even a little beyond that. He still runs around with a sword if he thinks you’re not watching. Teen age cool cracks sometimes.

No more Halloween costumes, though. Last year he stayed home to hand out candy. When the little kids said, “Thank you,” Mr Cool replied, “No problem.”