Now that the kids are all back at school and parents are getting back into their normal routine, it won't be long until people start to think about Halloween and costumes for both kids and adults. When I was little, I remember dressing up as a witch and bobbing for apples with my Mum and Dad but Halloween wasn't celebrated in the way it is today. As with many celebrations, we take note from our friends across the pond, the Americans and celebrate in a much bigger way than we used to. Halloween is much more of a big party than it ever was in the UK and at Calico Laine we have a number of Halloween Fabrics which will be perfect for the occasion. Here at Calico Laine we stock a number of Halloween Fabrics that feature a Halloween themed print on them which is ideal for creating decorations in your home if you are having a party or if you simply want to decorate for the children. These include prints such as spider's webs, sugar skulls and skeletons in a number of colours. These can be used a tablecloths, bunting or swags around the home and can even be used to lining a nice basket to put all the sweets and chocolates you give out to trick or treaters. These fabrics also lend themselves to making great capes which is a great quick costume to make if you are short on time or not a confident sewer. Just a simple hem along the bottom and sides and then a channel in the top hem to thread some elastic, cord or ribbon and hey presto! In America, the costumes at Halloween are not just based on traditional ideas of witches, ghosts, cats etc and instead people dress up as everything and anything which gives people the free reign to be really creative. I'm not sure how much of this idea has transferred to the UK but if you are looking to make something other than a traditional costume, there are plenty of fabrics that are perfect for costumes and could be used as an alternative to Halloween Fabrics. These include bi-stretch, economy satin, gabardine and cotton plain fabrics which are all great bases for costumes. You can then uses fabrics such as faux fur, suede, dress net, and organza to add features and decoration to your costume depending on what look you are trying to achieve. You can also find lots of ribbons, trims and cords in our haberdashery section to add those finishing touches.