Costumes: DIY or store-bought?

Until I was about 12, all of my Halloween costumes had been store-bought. It had never occurred to me to try to make one myself until about then, and even then (looking back) it was such a bizarre one: around the time those Call ATT commercials were out with Carrot Top, so I decided to dress up as Carrot Top.Yeah, you read that right: I was Carrot Top for Halloween. I wore jeans, borrowed my mom's tie-dye shirt, bought a red curly wig . . . and everyone thought I was a clown (which, I guess in some aspect, they were right). But that was my first attempt at a DIY costume and I had a lot of fun with it, so I kept going.

Growing up, my family attended church and there was a guy who played guitar who always picked on me (no pun intended) and for the Halloween party at church one year (I was 17) to get him for all the picking and jokes and pranks, I dressed as him. And I didn't come in costume, I changed in the bathroom upstairs so I could come downstairs and get a good reaction from everyone. The result: immense laughter, especially from his wife and son. Now, let me describe my costume to you for the full effect (I wish I had the picture handy, but it's elsewhere at the moment and unattainable): boot-cut jeans, western shirt, bolo tie, western boots, stick-on mustache, mullet wig, and for good measure, one of my dad's friends owned a guitar shop and he let me borrow an old beat-up acoustic on the promise I would provide a picture. While it wasn't a well-known superhero or movie character, I have to say that was probably my best costume ever just because it got EXACTLY the reaction I was hoping to get and everyone loved it.

One year, I even attempted a Charlie Brown cosplay with a cheap white sheet with holes cut out everywhere and a paper bag full of rocks. Unfortunately, most people just thought I was a weird ghost. I wanted to have them all sit down and watch (or re-watch) The Great Pumpkin.

Last year at work, I was Soft Kitty. So many people smiled and giggled because they got it, a few even sang the song.

Sing 'Soft Kitty' to me.

I intend to do another DIY this year, but it's a matter of being able to get all the pieces, so I've only told a few people what I plan to do. I did a test-run at work on Thursday for the hair since I'll be working on Halloween; it held up alright, I just need to make a couple of tweaks.

So I want to know from you guys: do you make your own, whether it's putting pieces together or actually sewing your own costume, or do you buy a ready-made costume from the store or online? Do you have a favorite (include a pic if possible, please)? Let me know in the comments below; you don't even need an account to comment and you can even comment anonymously, but please keep it SFW.

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Also: THE WALKING DEAD STARTS TOMORROW! YAY! http://www.amctv.com/shows/the-walking-dead