conquistador? yep conquistador!

I believe it is no secret that

I enjoy making costume,

so when Brick Master came home

with a challenge,

I was up for it!

He was to recite a poem of his choosing,

and do some interpretation to reinforce the idea.

He chose "Food of the gods"

about Cortes, Montezuma, Quetzacoatl

and Cacao.

If you want to read more about the story:

http://www.pbs.org/kpbs/theborder/history/timeline/1.html

Back to the challenge: make a conquistador costume!

The first thing we came up with was the helmet,

then we realized we needed a shirt,

he could use some of his knight outfit for the armor

and the belt,

and finally boots, shoes can really make or break any costume!

(no weapons were taken too school!)

The helmet was made out of a Cheerios box,

and spayed painted silver,

we made a paper model and it worked well,

it was even wearable, but no so much once it was made out of the box!

The solution: carrying under the arm while reciting the poem.

Since I was/am still under the no-fabric-purchase rule,

I made the shirt with some cotton fabric I had purchased

a while ago (for some unremembered reasons!)

it had a nice texture and almost dirty color,

perfect for a conquistador on the go.

I used a Pirates of the Caribbean pattern for the shirt

and boots (simplicity 3644).

It might not be period accurate,

but shirts remained about the same from the Renaissance

to probably 18th century, so close enough!

The boots are cover boots, I made them out of

fake leather, easy to sew,

and from a distance not bad at all!

I used it before to make a doll purse

and some doll shoes.

I think overall is was a great outfit,

Brick Master did a great job with his poem,

and since it was about chocolate,

he brought some to share with the class:

total success!

Here is a picture of an improbable encounter:

a Barbie Musketeer and a Conquistador:

duel under the sun!!

Happy sewing!