Costume Miracles -- Ideas Help Last-Minute Goblins Do The Trick On Halloween

Halloween is around the corner and Julie Bright has been planning her costume for a year.

The 22-year-old Seattle resident wants to be an angel at her friend's annual spooky soiree and Bright has almost everything except the wings. Desperate, the angel wanna-be recently attended a costume workshop at a fabric store and found salvation. The instructor suggested stretching white hosiery over coat hangers shaped like wings. Yet, another Halloween miracle. Bright will have her entire outfit ready by Halloween.

But not everyone is as prepared as Bright. For last-minute goblins - the same people who wait until Christmas Eve to buy presents and who floss and brush the day of the dentist appointment - breaking the habit probably isn't going to happen by Halloween. But even habitual procrastinators can impress their friends for the scary holiday. Here's some last-minute tips from Puget Sound Halloween costume experts:

-- Be creative. Alter old costumes with new additions to get the season's hottest look. Last year's yellow Teletubbies costume can be transformed into Pokemon Pikachu, the popular little yellow bird every kid wants to be. Old curtains or a piece of lace or netting can be quick wedding veils and fairy costumes.

Marilyn Sudbeck, education coordinator at Jo-Ann Fabric and Crafts, says she once took pieces of muslin and wrapped it around her then 10-year-old daughter Amy. She then attached a sign that read, "Halloween Mishap." She won a prize.

-- Work with what you already have. Start with your closet. Black tights, turtlenecks and leotards are basics that can help with most costumes. Long pieces of solid colored fabric make fast capes. Pin pipe cleaners to a baseball cap and become an insect.

This year's Star Wars villain Darth Maul can be accomplished with a black robe and red face paint. Here's a classic: Don a solid blue jogging suit and become Superman. And fake or real fur make good cave men and women..

-- Accessorize. Raid the jewelry box for old necklaces, big hoop earrings, hats, headbands, belts, and strings of beads to bring last minute costumes to life and tie everything together.

-- Use face paint and make-up. Use black eye liner to draw on whiskers for kittens and rabbits and menacing scars and black rings under the eyes for zombies. Masks are fast and easy but can make you sweat. Make-up is more comfortable and lasts longer.

-- Visit resale shops. There are plenty of resale pieces that make quick costumes. Put on a Hawaiian shirt and you're Magnum P.I. If you want to look like a 1950's soda fountain teenager, buy a hoop skirt. Bell bottoms and vests are great finds for Halloween hippies and disco denizens, said Alice Braverman of the Seattle Goodwill.

Local companies also donate new costumes to Goodwill, which sells them for as low as a dollar. If you're going for the "E.R." hospital look this year, Children's Hospital Thrift Stores has medical scrubs for sale. " We prepare for Halloween every year and set aside things that people don't buy," during the rest of the year, said Gini Toney, manager of the downtown Seattle location.

-- And finally, be safe. Cut out star and moon shapes from reflective material for little witch and wizard capes. Indoor costumes may not need reflectors, but get-ups for the outdoors do. Last-minute trick-or-treat costumes should look good and be seen in the dark.

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IF YOU GO

If you need a last-minute Halloween costume, these places should do the trick:

Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts Etc., 31523 Pacific Hwy. South, Federal Way. Open Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sundays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Costumes, fabric, and last minute extras like glitter and sequin The Federal Way store will hold a costume contest Oct. 30. Call 253-839-6710. Or go to the Web site for tips and locations at www.joann.com.

Seattle Goodwill, 1400 S. Lane St., Seattle. Open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. There are eight Puget Sound Goodwills. Call 877-448-3446 or visit the Web site at www.seattlegoodwill.org. Stores have vintage items and newly donated costumes for as low as a dollar. Costume parties at all locations Oct. 30.

Jehlor Fantasy Fabrics, 730 Andover Park W., Tukwila. Open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sundays, 1-5 p.m. Starter pieces like fabric, fur and accessories. Call 206-575-8250.

Children's Hospital Thrift Stores, 2026 Third Ave., Seattle. Open Monday through Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Items include medical scrubs and vintage clothes. All proceeds are donated to Children's Hospital patients without medical insurance. Call 206-448-7609.

Value Village, 131 S.W. 157th, Burien. Open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Finds include new and used costumes and clothing. Call 206-246-6237.