When I was a little girl, I had a Raggedy Ann doll that I adored. (I still have her, and several others, and a few Raggedy Andys too.) So, for several years, I dressed as Raggedy Ann. At first I wore the stupid store-bought costume with the cardboard mask and plastic bib thing. But when I was maybe 8 or 9, my mother bought me a blue floral-print dress and made me an apron and red-and-white striped stockings. She also bought me red lipstick to color my nose and mouth, and black liquid eyeliner so I could paint Raggedy Ann's eyelashes and smile onto my cheeks. It was a big deal - I attended Catholic school at the time, and on Halloween we were allowed to wear costumes instead of our uniforms. Of course, then I would go home and get about half an hour to trick or treat before having to change into church clothes for All Saints' Day vigil Mass
A few years later, when I was 12, I got hold of a sewing pattern for a Starfleet uniform. (I've been a Star Trek fan since my first exposure at the age of 6.) I went out and bought some black and red spandex, borrowed my mom's sewing machine, and made myself a uniform. My mother and I have matching gold flat disk earrings, which I used as my rank insignia (would I be anything less than a captain?
), and I bought a combadge pin from some catalog (yes I am a nerd). The costume worked out great, and I got a lot of compliments. I'm still damn proud of having made that costume myself, even though I will never be able to wear it again, as I've grown boobs and hips since then.