Cajun Mardi Gras Costume

Now that carnival season is almost here, I would like to show my Cajun Mardi Gras costume for 2013!

In 2013, I plan to spend Mardi Gras in Cajun country, where the Courir de Mardi Gras, or Mardi Gras Run, is held. As I understand it, this event involves costumed horseback riders who ride from farm to farm to gather ingredients for a town gumbo. I understand that large Courirs are held in Church Point, Eunice, and Mamou, with smaller ones in Tee Mamou, Iota, Basile, and other towns. I don't plan to participate in a Courir, which I think could be a bit rough for me, but rather to participate in town festivities and to watch those participating in the Courir as they come and go.

Of course, I want to be in proper costume! A Cajun Mardi Gras costume involves patches and fringes, as well as a conical hat. Accordingly, I've taken a t-shirt, a pair of pants, a conical hat, and a handbag -- and I've sewn patches of material in various colors onto these items. My costume doesn't have fringes -- just lots of patches. Below, you can see photos of the items in my costume.

First is the shirt. This took quite a bit of time because, as you can see, I used fairly small patches -- lots of them. Also, I didn't take into account that this sewing on of patches would tighten, or shrink, the t-shirt. Thankfully, I can still manage to get into it!

Shirt - front view

Shirt - back view

With the pants, I was more careful. I used larger patches, and I sewed more loosely, so I didn't have the shrinking problem. Also, the Mardi Gras colors of purple, green, and gold are more prominent in the pants.

Pants - front view

Pants - back view

Then came the conical hat. I bought a Halloween witch's hat from a costume shop, stuffed the cone to keep it upright, and sewed on patches, making sure to use purple, green, and gold for the cone.

Hat - front view

Hat - viewed from above

The final item is the shoulder-strap bag to carry things in. I used an old handbag, sewed purple, green, and gold material onto it, and added long shoulder straps.

Shoulder-strap bag to carry things in

This completes my Cajun Mardi Gras costume! Thank you for taking a look at it! I'm looking forward to wearing it at the Courir de Mardi Gras on Tuesday, February 12, 2013!