Boo Baby!

Byline: Designs by Mika Tajima

costumes so cute (and easy) you’ll shriek with delight

PRECIOUS PICKLE

1. Using a tape measure, measure child’s length from head to crotch. Add 8 inches.

2. With scissors, cut four long football shapes to length in step 1, from 1.5 yards dark green felt (available at fabric shops). See diagram A, page 81.

3. With a hot-glue gun, glue edges together to form pickle. Leave one seam half-glued so child can be slipped in (see diagram B, page 81). Turn inside out to hide seams.(Fasten opening with safety pins during wear.)

4. Cut out holes for face, arms, and legs.

5. Cut out small circles from a 12″ square of light-green felt, and glue all over for bumps. What a sweet little gherkin!

FROG PRINCE

1. With scissors, cut two 3″-long ovals from green dish sponges. Cut two 2″-long ovals from a scrap of white felt, and glue to sponge eyes with a hot-glue gun. Glue 2 dark buttons to felt ovals. Cut lashes from a scrap of brown felt and glue onto eyes. Glue eyes to top of a green sun hat.

2. Cut tongue from a scrap of red felt and glue under front brim of hat.

3. From two 12″ squares of yellow felt, cut two dozen dots (.5″ to 1.5″) and one 7″-long oval. Glue dots to back of a green T-shirt or romper; glue oval to front for belly. This guy’s sure to hop into everyone’s heart.

i’m adorable enough to cast a Halloween spell on the whole family!

HERE, CHICKIE

1. With a tape measure, measure baby’s waist in inches. Double that number, then subtract 1 inch.

2. With scissors, cut a 3″-wide strip of cardboard to length calculated in step 1.

3. Measure length between child’s crotch and mid-chest and add 2″. From 1 yard white felt (available at fabric shops), cut rectangle to the above width and to length calculated in step 1.

4. With a hot-glue gun, glue ends of cardboard strip together to form a hoop.

5. Wrap felt around outside of hoop, leaving 2″ sticking up on top, and glue. Cut top of felt into jagged edge.

6. Line hoop and felt inside with sheet batting (available at fabric shops) so felt maintains shape. Glue batting to cardboard and felt to hold in place.

7. Along bottom edge, fold over felt to make a 1″-wide dart (see diagram D, page 81) and glue. Make four darts, equally spaced, to round out bottom of egg.

8. From 2 yards yellow ribbon, cut four 18″ lengths; glue to hoop for ties.

9. Glue sheet batting to top of a white sun hat. From white felt, cut six candy-corn shapes (9″ x 5″ x 1″; see diagram E, page 81) and glue over batting (see diagram F, page 81). Cut bottom into jagged edge. The neighbors will be cracking up!

treats, here I come!

OUR HERO!

1. With big, sharp scissors, cut two 18″-square, 2″-thick foam cushion inserts (buy at a large home store or fabric/trimmings shop) into slices of bread.

2. From about three 12″ squares of tan or brown felt, cut 2″-wide strips and, with a hot-glue gun, glue around edges of foam bread slices to make crusts.

3. Cut one 18″-square, 1″-thick foam cushion insert into a big circle and cover with red spray paint. Glue tomato to one slice of bread.

4. Glue a 24″ length of mustard-yellow cord or rickrack to tomato so it’s visible from side.

5. Glue three pairs green garden gloves to inside edges of the other slice of bread, fingers facing out.

6. From 2.5 yards wide ribbon, cut four 18″ lengths for side ties and two 6″ lengths for shoulder straps, and glue to bread using diagram C on page 81 as a guide. He’ll be the yummiest baby on the block.

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SAFETY FIRST

Always supervise your child when she’s in a costume. Ribbons, safety pins, and buttons can be choking hazards.

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babytalk.com

For more adorable costume ideas, go to our website and check out our Halloween special feature!

[This article consists of photographs. Please see hard copy or pdf.]

CAPTION(S):

Frank Heckers