Bat Costume

Ok, for this one, I used someone else's idea for the bat wings, and altered it to suit myself.

The ears, I made up.

Base:

Black toboggan

Black sweatsuit (or whatever's cheap)

and he wore black crocs he just happened to have from the summer

 

Need:

1 2/3 yards black fabric 58"(mine was something on sale in the halloween costume blacks) - I forget the name?

if it's 45", you'll need about 2 yards and a slightly different layout

14 buttons (more or less, this is what I chose)

foam (the flat craft kind)

For the fabric, this is the layout for cutting out the wings:

(The rectangles were going to be for something else and I didn't use them afterall.) You could probably get less than 1 2/3 for the 58/60", but I got that much b/c I had the same rectangles at the bottom for something else.

For the pattern for the batwings:

I found it online almost 3 years ago and printed it to file. (Along with several others, including the hood pattern I mentioned in the owl post. Yeah, the one I looked at, read over, then pretty much ignored.) I decided to try to refind it today, and I did!

Here's the link:

http://www.denverfabrics.com/pages/static/halloween/halloween.htm

The only difference I did was to add about 5/8" along all the edges for a seam allowance since I used a 'fraying fabric' and had to line my bat wings. I used 3 buttons along the wrist/elbow/underarm, 2 buttons down the side underarm/waist, and 2 down the pants knee/ankle. - 7 total down each side of the body.

Scroll down to "bat wings or padded wings" for the batwings pattern. (I printed it to a .midi file a few years ago and then copy and pasted it to word for easier printing this year.) They have good pictures and easy explanation.

For the bat ears:

I cut 4 pieces of the same black (wing) fabric in tall curved triangles. (sorry, no pattern...I wasn't thrilled with the shape, so I didn't bother to save it.) I cut 2 pieces of foam slightly smaller on all sides, same shape.

With right sides together, sew two pieces of fabric together along curved sides (leaving bottom edge open). Turn right side out. Insert foam pieces.

Using a seam ripper, open the top of the toboggan. (There is another option.)

With toboggan inside out (and laid flat), insert ears so that raw (bottom) edges of ears align with  the raw (recently opened) edges of the hat - ears in between the hat layers. I had ears side by side, touching.

Baste (and check to make sure the ears are where you want them and you caught them in the stitching.

Stitch across opening (on the inside) several times. If you have a serger (and can figure out how to use it today), that wouldn't be a bad idea to use on the hat seam.

 

Other option:

A less messy way (meaning, you don't have to rip open the $1 toboggan you got from walmart) is to hand sew the ears into place on the outside of the hat. You may want to finish the bottom or use fabric that doesn't fray. I might post the mouse ears later (2006 costume - boy, 4). I used this method then - with felt fabric and foam for support.