How to Make a Bat Costume, and also a Jedi Robe with No Instructions

First, she wanted to be a cheerleader. I groaned. Then, she wanted to be a rabbit. I cheered up. Finally, she wanted to be a bat.

It confused me, because bats are neither pink nor sparkly. They do not glitter, nor do they connect in any way with rainbows or unicorns. However, the bat decision was firm and passionate, never mind the fact that I had a cheerleader costume and a rabbit suit sitting ready in the closet. She wanted to be a spooky, scary bat.

Have you ever tried shopping for a bat costume? Not so easy. The only ones I could find were adult costumes like "Naughty Bat" and "Saucy Fire Demon" or whatever. Not that I wouldn't have tried to alter them to fit, but the wings were taller than Sadie, so it wouldn't work. Anyway, she had a specific vision -- bat wings she could extend and fold up, in a swooping fashion. So, I had to make the darn thing. Here's my process, starting with sewing felt half-circles to the seams of a black shirt. The ears were just triangles of felt rolled up and sewed onto a beanie type hat. I cut up some coat hangers with wire cutters and taped them to the wings with electrical tape for support. Then we added some black leggings and face paint:













Then there was the Jedi robe. Right up until Halloween day, Benny was planning to be a "Colonial Man." On Halloween we put on his colonial jacket to give it a test fit, and the sleeves were WAY too short. Apparently he grew. So, I said I could put another cuff on the sleeve and add a cowl around the jacket neck, but Benny decided he would rather be a Jedi. So, hey, I happened to have some brown fabric, but no pattern. This is the result:



He wore his karate uniform underneath. Here they are together:



Look out, Norfolk! Bat and Obiwan Kenobi are on the hunt for some candy!

October Violin Practice Challenge

It's October! The glow of the new semester has dulled somewhat, the crunch for holiday recitals has not yet begun, and everyone would rather think about cider and Halloween. The violins are still coming out, but they're coming out with a tiny bit less joy than they came out in September, and a tiny bit less urgency than they will come out in November, I predict. Still, Dr. Suzuki says we should only practice on the days that we eat!

Time for the first and only, spookeriffic, autumnimous Little Blue School Violin Practice Challenge!

First, print out the practice chart:

PDF Version Large JPG Version
Remember to choose "Landscape"
Choose "Shrink to Fit" when printing the JPG

Color in a pumpkin for every time you practice your instrument. If you've already played it fifteen times in October, then you're already ahead! Color fifteen pumpkins immediately and go to the front of the line!

At the end of the month, you can print out this certificate, get the appropriate name, number of practices, and signatures in place, and award it to the stellar violinist(s) in your family.

PDF Version Large JPG Version
Remember to choose "Landscape"
Choose "Shrink to Fit" when printing the JPG

Now for the exciting part (for me). If you're doing the challenge, please comment or email me to let me know that you will be completing it. I'll choose one name out of a hat, and send that child this special October edition of my violin practice award medallions:

I have several other medallions available in my Etsy Shop, but this is one is different! It's orange and black, thus making it Octobermatic and extra-desirable. Plus, to the winner, it is free and I will ship it anywhere in the entire world.

Here's a side note: I am working on putting together a page linking to as many YouTube videos of Suzuki violin students as I can find. Sort of a virtual concert. Do you have one? Let me know! My email address is jackets at rpsd.com. Spread the word!

Trunk or Treat Rained Out

The downtown Norfolk YMCA does a great job of planning cool stuff for families. Unfortunately, they cannot control the weather. Now I've got a fog machine and a black light crying in the corner because last night's "Trunk or Treat" was rained out!

It's not that we're hypercompetitive (okay, it is that, but it's not *just* that). We just really love Halloween. We love the spooky stuff, the dark, the drear, the ravens, the severed hands, all of it. If we had a little less common sense, we might be in danger of being one of those families you see on Wife Swap, where they sleep in coffins and wear shrouds to school. Okay, probably not, because most of the year, we're as cheerful as anyone else, but in October, when the wind gets a little chilly, we always find ourselves browsing the spider web aisle.

We live on a bad street for trick-or-treating. Nobody comes down this street. So our burning desire to decorate way more than is reasonable has never been realized -- we anticipate the grief and frustration of having dressed the house for a party, and having no one come to dance.

When we found out about the Trunk-or-Treat at the YMCA, where you dress up the back of your vehicle, park it in the parking lot, and let the kids trick-or-treat around to everyone's car, it seemed the perfect opportunity for us to shine. And there was a contest for best trunk. We needed no further enticement.

We got a fog machine. And a black light. Decorations. A thingy to make it so we can plug in a bunch of stuff in the back of our van. We have, I must admit, an eight foot inflatable bat that lights up and runs with a little fan inside to inflate it -- you know what I'm talking about.

WE WERE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT TRUNK-OR-TREAT PARTY.

Then it rained. And they moved it indoors. Which was just not going to be any good, what with the fog machine messing up people's workouts and the black light trying to work against the fluorescent gym lights... to which we say... never mind... I guess there's next year... sniffle snuffle.

Today we are going to get conciliatory pumpkins.