Cat Girl Costume

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CAT-GIRL COSTUME
	Tools and Materials 3 packages (20-by-90-inch) sheet crepe paper in orange Scissors 1 roll orange crepe-paper streamer 1 roll black crepe-paper streamer Orange thread Black seam binding or ribbon Four 8 1/2-by-11-inch sheets black construction paper Black rickrack, for headband Orange 3/4-inch elastic, for headband CUTTING THE PIECES 1. Using bodice template (as indicated for cat costume) enlarged to 200 percent, cut out one front piece and four back pieces from orange crepe paper. 2. Cut ten black streamers and ten orange streamers to 22 inches. 3. Open one package of orange crepe paper, and fold in half crosswise; cut along fold. These pieces will be used for the skirt front. Repeat with the other package. These will be used for the skirt back. WEAVING THE BODICE 1. Weave black and orange streamers (illustration 1). Hand-baste around all edges to prevent shifting. 2. Place the front bodice piece on the diagonal over woven streamers (illustration 2). Hand-stitch all around bodice, 1/4 inch from edge. 3. Cut out front bodice. 4. Measure down 3 1/2 inches from center neck of back bodice pieces, and snip a 1/4-inch horizontal notch. Then, using a 1/2-inch seam allowance, stitch the four back bodice pieces together starting below the notch (illustration 3). 5. Gather skirt, stitching it to the bodice and topstitching to finish. If desired, edge-stitch sides of skirt together. 6. Sew shoulder seams and add seam-binding ties (illustration 4). Use these ties to hold costume closed once it is on the child. MAKING THE CAT APRON 1. Cut 12 lengths of seam binding. Six should measure 14 inches, five should measure 17 inches, and one (for the waistband) should measure 54 inches. 2. Using the small cat-head template, cut out thirteen 2-inch cat heads from black construction paper. (Because they are small, the eyes and other facial features may need to be cut out with a utility knife.) Glue one head to each end of waistband, and then one head to one end of each of the remaining lengths of seam binding. 3. Alternating long and short pieces, hand-stitch the seam binding to waistband, spacing them 1 1/2 inches apart (illustration 5). MAKING THE HEADBAND 1. Cut rickrack to child’s head size, plus 1/2 inch for seam allowance. Cut elastic to an equal length. 2. Stitch rickrack to elastic band, and form elastic into a loop, stitching ends with a 1/4-inch seam allowance. 3. Using the large cat-head template, cut out two 4-inch cat heads from black construction paper. Glue a piece of orange crepe paper to the back of one of the cat heads to make eyes and mouth appear orange. Sandwich the two cat heads over seam in headband, securing with glue (illustration 6). Let dry. Other Costumes Pumpkin Costume Spider Princess Costume PRINTABLE FILES We offer the downloadable file in a portable document format, or PDF, in order to make the details clear and printable. To view and print the file, you need a program called Adobe Acrobat Reader, which most browsers already include. If you have trouble downloading the file, or if you’d like an upgrade, you can obtain the software for free from Adobe’s website.