Batty Basics for Halloween Trick or Treat Costuming

Every Halloween, more bats may fly from door to door, collecting trick or treat candy, than ever flit about overhead. The bat costume is one of the simplest, quickest and most popular Halloween trick or treat outfits of all.

How can you make your own bat Halloween costume?

Basically, the Halloween bat costume begins with head-to-toe black clothing. A black sweat suit is ideal. A black turtleneck top and black leggings or jeans can also become the beginnings of a bat costume for Halloween.

A bat Halloween costume also needs a black hood with little pointy black ears. The easiest way to make the bat hood is to use a black stretchy knit winter balaclava or knit cap. Cut pointy bat ears from black felt, and pin them to the black knit balaclava or hat with large safety pins. (Pin the ears from the inside of the cap, so the safety pins will remain hidden from view.

Of course, a real bat is a winged creature, flying through the night, so a bat Halloween costume must include wings as well. Often, black costume wings are simple to find in Halloween costume stores, greeting card and party shops and even dollar discount spots. Batman costume wings may be recycled as super bat costume wings as well.

Black wings are also quite easy to make.

How can you make your own bat wings for Halloween?

If you can sew, you can find several options for creating bat wings for a Halloween costume. Butterick 4201, Butterick 6377, McCall's P219, McCall's 8334, Simplicity 2567, Simplicity 2875, Simplicity 3329, Simplicity 3595, Simplicity 4411, Simplicity 4902, and other sewing patterns offer complete packages and instructions for creating your own bat wings from fabric. Although some of these sewing patterns may be been discontinued by the manufacturers, they may be found for sale online.

Non-sewers may choose an easier method for making Halloween bat costume wings.

Cut bat wings from black felt. First, fold the felt in half. Use white chalk to draw a bat wing on one side of the felt, or trace the bat wing shape from a pattern. Online bat wing patterns are offered by Activity Village, ArtJen and many other costuming and crafting websites. Basically, bat wings have large arcs across the top and scalloped edges along the bottom.

Carefully cut out bat wings. Pin the center fold of the black felt bat wings to the back of the black sweatshirt or turtleneck.

What finishing touches does a Halloween bat costume need?

Add a simple black eye mask or face paint to complete the bat Halloween costume. Finish the head-to-toe Halloween bat look with black socks and black sneakers, boots or shoes.

That's all!

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