Celebrate your child's love of learning

© Wondertime

Like a seasoned chef who cooks without recipes, Patty Hendrickson doesn't use patterns for her grandchildren's Halloween costumes. The cupcake costume (left) requires serious sewing know-how; if you, like us aren't so handy with the needle and thread, hopefully you'll glean enough hints to MacGyver your own confection.

Or you can go in the opposite direction and try "The Easiest Costume in the Universe" instead.

Materials

• 2 wire wreath forms (1 large, with a diameter similar to a bushel basket, and 1 small, just big enough to fit over your child's head)
• Bailing wire (available at most hardware stores)
• Wire snips
• 2 yards fluffy white fabric
• 2 yards of 1-inch-wide elastic (for the "frosting" and suspenders to hold up bottom of cupcake)
• Newspaper
• Pastel-colored felt squares (for making confetti dots)
• Bushel basket
• 2 yards brown fabric
• 1 yard white felt (or ribbed white material)
• White stocking or knit hat
• White tights and shoes
• Cardboard paper-towel roll
• Red and yellow felt squares (for making candle and flame)

Instructions

The Frosting:

1. Patty made the frosting by putting the small wreath form over the child's head, and attaching it to the larger wreath form (which sits roughly around the child's hips) with lengths of bailing wire (curved outward slightly to create a rounded shape).
2. She loosely covered the entire frosting form (wreaths and wire) inside and out with the fluffy white fabric, sewing elastic into the seams around the top and bottom to keep it snug to the neck and waist. Then she cut and sewed arm holes. Patty stuffed the fabric with crumpled newspaper to give the frosting some shape.
3. She made confetti dots from 2- to 3-inch circles of the pastel felt, and sewed them onto the frosting.

The Cake:

1. Patricia cut the bottom out of the bushel basket, and covered the outside of the basket with the brown fabric. Long pieces of elastic — attached to the top edge of the basket with staples or glue — act as suspenders to hold the basket in place.
2. She cut a scalloped edge on the white felt (or ribbed material) and wrapped it around the bottom of the basket to make the muffin-cup liner.
3. White tights and shoes complete the look.

The Candle Headpiece:

1. Patty cut some vertical slits into the bottom of the paper-towel roll, and splayed them out so the roll would stand upright. She then covered the roll with red felt and cut the flame from yellow felt. She cut a hole for the "candle" in the leftover fluffy white fabric, pushed the candle up through the underside of the fabric, and glued the cardboard flaps into place. She sewed the fabric, with the candle attached, onto the stocking hat.