Four easy Halloween costumes

You will need

• A black leotard
• Remnant of black faux fur fabric
• Old tights or other stuffing material
• Knitting needle
• Cardboard (from a cereal packet or similar)
• Scissors
• Needle and black thread
• Black hairband or Alice band
• PVA glue
• Black tights (and black plimsolls if your child has them)
• Black and white face paints, sponge and fine paintbrush

What to do

1. Cut a strip of faux fur the length of a cat's tail and twice the width.
2. Cut one end into a point, then hem the tail (with the fabric right-side in) on three sides, leaving just the top edge open.
3. Turn the tail outside in, so that the hem is on the inside.
4. Stuff the tail with cut-up old tights or other stuffing material, pushing it down with the blunt end of a knitting needle. (Make the tail as rigid as possible by packing the stuffing tightly.)
5. Sew the tail to the seat of the leotard.
6. Cut two cats' ears from cardboard, leaving a wide tab at the bottom of each. Fold the tabs back.
7. Cover the cats' ears - excluding the tabs - with faux fur using PVA glue, then glue on to the hairband. (If you're using a stretchy band, make sure your child is wearing it before you glue the ears on; otherwise, they will ping off when it's stretched over your child's head!)
8. Get your child to wear her tights under the leotard: black plimsolls will finish the look if you have them.
9. Paint your child's face white and add black whiskers, cats' eyebrows, a black V-shaped nose and an anchor-shaped mouth.

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