Halloween Brings Out the Maker in Us

October 2, 2019

Halloween is a time of make-believe! Kids of all backgrounds love dressing up and some of us never tire of it. When our kids take part in imaginative play they tend to discover props (and costumes) that they NEED in order to make their play complete. This is the perfect time to bring making into their lives.

A Raccoon Wedding
In our house live many, many stuffed raccoons. One day a few years ago, my daughter decided that two of them needed to get married. She taped together fabric (she had not yet learned to use the sewing machine) to make a wedding dress and suits for both the groom and the bride’s “father”. The audience of other stuffed animals gathered, vows were written, flowers were brought in, and we were asked to attend the wedding (with formal written invitations). In all, it took 3 days of preparation.

I’ll admit, attending a stuffed raccoon wedding is not high on my to-do list for any day, but I supported her and I find so much satisfaction in thinking about all of the non-cognitive skills she developed in this process — self-efficacy (she executed her own ideas), perseverance (the costumes did not stay on perfectly the first time), internal motivation (there was no external force telling her to stay with this or even do it in the first place), and deferred gratification (the time between deciding to pull her parents into watching a wedding and the actual event measured in days, not minutes). She also practiced the design process: start with an idea for a costume, make it, try it on, refine it, and repeat.

Halloween = Costumes
I tell you this story since Halloween has been a traditional time of stuffed animal costume making in our household. Being a maker myself, I have always made at least some components of my children’s Halloween costumes. When the kids were very little and were naturally always in the same room with me, they would be playing in my sewing room while I worked. Their games would always turn into using the discarded fabric scraps to make costumes for their stuffed animal friends. This evolved into sewing lessons over the years. And, of course, other materials are always brought from all over the house (cardboard tubes, anyone?). I am sure this annual experience led to the inception of the raccoon wedding idea.


Bear is ready to explore the galaxy!

This summer, a very special bear in our house received space travel gear. This project was done, in its entirety, by an 8-year-old. The costume pieces have moved into our dress-up bin and when the child dresses up, so does the bear. On occasion, guests of TinkerSpace bring in a doll or stuffed animal because their goal for the day requires their ‘friend’ to try on their design. I am always so impressed by what these kids are able to imagine and accomplish.


Knight Suit, complete with shield, made by TinkerSpace customer.

We want to open up this opportunity to all of our TinkerSpace community!

Whether your children make costumes at home or at TinkerSpace, whether they work alone or with you, share pictures of their stuffed animals (or dolls) dressed in their homemade costumes and we will give away free tickets to TinkerSpace.

Rules and Details

  • Free tickets are valid during any open time through January 31, 2020, including our Noon Year’s Eve party on December 31, 2019 from 11:00 – 1:00.
  • Winners’ names will be drawn on Friday, November 1, 2019.
  • One name will be drawn for every 15 entrants into the contest (with a maximum of 10 winners).
  • You are entered in the contest by posting a picture of your child’s creation on Facebook and tagging TinkerSpace (use @exploretinkerspace) or on Instagram (use @tinkerspacekat).
  • Your name will be duplicated in the drawing pool for each of the following:
    • Share on BOTH Facebook and Instagram.
    • Share this blog post on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest (earn 4 entries for all 4).
    • Click on the Facebook event for this contest and tagging yourself as “going.”
    • Find our Facebook and/or Instagram post about this contest and tag 3 friends that might be interested. (2 possible additional entries for both Facebook and Instagram).
  • Be sure to comment on this post with all you have done so that we make sure you receive all the entries you deserve!

Happy Making!

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2 Comments

  1. Journey_4_TS on October 2, 2019 at 1:36 pm

    Love this idea!

    • Kathleen Caine on October 2, 2019 at 1:43 pm

      Thank you!

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