Creature Of The Night*

Sunday is Halloween.

Purists are inclined to be a bit sniffy about plastic pumpkins and skeletons, and talk loftily about the meaning and origins of the festival. I think they should climb down off those high horses and try a bit of fun for a change.

With that thought in mind, we’ve arranged the next Happy Greys Social Club coffee morning on Halloween itself. For a miracle, the Husband has the day off, and because it’s the weekend, so do lots of other people. So Mouse’s Aunty Lyn and I though a spot of doggy fancy dress would be appropriate. And before you say this info belongs over on Mouse’s own blog, there is of course a reason I’m talking about it here.

In general, I’m not a huge fan of dogs wearing costumes a lot (warm- and waterproof-wear being the exception), it’s bad for their fur and it’s a bit too anthropomorphic for comfort. But occasionally, I’ll make an exception.

You know where this is going, don’t you?  As co-host, Mouse insisted something Special.

What do you mean, they don’t flap?

I had a think about it. I concluded that a sleek, black creature with large ears and pointy fangs was made to wear a pair of bat wings. So I built him some. It’s a double layer of black felt, cut to shape and stitched together, with channels stitched in to form ribs. The leading edge has a stiff wire in it which I shaped to flick up so that they don’t just droop and flap. I was originally planning to wire every rib, but it turned out to be unnecessary. I attached the wings to his old harness with a velcro closure. He didn’t seem too distressed by them, nor too disgusted. They’re light and soft. I won’t make him wear them for hours, and he’ll probably flop down at some point and squish them. That’s OK. Let me know if you want more detail on how I constructed the wings.

Please tell me I’m not going as Elvis…

And then today in the supermarket I saw The Cape. It’s fancy dress for a small child, but fits him nicely. It’s very light and flimsy, but has this brilliant gold stand up collar, as well as gold lamé pumpkins, ghosts, bats, etc, all over the fabric. I knew we had to have it, and at $2.80 it wasn’t breaking the bank. At that point, I hadn’t finished the wings and wasn’t sure they’d be successful, so Hound Dracula was to be his fallback position. He wasn’t sure about it, at first.

I AM THE DARK LORD!!!!

As it is, Hound Dracula can wear his cloak and his wings at the same time. He looks… magnificent, although there’s still a strong element of side-eye going on. Sorry about the photos being a bit blurry and crowded, we had to capture him in all his glory before the supply of bribes treats ran out.

I do draw the line at fake blood on his fangs! 🧛‍♂️

 

*And if you don’t now have an ear-worm from the Rocky Horror Picture Show, I haven’t don’t my job properly!