Mother designs and sews Halloween haute couture

Story and photos by Meg Heaton

Rebecca Cooley wasn't sure she would have the energy to make her children's Halloween costumes this year but the as the official dress-up season drew near, she was inexplicably drawn to her sewing machine.

Cooley who lives in North Hudson and shares custody of children with their father, Mike Bahneman, is still recovering from a serious car accident in January. An injury to her leg meant two hospital stays and being confined her to her living room couch for much of the past 10 months.

"I had pretty much decided to let the costumes go this year. I just started a new job, and I am pretty tired by the time I get home. But when it came time, I couldn't go buy something. I just couldn't," said Cooley.

She recalls fondly the costumes her mother made her when she was growing up and how proud she was to wear them Halloween night. "I took a lot of pride in them back then, and the ones I do for the kids give me just as much pleasure as they do the kids."

Her first costume for son Mitch was a bunny, but not just any old bunny. This was a trick bunny emerging from a top hat. The hat was the bottom half of the costume and Mitch could walk in it. Among the eight or nine costumes since then has been a headless horseman and the Energizer Bunny, a particular crowd-pleaser.

This year he told his mom he wanted to be a "'70s" guy, and since he already had an electric guitar, they decided on legendary rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix. Cooley got most of the costume from the Goodwill Store but this costume, like all the others, has some special touches by his mother.

Five-year-old Megan took one of the top prizes in last year's Rotary Halloween Parade as an angel. So how was Mom going to top last year? "She has always loved the story of Rapunzel, and I was kind of intrigued by how I would handle all that hair, so I gave it a try."

The result, with no pattern and after just few hours at the sewing machine, is a beautiful fairy tale gown complete with a 5-foot braid of yarn that looks a lot like naturally curly hair.

All Cooley's costumes are made big enough to accommodate a winter coat beneath them and they go on to a long life in the children's "dress-up" box.

Both children will be in this year's Halloween parade on Sunday. (See story on page 1A.) And whether there are any prizes at the end of the day or not is not important to Rebecca Cooley. She's just glad she was able to continue a proud tradition of Halloween haute couture.