Cheerleader

Hip, hip, hooray! The crowd will go wild for this cheerleader and her very cheer-full ensemble. The pleated skirt is made from strips of yellow sponge cloths and blue tape; the pom-poms, from checkered mop heads. Bright shoelaces, dot stickers, and a paper-star cutout deserve extra applause.

Tools and Materials
2 fabric mop heads
2 packs sponge cloths
1 roll packing tape
1 pack dot stickers
1 pair shoelaces

Pom-Poms How-To
1. Fold two 12-inch lengths of 2-inch-wide packing tape in half lengthwise, and affix to plastic top of fabric-style mop heads by wrapping ends with more tape.

Skirt How-To
1. Trim two 15-by-14-inch sheets of sponge cloths so they're each 10 inches long. On underside of one cloth, draw an evenly tapered strip that's 2 1/2 inches wide at one end and 3 inches wide at the other; cut out.

2. Use this strip as a template, and continue making strips, alternating between the 2 1/2- and 3-inch ends to maximize cloth (the 2 1/2- inch ends will form the top of the skirt).

3. Starting at the 2 1/2-inch end of a strip, use a hot-glue gun to apply a line of glue about 3 inches down one side; overlap the glued portion with another strip. Repeat with remaining strips.

4. Cut a piece of double-fold bias or packing tape to the size of the glued strips, plus 12 inches on each side for ties. Fold tape in half over top, and glue.

5. Cut out a star from colored construction paper, and affix to a white shirt with double-sided tape. Decorate sneakers with colorful shoelaces and dot stickers.