Halloween is coming, and I am in utter panic. My 9-year-old told me that she wants to be a giant leaf this year. She also insisted that the costume be homemade — not some store-bought thing. Much too common. “They’re more interesting when you make them,” she said.

Yes, I’ve always made her costumes. For the last two years, she was a chess piece (a rook, then a bishop); before that, she was an apple with the “Very Hungry Caterpillar” crawling on her shoulder.