(Click on any of the thumbnail pictures for a larger view.)
Step 1: 
Fold garbage bag in quarters and smooth out wrinkles.
Step 2: 
Place folded bag between layers of paper. I use a large piece of newsprint.
Step 3: 
Set iron to wool/silk setting with no steam. Iron over paper/garbage bag sandwich. Be careful to keep iron moving and apply pressure to get plastic to melt and flatten out. Keep checking progress and flip plastic over periodically to help bond both sides. If the iron is too hot or left in one place too long it can cause holes in the plastic or make it stick to the paper. Gently peal the paper from the plastic if it starts to stick.
 
The end result will be a textured thick plastic “fabric”.

Step 4:   
Cut rectangle of plastic into two smaller rectangles. Using a paper template, and folding plastic in half, cut bat shape from both plastic rectangles. Download Bat Template PDF

Step 5:
Using mono-filament or black thread sew thread onto bat and hang.
 
On one bat I just sewed through the back of the “head” and on the other I sewed through both wings and connected the threads in the middle.
 

This has brought me to today’s Quickie Tutorial:
The Reversible Ribbon Belt

Materials:
1 1/2 yds. each of two coordinating 2″ woven ribbons. (You may need less if you need a shorter belt!)
One set of 2″ D-rings.
Coordinating All Purpose Thread

(All the pictures below can be made bigger by clicking on them.)
Place ribbons right sides together and sew across one short end.

Slide D-rings onto ribbons. Fold ribbons, wrong sides together with the D-rings at the seam.

Using a zipper foot on your machine, sew close to D-rings across ribbons.

Topstitch down long sides of ribbons, pivoting at the corners of short end.

You’re done!