Halloween Trick or Treat Bags

Halloween is SO MUCH MORE FUN with kids. I love it. It’s my new favorite holiday- type of love. I never truly appreciated fall for all its warmth and magic, but I have seen the light. I love the costume creations, the pumpkins, the crafts, the feeling, the food, the decorations - it's all so magical! Have you discovered Pandora Halloween Party Radio? It is a blast. My kids and I listen to it for hours on end and never stop dancing. It will rock your socks off with fun creepy songs. I especially love when they play the theme song from Disney's haunted house. In fact, it's playing right now and I can't help but feel giddy!

Last year I made the kids their own personalized trick-or-treat bags. I wanted to share a tutorial on how to make your own. I don't have many action shots, but you will get the gist.

I purchased two black canvas totes from Jo-Ann. You can use any tote. I made letter appliqués to put their names on them. You can see a tutorial here on how to do that. I used the exact same technique to make the ghosts too. I just sketched a ghost for this, but you could always Google some Halloween clip-art to get a stencil to use. You're looking for very basic shaped images that will transfer into an appliqué easily - nothing with intricate detail.

For the trim, I pinned the pompom fringe in place and ran a zigzag stitch over it with the sewing machine. The problem here is that the thread that matches the fringe can be seen from the inside, and when you are sewing over a bumpy trim, it doesn't always look pretty. So, to cover this up, I just got black cross-grain ribbon and found fusible web tape (double sided) that was the same size (or a little smaller) than the ribbon. I ironed it on over the stitch the same way as I apply the appliqués. However, you will want to use a thin cloth between the iron and the ribbon to keep the ribbon from melting.

To create a clean edge where the ribbon meets, turn the ribbon under and make a fold, then match the other end to that. Place the fusible tape under the folded under side to secure it. You could also just cut the ends to match perfectly and run a lighter quickly over the cut ends to melt and prevent fraying. This should create a clean, secure cover that blends with the color of the bag.

Now you have personalized trick-or-treat bags for your Halloween stash!

My Stash of Materials:

Canvas Tote

Felt

Pompom Fringe

Cross Grain Ribbon

Double Sided Fusible Web Tape