Are your little ones getting their best Trick or Treat voices ready and those ghosts, goblins and witches costumes polished up to scare all of your neighbors? The time is almost here for all of those adorable, scary and brilliant costumes to roam the neighborhoods filling up bags full of candy and treats galore. Today, Heather from The Sewing Loft is sharing a fun Trick or Treat Tote for your little goblins to put all of their sugary goodness into on the spoooookiest night of the year! Enjoy!
Hello Ribbon Retreat fans! I’m Heather and on the average day you can find me sharing easy sewing tips and projects on The Sewing Loft. Today, I am excited to share a whimsical Halloween bag with a built in safety feature. That’s right, my goal is to keep the kiddo’s safe while running around collecting all that candy in the dark!
Supplies:
3 fat quarters
2 half yards
2 3/4 yards Reflective Glo Ribbon
1/2 yard of decor bond
Cutting Instructions:
Cut 1 strip of each fabric 2 1/4″
Cut bottom fabric 6 1/2″ x 16 1/2″
Cut 2 top of bag panels 10 3/4″ x 16 1/2″
Cut deco bond 16 1/2″ x 32″
Cut lining 16 1/2″ x 32″
Cut 1 strip of 2 1/4″ x 18″ of all 5 fabrics.
Sewing Instructions:
Stitch each strip together to create a stripe effect. Press seams. Alternating fabrics and pressing seams open as you work. Cut stripe rows to 3 1/2″ tall.
Stitch each row together short end to short end to create a long row of vertical stripes. Stitch 2 groups of 12 together alternating fabrics and pressing seams open as you work. Finished measurement is 16 3/4″.
Stitch all panel pieces together to create 1 long piece that measures 32″ long. Fuse with deco bond interlining to wrong side of fabric. Square and trim panel to measure 16 1/2″ x 32″.
Grab lining and attach lining to wrong sides to the front of bag along the short ends. Press and flip to expose right sides. Press again. Straight stitch along the top edge.
To attach reflective tape aka- handles, align your clear quilt ruler 4 1/2″ from the edge. Butt tape against ruler edge and pin in place. When you reach the top edge, measure out 16″ for the handle length and continue to pin 4 1/2″ along the other side. Repeat the process until you overlap at the bottom starting point.
*Tip: Ditch the pins and grab the glue stitch! A dab of washable glue is perfect to keep the reflective tape in place while stitching.
Stitch all around the reflective tape and at overlapping point to secure in place. Feel free to create a box stitch along the top edge for additional reinforcement.
Fold right sides together and stitch side seams with a serger machine. No serger, NO Worries! Just straight stitch and go over the seam allowance with a tight zig zag to reduce fabric fraying.
Mieter the bottom corners, turn right side out and you are all set!
Since we added a layer of decor bond, the bag will stand up straight on it’s own! (Don’t tell anyone but that’s my secret weapon for sewing these types of bags.)
When you’re done with the candy overload, be sure to stop at The Sewing Loft for more easy patterns and simple sewing tricks! ~Heather
Won’t your little Trick or Treaters LOVE this fun bag….and isn’t that added safety feature the BEST?!? I love the idea of adding the reflective tape so all of those ghosts, witches, princesses and SUPER strong super heros can be seen in the dark on Haaaaaaaalloween night!
Thank you Heather for sharing this fun little tote with us today! I love this lady and how incredibly talented she is! If you are dreaming of learning how to sew or dreaming of learning a new sewing technique, make sure to head on over to her awesome blog The Sewing Loft. Her tips, tricks and sewing tutorials will have you sewing like a pro in no time!
Halloween is right around the corner! Yay! Check out these other fun Halloween crafts that you will love making and love having amongst your Halloween festivities…
I seriously can’t believe we are already crafting for Halloween! In fact, I am already thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas crafts too….CRAAAAAZY! This is my favorite time of year for crafting, sewing, baking, being with family and friends, and enjoying the crisp Fall air! What projects are you working on right now?
Happy Creating & Happy Trick or Treat Totes!
