Monday, November 17, 2008

Quick Treat Bag (Halloween)

Ok, this really is my last halloween related post for the year. I forgot I made some bags. I have two pumpkin buckets, but I now have 4 children that are capable of saying "Trick or Treat!" and I don't like the flimsy handles on the new pumpkin bucket and I wanted something flattenable (I know that's not a word.) I'll tell you like I tell my husband: I like to make up words and it sounds exactly like what I'm trying to say!

Oh, last reason for the bags...I have an obsession with bags!

 

Take a sheet of felt (usually 9x12 I think). Trim off an inch from the short end. Do this for two pieces (same color if you want your bag to be one color; two if you want back/front to be different). Save this inch wide strip from each sheet - they're your handles.

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Find an image online and scale it down to be no wider than 6-7" wide or 8-9" tall. My son wanted a bat. Pin it to the color felt you want it to be and cut it out. (Silouettes work best - things without detail work...unless you like to complicate things.)

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Top stitch it to one piece (centered side to side, and slightly above the top to bottom center). 100_8381

With image (you just sewed) between the sheets, sew the two sheets together around sides and bottom.

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now to "box the corners". Do you know what the means?

If not...

pinch one bottom corner so that the side seam is "flattened" and aligned with the bottom seam. Can you tell by the picture? (The seams must be aligned or your bag will be crooked!)

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Measure across this "flattened" triangle/corner. Find the spot where it is 2" across. (To keep it perpendicular to the stitching, or in other words, to make sure the tape is straight across the corner, see that the line of stitching is crossing the 1" mark both above and below the measuring tape.) See picture.

it was exactly centered...but the picture is not as perfect as it was when I did it without the camera in hand!

Draw a line above the measuring tape (with a fabric marker if you want it removable).100_8388

Sew across this line.

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Repeat for other corner.

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At top edge, place ends of strip 1" from side seam, overlapping bag about 1/2". Sew in place. (Make sure handle is not twisted and that both ends of each handle strip are attached to the same side.

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Done. No need to finish seams, hem the top, or provide much stability - it's just a quick treat bag - and you can make a new one every year to match your costume with 3 sheets of felt! (that's like 60 cents)

I forgot to take pictures of them before I put them away. (I made pretty generic ones that could be reused with any halloween costume) - a jack-o-lantern face, a cat, "boo", and a bat - the bat and cat came off of google image search (I love that thing!)

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