BOO-tiful Trick or Treat Bags!

DIY Trick or Treat Bags:

How to make custom machine appliquéd felt tote bags. 

Create and customize a trick or treat tote bag using felt and one of three free downloadable appliqué designs from Sew Beautiful magazine.

BOO BAGS

By Joy Welsh and Nicki Hill

Appliqué Designs are available as a free download from Sew Beautiful's Web Extras page or from Applique for Kids.  Refer to download for specific appliqué materials and supplies.

These instructions support the article “Boo Bags” from the article published in the September/October 2012 issue of Sew Beautiful magazine, Issue #144. Instructions for Appliqué are included in the issue. We teach you to construct the tote bags in this blog post!

Materials For Tote Bags

• 2 sheets of bamboo felt or wool felt in color of choice (available at Martha Pullen Co.'s online store)

• 1 sheet of black wool felt

• Colored felt according to free appliqué download design

• Rayon machine embroidery thread for appliqué and lettering as called for by design

• Tear-Away Stabilizer as called for in appliqué instructions in issue #144

• Pinking shears 

TOTE BAG INSTRUCTIONS  

Cut out with regular scissors first, then trim seams with pinking shears for a zigzag edge.

Cutting

•  Cut two sheets of felt 12 inches W x 11 inches H for front and back.

•  Cut two 11 inch x 4 inch strips from contrast colored felt for sides.

•  Cut one 12 inch x 4 inch strips from contrast colored felt for bottom.

Assembly

1. Follow appliqué instructions to complete machine embroidery and appliqué design on one piece of felt (reserve remaining piece for back of tote, or embroidery another appliqué design on back as well).

2. Stitch front and back pieces to bottom 4-inch contrast felt strip with wrong sides together so that seams are on the outside of the bag. Start and stop 1/2 inch from ends and back tack at each end. Trim seams with pinking shears.

3. Place one side strip to front edge of back and sew from top to bottom stopping 1/2 inch from edge (meet end of bottom seam to form a corner and backstitch). 

Repeat to join other sides of side strip to back of back. Trim both seams with pinking shears.

4. Pinch bottom edges of side and bottom strip pieces together and stitch from corner to corner and backstitch at each end. Trim seam with pinking shears.

5. Repeat these steps to apply remaining side strip.

6. Top edge of bag remains straight, but could be cut with pinking shears if you wish.

7. Make handles from ribbon, braided trims, felt or anything sturdy and stitch ends of handles to inside of both front and back approximately 4 to 5 inches apart centered.

8. Glue decorations such as rickrack, ribbon fringe, trim and buttons to bag as desired.

FILL WITH TREATS!!!

Check out more fun appliqué designs for all seasons from Applique for Kids.

Free Reverse Appliqué Onesie Tutorial

Simple surface appliqué is an easy and popular embellishment technique for clothing; but have you ever tried reverse appliqué? The general concept is the same as regular appliqué, except that the accent fabric is stitched to the garment from the backside. Then, the garment fabric is trimmed away in front to reveal the cute fabric print inside a stitched window.

Here, I used this technique to create a sweet birdie onesie, perfect for autumn. Because I wanted to soften the brightness of a white garment for a more natural, cozy look, I coffee-dyed it before appliquéing. The easy how-to for this process is included here following the instructions for reverse appliqué.

Materials

• Bird and embroidery template (available below)
• Cotton flat-front baby onesie
• Cotton fabric print for appliqué, approximately 4-1/4 inches x 3-1/4 inches (Tilda Berrie Teal used in sample)
• Monofilament thread
• Blue wash-away marking pen
• DMC Six Strand Embroidery Floss to coordinate with fabric print
• Hand sewing needle
• Pins
• Scissors

Instructions

1.  Use blue wash-away marking pen to trace bird design onto wrong side of cotton fabric print. Turn onesie inside out. Pin cotton fabric onto inside front of onesie, right side down, and making sure bird will be positioned where you want it on your finished onesie.
2. Set up sewing machine with monofilament thread. Stitch fabric to onesie on traced lines of bird shape, backstitching to secure at beginning and ending point.
3. Use scissors to trim away excess fabric around outside of stitching lines to about 1/4 inch.
4. Turn onesie right side out. Cut a small hole in onesie fabric inside stitching lines, being careful to only cut through knit layer. Trim away onesie fabric from inside stitching lines, about 1/8 to 1/16 inch away from stitches. TIP: Extra-sharp, precision-tip scissors are especially helpful in this step.
5. Machine wash and dry onesie; this will fray and curl raw, cut edges of onesie fabric.
6. Using a blue wash-away marking pen and template provided, trace embroidery design onto onesie around bird design. Use DMC floss to backstitch over marked lines.
7. Rinse away blue marked lines; let onesie dry, then press.

Fun Ideas to Switch it up!

• Instead of monofilament thread, use thread in a coordinating or contrasting color.
• Create your own appliqué templates using any shape you choose! Just keep in mind that simpler shapes are easiest to stitch around on the sewing machine.
• Apply this same reverse appliqué technique to any garment, or use it in home décor such as on tea towels or pillows.

How to Dye with Coffee

Dying cotton fabric with coffee (or tea) is a simple and inexpensive way to give any item a natural, aged off-white hue. I chose to coffee-dye the baby onesie used in this project to soften the brightness of the white fabric, and love the results. Here’s how you do it!

Materials

• White cotton baby onesie (or other item)
• Coffee and coffee pot
• Water
• Tub or large casserole dish
• Wooden spoon
• Vinegar 

Instructions

• Pre-wash and dry baby onesie to remove any sizing or oils from fabric. This will ensure a more evenly dyed application.
• Brew a strong pot of coffee. NOTE: Coffee can be either caffeinated or decaffeinated; the key is just to brew with a bit more grounds than usual.
• Pour brewed coffee into tub or large casserole dish. Place onesie into dye bath. With a wooden spoon, push garment under surface and allow it to steep in coffee dye for 20 to 40 minutes, or until desired darkness is achieved.
• Before removing onesie from dye bath, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of vinegar, stirring with wooden spoon. Allow onesie to steep in mixture for an additional 5 minutes; the vinegar will help set coffee dye into fabric.
• Remove onesie from coffee-vinegar mixture. Rinse briefly under faucet until water runs clear. Dry onesie in dryer or by laying flat.
• Continue with reverse appliqué as instructed. Any remaining coffee or vinegar odor should disappear once onesie is washed.

This tutorial was excerpted from the new Fall 2012 edition of Sew Beautiful's sister magazine, Stitch Craft Create, which can be found on newsstands and at store.marthapullen.com starting next week!

Shannon Miller is the editor of Stitch Craft Create magazine. Having previously worked as art director for Sew Beautiful magazine and with a love of all things crafty and creative, she feels blessed to work in such an inspiring environment every day. She admits to having a problem with coffee, an exploding stash of fat quarters, a strong dislike for cleaning, an addiction to reading blogs and an overwhelming affection for naps. Shannon lives in Huntsville, Alabama with her husband Nathan and their one-year-old daughter Georgia Mae and newborn son Ryland.