It appears another Halloween will pass that I have not made a costume for my boy. However, I finally admitted to myself that this is my fantasy, not his. The good news is he likes to decorate AND make decorations…woohoo!
Here are two quick and fun projects to do with kids…or alone.
Jack-o-Lantern Trick or Treat Bags
This is a project I did with several kids. I wanted to do something they could take away and use for Halloween, plus have them create something unique. The solution was a trick-or-treat bag. In order to make the project run smoothly, I did most of the prep work prior to meeting with the kids.
What you'll need:
Orange and black felt
Black grosgrain ribbon, approx. 1 3/4" wide
Fabric glue
What to do:
1. Trace and cut pumpkin pattern onto folded fabric. Pin top and bottom together.
2. Sew contour lines onto both front and back pieces. Just eyeball your lines from top to bottom. They'll look good and very pumpkinish if not too perfect.
3. Sew grosgrain ribbon to inside of top and bottom piece. I used a zigzag stitch, but not necessary.
4. Cut out facial features from black felt.
5. Let kids design their jack-o-lantern using the black felt pieces. When they are done arranging the pieces, have them glue the pieces down with tacky glue, fabric glue or even a drop of elmer's. Make sure to get a glue that dries clear!
6. Top stitch/edge stitch the black felt pieces onto FRONT of jack-o-lantern only. Align front and back of jack-o-lanterns and top stitch all around leaving an opening at the top for treats!
TIPS:
I used jack-o-lantern face templates from Martha Stewart and just scaled them to fit my pumpkin pattern. I've included both the pumpkin pattern and the face templates in the file below. It's great to let the kids choose the pieces and make their own faces!
Halloween Bunting
With all the left over felt from the trick-or-treat bags, we made this Halloween bunting. Pretty basic and super easy. I was worried an orange and black bunting would look like it belonged in a gas station or a high school gym, so I incorporated three different size triangles and added a printed paper triangle with clip art from Martha Stewart [again!].
A rotary cutter and a straight edge can cut through several layers of felt at the same time, making this a quick project. I used more of the 1 3/4" grosgrain and folded it in half while I was sewing the triangles in the middle. Binding could work too. If you intend to hand it on a wall where the back won't be visible, I'm sure you could just sew it to a narrow ribbon. Since I am planning on hanging this bunting from a ceiling where both sides will be visible, I used the folded grosgrain. If you intend both sides to be seen, make sure you print twice the amount of triangles with images, one on each side.
Not that I think any of you are daft, but I've also included a pattern for the triangles. This is for those of you who want to get started ASAP and not mess around with drawing the triangles first. Here is a link to Martha Stewart clip art.
Download halloween_bunting.pdf
Happy Halloween!
F&N