DIY Treat Bag

I’m joining in with some ladies that were invited by Shelly Morgan of Coral and Co. to participate in a Halloween Bag-a-palooza. Basically, we are all putting together little treat bag tutorials just in time for you to whip something up and head out the door for some treat-or-treating fun. Check out all the stops for some exciting Halloween ideas.

My treat bag was inspired by those Lego floor mats.  You know, the ones that lay flat on the ground but then gather up and take all those tiny Legos inside them?  I was thinking this type of bag would be perfect for Halloween candy because the first thing I want to do when I get home is dump all my candy out and sort it. This bag opens up flat for all your sorting needs and then gathers up for a quick pick up.

Materials:

• Main fabric 20″x 20″ square
• Lining Fabric 20″x 20″ square (Honestly, you can make this whatever you want. It is going to be a circle.  I made a circle with an 18″ diameter so 20″ gave me some room for error or uneven cutting at the store.)
• Small scrap of interfacing 1″ x 2″
• Ribbon: Approximately 3 yards
• Basic Sewing Notions: Scissors, pins, iron, marking pen, scrap of string, bodkin or safety pin.

This tutorial uses 1/4″ seam allowances, which I typical hate but I thought it was appropriate here.

Step 1. Fold Main fabric in half, then half again. Tie the scrap of string to the marker and hold the other end at the corner of the fabric with two folds. Mark an arc from one side of the fabric to the other using the scrap of string and the marking pen. For a circle with 18″ diameter, the string should be 9″ in length from the marker to the end.  If this confuses you, just go grab your biggest mixing bowl and trace it. 🙂  Cut out the circle.  Repeat for lining fabric. You should now have two circles.

Step 2. Cut 2-12 inch strips of ribbon. These will be the bag handles.  Finger press your the main fabric in half and re-open. Fold each strip of ribbon in half, pin, and baste to the main fabric at the half points made from the finger pressing.

Step 3:  Cut a small scrap of fusible interfacing 1″ x 2″ and attach to the wrong side of the lining fabric 3/8″ from the top of the lining at the center.

Step 4: Mark button holes by measuring 1/2″ from the center. Sew two vertical button holes on each side of the center at the interfacing. (Sew button holes from the right side.  The wrong side is pictured for ease of photography.) Open button holes now.

Step 5: Place main and lining fabrics right sides together. Sew around leaving 2″ opening for turning. Clip curve or trim with pinking shears if you have them.

Step 6: Turn and press.  Edge stitch around the circumference of bag closing up the opening used for turning.

Step 7: Sew a second row of stitching around the circumference with a 1/2″ seam allowance, making a casing for the drawstring ribbon.

Step 8:  Using a bodkin or safety pin, thread the remaining ribbon through the casing.  Tie knots at the end of the ribbon and trim excess.  ***Do NOT tighten the drawstring and then trim it! You wont be able to open it up flat without the ribbon getting sucked through the button holes.  Finish ends of ribbon using your preferred method so they do not fray.

Step 9: Tighten drawstring to pull bag into a purse.  Tie drawstring and tuck inside the bag.  On my initial bag I placed the button holes on the main fabric, but decided I didn’t like the excess ribbon on the outside. The drawstring on the inside keeps the outside looking nice and tidy.

Step 10: Go collect all sorts of yummy candy!! These eyeballs glow in the dark, so that is going to add a little something fun to the evening… However, do people even trick-or-treat once it’s dark anymore?

I hope you liked this quick and simple tutorial for a Candy Sorter Treat Bag.  I love how simple, yet functional it is for Halloween.  What do you think?  Don’t forget to stop by the other blogs to see their treat bags too!  You could make a different one for each of your kids!