Friday, October 7, 2016

Light-Up Trick-or-Treat Bag

Happy October!  I've had so much crafty energy lately, it's been really fun :)  My latest project is a light-up Halloween trick-or-treat bag!

Light-up Trick-or-Treat Bag || bonnieprojects.blogspot.com

I saw the panel for this bag in my local quilt shop about six weeks ago, but I didn't buy it when I first saw it.  I kept thinking about it for weeks, so I finally went back, and bought the very last one!  It's a panel with instructions to make the bag, but there were a few other supplies I needed, like the fabric for the lining and the binding.  The panel also comes with some trick-or-treaters printed on it, which I think I'll save for future projects.  Maybe for Halloween bibs, or an applique on a kid dress?


Light-up Trick-or-Treat Bag || bonnieprojects.blogspot.com

Before I cut into my panel, I traced the pattern onto paper for future use.  I feel like if we have additional children down the line, they're going to want a trick-or-treat bag just like their sister!

The example in the shop was quilted all over in a random walk.  I decided to quilt mine by outlining the house and trees. 

Light-up Trick-or-Treat Bag || bonnieprojects.blogspot.com
Quilt Shop Trick-or-Treat Bag

The next step after quilting was to make button holes for the lights to poke through.  The ladies at the shop gave me the great advice to lay out the lights first and make sure they would reach from one hole to the next.  I also took into account they would need to go from one side of the bag to the other.  20 button holes later, and I had officially doubled the number of button holes I've ever sewn in my life.  Thankfully my machine has settings to make it easy!

Light-up Trick-or-Treat Bag || bonnieprojects.blogspot.com

From there I just followed the directions, and it came together quickly!  I think I might be more excited about this than Savannah, but oh well :)  It's cute, but I also like that it adds some safety on Halloween!  Also, the light are easy to remove, so it can go through the washer if it gets grubby.

Light-up Trick-or-Treat Bag || bonnieprojects.blogspot.com


If you want to make your own, look online for Northcott Fabric's Happy Halloween collection by Julie Dobson Miner.  The bat fabric I used for the lining and the stripe I used for the binding are both from the Here for the Boos line from Wilmington Prints.  All were available on Etsy at the time of the posting.  (By the way, "Here for the Boos" needs to go on a Halloween sign somewhere in my house...too funny!)

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Octopus Costume for Toddlers

Following the release of Finding Dory, I got several requests from my Etsy customers for a toddler version of my infant octopus costume - kids wanted to be Hank the Octopus!  Because Savannah is 2 1/2 right now, I thought this would be a perfect time to come out with an updated pattern!

Octopus Costume for Toddlers || bonnieprojects.blogspot.com

Octopus Costume for Toddlers || bonnieprojects.blogspot.com


I made this costume as close to Hank's coloring as possible, using an orange knit with red dots and 1/2" red pom pom fringe.  I went with a smaller pom pom size for this costume, but I sort of wish I had used the larger size.  Etsy had a great selection of polka dot knits (I bought from Magic Fabric Designs) as well as pom pom fringe (from Creative Trims), and at reasonable prices!  I was much happier with the selection on Etsy than at JoAnn or Fabric.com.

Octopus Costume for Toddlers || bonnieprojects.blogspot.com

Octopus Costume for Toddlers || bonnieprojects.blogspot.com


If you're interested in making an octopus costume for your toddler, the pattern is available in my Etsy shop.  I really want to try one in purple and black one day to look like Ursula from The Little Mermaid!

I also started a Pinterest board to collect up links to fun octopus fabrics.  If you have good ones, please share in the comments!

If you'd rather make the costume for an infant, that pattern is accessible here.  Look how much she's grown in just two years!!!

Octopus Costume for Infants || bonnieprojects.blogspot.com


You might also be interested in these posts:

Baby Octopus Costume
What to Put on a Baby Registry