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!

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?

 

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. 

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!

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.

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!)

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!

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.

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!!!

You might also be interested in these posts:

Baby Octopus Costume
What to Put on a Baby Registry

Bonnie Projects

My "the dress is blue and black" Halloween costume #thedress

Back in February, a photo of a cocktail dress caused an uproar on the internet, with hundreds of millions of people arguing whether it was white and gold or blue and black.  This article does a good job of describing the whole event.

In any case, I immediately knew I wanted this to be my Halloween costume.  Initially, I envisioned making a dress half in white and gold, and half in blue and black, but I had trouble finding lace in both colors, and it seemed like a lot of work for a one-time Halloween costume.

Instead, I decided to buy an inexpensive dress and go from there.  I ordered six gently-used royal blue dresses from ThredUp.  When they arrived, three didn't fit right and one was actually purple, but one was pretty darn close!  My Mom made a matching jacket for it, so it could be as similar to the original dress as possible.

What do you think of my version of the dress?

Bonnie Projects

Baby Octopus Costume

Right after I found out I was pregnant last year, I saw the cutest baby dressed up like an octopus on Pinterest.  I did the math and realized I'd have a 5-month-old for Halloween 2014, and decided right then that the baby had to be an octopus!  Plus, at 5 months old, she'd have good head control but not be mobile...perfect for an octopus!

I also have a soft spot in my heart for all things ocean-related.  This was my idea of fun in college.

My Mom was recently in town helping transition me back into work and the baby into daycare.  We came up with an octopus costume design, and she drafted a pattern and made it!  The baby's legs are two of the legs, and a removable belt holds the other six legs.  We used ball fringe as cute suckers.  We also topped off the costume, literally, with a hat featuring giant googly eyes.  SO CUTE!!!

The belt comes off for diaper changes, car seats, or irritated infants.  I plan to move the velcro as she grows so the legs will be useable as a dress-up prop for years to come.

If you want to make your own, the pattern is for sale in my Etsy shop.  It's beginner-level!

As a bonus, it turns out the legs also make great baby toys.  Savannah loved them!

 

You might also be interested in these posts:

Easy boppy cover tutorial
Zoo Quilt
Hula outfit for American Girl doll

Bonnie Projects