Personalized Halloween Treat Bags

MATERIALS:

• HeatnBond® Lite Iron-on Adhesive (Sew)
• HeatnBond Ultra Hold Iron-on Adhesive (No-Sew)
• Patterns for appliques available on Pattern Spot #2446
• Medium-sized canvas bags
  - at least 13.5"x 13.5"x 4" dimensions
• 10" x 12" rectangle background fabric per bag
• Assorted cotton fabric scraps
• Embellishments 
  - Refer to “Embellishment Instructions” for ideas

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Purchase the pattern (or freehand the designs). If purchasing the pattern, print out the templates, making sure the printer is not set to “shrink to fit.” Using a lightbox or window, trace the desired images onto the paper-side of the HeatnBond® Lite iron-adhesive.  
   - Be sure to trace the reverse images of what you want the final shape to look like; the letter template has already been reversed for your convenience. Refer to “Embellishment Instructions” for guidance on which shapes to trace for each arrangement.
    
2. Loosely cut around each traced image/letter grouping. Center each tracing on a fabric scrap so that the gritty-side of the iron-adhesive touches the “wrong side” of the fabric. Iron the layers using a medium heat setting without steam. The heat from the iron will fuse the two layers together; allow to cool for a few minutes. Carefully cut out each shape and letter and remove the paper from the back. Set aside.
    
3. Creating Banners (Optional): To arrange letters on a contrasting fabric banner, cut a 3” x 12” strip (to run horizontally) or a 3” x 10” strip (to run vertically). For individual letter blocks, cut 2-1/2” squares per letter--recommended only for 4 or 5-letter words (or shorter). Arrange the letters onto the banner/blocks as desired. Iron over the letters to fuse them to the fabric.
    
4. Arrangement : Arrange shapes/banners onto the 10” x 12” fabric background. Once the arrangement is to your liking, iron in place. And then stitch them around the edges. For shapes that cannot be fused (like the word banners), pin and stitch in place 1/4” in from the edge. Add any final embellishments like buttons or embroidery as suggested under “Embellishment Instructions.”
    
5. Assembly: Iron a 10” x 12” rectangle of HeatnBond® Ultrahold to the back of the finished project. Peel away the paper and trim. (I used pinking shears around the perimeter for a nice decorative edge.) Center the project onto the canvas bag and iron in place per Ultrahold directions, holding the iron over each area for about 8 seconds. The HeatnBond® Ultrahold iron-adhesive will cause the project to permanently fuse to the canvas bag with no stitching required! 

EMBELLISHMENT INSTRUCTIONS:

Bat in the Moonlight
Trace the following: one bat body, one wing flap and its reverse, one bat wing bone and its reverse, and one moon. Add two red buttons for eyes.


Crow with Name Clothesline
Trace the following: one crow silhouette and one dead branch. Fuse the letters onto a 3” x 12” strip and cut them out in misshapen boxes. Arrange the blocks to your liking and sew them in place.

There are two ways to add the clothesline using either clear nylon thread or a hot glue gun. Carefully attach a scrap of twine and mini-clothespins above the letters to make them look like they were hanging from the clothesline.
    - If you want to sew them on, you will need to attach them before adding HeatnBond® Ultrahold to the square (since you can not sew thru Ultrahold).
    - If you are using a hot glue gun, wait to add the clothesline until AFTER the project has been fused onto the canvas bag.


Jack-o-Lantern
Trace the following: one pumpkin body, one jack-o-lantern smile, two triangle eyes, and one pumpkin stem. To add visual interest, try adding some curved lines (as indicated on the pumpkin body shape) with black embroidery thread.


Owl on a Branch
Trace the following: one owl body, one owl face, both owl wings, two large owl eyes, two small owl eyes, one owl nose, and one dead branch. In addition, Vanessa recommends using a regular paper-hole punch to make a hole in each small owl eye—letting the color of the large owl eyes come through and using the 3” x 10” vertical banner for a tree trunk to attach the branch from.


Pirate Ship
Cut a 3 x 12” strip of fabric (for the water line) and of HeatnBond® Lite. Using a lightbox or sunlit window, trace the water line onto the paper-side of the iron adhesive.
Lay the gritty-side of the iron-adhesive onto the “wrong side” of the fabric strip and iron them together. Cut along the water line and remove the paper. Arrange the “water” onto the bottom of the 10” x 12” fabric background and iron in place. (It also makes a great name banner.)

Trace the following: one pirate ship, three ship masts, one small sail, one medium sail, one large sail, one pirate flag, and one set of skull and crossbones. If you want puffy sails—fuse all sails to batting scraps and cut them out. At assembly time, Vanessa hand stitches the sails in place with black embroidery thread, using a simple running stitch (machine-stitch would be fine too). Add four black buttons for
windows.




Spider in the Moonlight
Trace the following: one spider and one moon. You can also add some sort of yarn or thread to make the spider to appear to be dangling from a thread. Add two red buttons for eyes.




Witch and Toad
Trace the following: one witch hat, one hat band, one buckle, one toad body, all toad arms and legs, and two toad eyes. In addition, you will need one button for the toad’s eye. Vanessa recommends using the 3” x 12” horizontal banner for words.

Find more projects and tutorials from Therm O Web.