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Crazy Patchwork Trick-or-Treat Bag

Free project tutorial for a crazy patchwork trick-or-treat tote bag.

The perfect size for trick-or-treating, this fashionable, sassy tote would be great for any haunted outing!

Add your favorite Halloween embroidery designs and embellishments (I used buttons, feathers, decorative trim, brooches, and beaded fringe!) to create a loot bag overflowing with style.

Or, choose your own theme and create a fabulous bag for any special occasion.

Read on for instructions to make your own crazy patchwork tote.

For this Halloween tote, I created a light and cheery theme for one side of the bag, to "balance" the darker, spooky theme on the opposite side of the bag. You can create different sides, too, or make your bag the same on both sides.

Free project tutorial for a crazy patchwork trick-or-treat tote bag.

Supplies Needed continued:

**12 1/2" wide by 5 1/4" high piece of heavy cardboard (for bottom insert)

**Decorative trim, decorative buttons, feathers

**Fabric glue

**Needle and thread for some hand sewing

Supplies Needed:

**1/2 yard fabric (for sides, bottom, and inner lining -- I used faux suede)

**1/4 yard fabric (for sides, bottom, and embroidered pieces -- I used faux suede)

**1/4 yard twill (for embroidered pieces)

**Small pieces of print cotton fabric (I used quilter's cotton)

**Medium weight cutaway stabilizer

**Temporary spray adhesive

**Pair of purse handles

**Heavy-duty thread (for decorative top stitching)

**16" length of 1/4" to 1/2" wide ribbon

Special Project Notes:

Finished Size: 13" wide by 13" high by 6" deep

Designs Used:
I used the small size of the Skull Filigree Corner and the medium size of the Jack O' Lantern Glow design on the "light" side of the bag. For the "dark" side of the bag, I used the medium size of the Spider Web Border and the medium size of the Spooky Owl design.

Any of the designs from the Halloween Boo-tique Design Pack would also be a great choice. Designs from the If You've Got It, Haunt It Design Pack would be boo-tiful, too!

First, cut pieces of fabric (I used twill and faux suede) a bit larger than your hoop. Then, spray a piece of cutaway stabilizer with temporary adhesive and smooth the fabric on top. Embroider the designs.

Trim the fabric around the edges of the design leaving a couple of inches of excess (I trimmed my embroidered pieces to about 7" wide by 10" high for the bottom piece, and 9 1/2" wide by 4 1/2" high for the top piece). Cut several pieces of fabric (I used faux suede and quilter's cotton) into irregular shapes.

Piece them together randomly by aligning the edges together, right sides together, pin in place, and sew a 1/4" seam along the pinned edge. Press the back seams open.

Trim the fabric to create straight edges and repeat the process of piecing the fabric until you have an area that is a bit larger than 7 3/4" wide by 10" high. Align the patchwork on top of the bottom embroidered piece, right sides together, pin in place, and sew a 1/4" seam along the left side only. Press the seam.

Create a patch work piece that is a bit larger than 6 1/2" wide by 4 1/2" high. Align it on top of the top embroidered piece, right sides together, pin in place, and sew a 1/4" seam along the right side only and press the seams.

Align the assembled top piece on top of the assembled bottom piece along the top edge, right sides together, pin in place and sew a 1/4" seam along the pinned edge only. Press the seam. Trim the entire shape down to 14" wide by 14" high (if necessary).

Next, using heavy-duty thread I used a decorative stitch to top stitch along some of the seams (the heavy duty thread shows up better than regular all-purpose thread because it is thicker). I also glued decorative trim along some of the seams using fabric glue.

To prepare the side and bottom pieces, cut two pieces of fabric (I used faux suede) to 4" wide by 14" high for the sides, and one piece to 20 1/2" wide by 4" high for the bottom.

Align the side pieces on top of the embroidered piece, right sides together, along the side edges of the embroidered piece. Pin in place and sew a 1/2" seam along the pinned edges only. Press the seams.

Align the bottom piece along the bottom edge of the assembled embroidered/side piece, right sides together, pin in place, sew a 1/2" seam along the pinned edge only, and press.

You can add other embellishments like feathers, buttons, and all sorts of baubles! Use fabric glue to glue the feathers in place. Then, hand-sew the buttons in place.

Use the same process as you did earlier to create the other side of the bag. I cut the embroidered pieces a bit different than the first side. Have fun experimenting with different shapes!

Be sure to cut down the completed patched piece to 14" wide by 14" high before adding the side and bottom fabric.

Align the two sides together, right sides together, pin in place, and sew a 1/2" seam along the side and bottom edges only. Leave the top edge open.

To create the flat bottom and sides, at each bottom corner, align the center side seams with the center bottom seam. Sew a seam along the very bottom of the triangle shapes at each corner. Turn the fabric right side out -- the outer shell of the bag is complete!

Next, cut four 4" lengths of 1/4" wide by 1/2" wide ribbon. Wrap the ribbon around the ends of the purse forming loops and glue the loops in place with fabric glue.

Pin the ends of the ribbon loops at the top edge of the outer shell about 2" in from each top corner with about one inch of excess ribbon extending out past the outer edge of the fabric.

To prepare the inner lining, cut two pieces to 14" wide by 14" high (for front and back), two pieces to 7" wide by 13 1/2" high (for sides) and one piece to 13 1/2" wide by 7" high (for bottom). Lay the front piece (one of the 14" by 14" pieces) flat and align the side pieces on top, right sides together, with the side pieces aligned with the side edges of the front piece. Pin in place and sew a 1/2" seam along the pinned edges.

Align the back piece with the open long edges of the side pieces, right sides together, pin in place and sew a 1/2" seam along the pinned edges. Then align the bottom piece with the bottom opening of the side/front/back piece, right sides together, pin in place and sew a 1/2" seam along the entire outer edges of the back piece.

To complete the inner lining, insert the outer shell inside the inner lining, right sides together, with the handles tucked inside. Pin in place and sew a 1/2" seam around the top edge leaving a 6" opening in between one of the purse handles. Stitch back and forth over the ribbon loops to reinforce the seam. Turn the bag right side out.

To prepare the bottom insert, cut a piece of hard cardboard (I used the inside of an old three-ring binder) to 12 1/2" wide by 5 1/4" high. Insert the cardboard inside the bag between the bottom of the outer shell and the inner lining. Tuck the inner lining inside. Fold the fabric of the opening in 1/2" and press. Also press the seam along the entire top edge of the bag. Top stitch a 1/4" seam along the entire top edge. And your bag is done!

Whether you create a fun and festive trick-or-treat bag with this tutorial, or follow the instructions using other types of embroidery designs and fabrics to create a tote you'll find attractive any time of year, the basic pattern of this tote is a classic.

So choose your favorite theme and create a beautiful bag for the ages!

Click here for a printable version of these project instructions.