Hoop the fabric with a piece of cutaway stabilizer, lining up the marks on the fabric with the marks on the hoop. Attach the hoop to the machine and load the design. Move the hoop so the needle is right over the center point. Embroider the design. A size 11 or 75/11 sharp sewing needle is recommended for embroidering on sturdy fabrics. An embroidery needle may also be used.

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After embroidering, trim the excess stabilizer away from the back.

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Cut out the square. Lay the embroidered block on top of the flannel fabric, wrong sides together. Pin in place. Cut out the square from the flannel.

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Next, quilt the blocks together. Thread your machine with monofilament thread. Wind a bobbin with cotton thread that matches the color of the back fabric. Quilt as desired with free-motion embroidery. In this example, a simple X was stitched through the blocks from corner to corner. When quilting, the top block should face up so that the monofilament will be on top, and the colored bobbin thread on the bottom.

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Next, assemble the print quilter's cotton blocks. Cut 5 pieces of the print fabric to 5" square. Lay the fabric pieces on top of the duck cloth and cut out the shape around the outer edges of the print fabric. Lay both pieces on top of the flannel. Pin in place. Cut out the square. Repeat this for each block. Then, quilt each block as you did earlier to the embroidered block.

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Now that all the blocks are assembled, arrange them how you want. In this example, two blocks are to the right of the large embroidered block, and three below.

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Align the two side blocks together, wrong sides together. Pin in place, and sew a 1/2" seam along the pinned edges only.

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Next, align the assembled blocks with the right side of the embroidered block, wrong sides together. Pin in place and sew a 1/2" seam along the pinned edge only.

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Assemble the bottom row just as you did the side blocks.

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Align the top edge of the bottom row of blocks to the bottom edge of the assembled top blocks, wrong sides together. Pin in place, and sew a 1/2" seam.

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The next step is to prepare the blocks for the other side of the bag. For the other side, there will be two embroidered blocks and two print quilter's cotton blocks. Draw a 7" square on the duck cloth. Embroider a design in the center of the square. Repeat for a second 7" square. Trim the cutaway stabilizer from the back of each square. Layer the embroidered fabric with one piece of flannel, and quilt the layers together. Repeat for the second embroidered square.

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Next, cut two pieces of print cotton fabric to 7" square. Layer the blocks together with the canvas and the flannel just as you did earlier. Quilt the layers together. Arrange the four squares together.

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Assemble the squares as you did for the other side of the bag.

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To prepare the sides and bottom of the bag, cut three pieces of canvas to 6" x 13". Lay the pieces on top of the flannel. Pin in place, and cut out the shapes.  Quilt the pieces together.

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Now that all the panels are complete it is time to assemble the bag. Lay the front panel flat with the wrong side facing up.  Align the two side pieces on top, wrong sides together. Pin in place and sew a 1/2" seam along the pinned edges. Align the side edges of the back panel with the open long edges of the side panels, wrong sides together. Pin in place and sew a 1/2" seam along the pinned edges.

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Align the bottom pieces with the bottom edges of the front, back, and side panels wrong sides together. Pin in place, and sew a 1/2" seam.

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Clip the seam allowances, which allows the fabric to fray. To do this, make a small cut about every 1/2" along all of the seam allowances including the top edge of the bag. Be careful not to cut any of the seams. If you do accidentally cut a seam, you can sew it back in on your machine. Sharp, spring-action scissors are good tools for cutting the allowances. They're easier to use. Fiskars offers a special rag quilt snip tool that are found at most fabric or craft stores.

Next, machine-wash the bag. The agitation frays the seams, giving a fuzzy and cozy look. After laundering, take the bag outside and give it a good shake. That lessens the amount of lint and fabric waste for the dryer. Machine-dry the bag. If necessary, press with an iron on a high setting, and a pressing cloth to prevent scorching.

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To add the straps, cut two pieces of 1/2" decorative cord to 22" long. Tie knots at each end of the cord. Hand-sew the straps in place along the top edge of the bag about 2" in from each top corner.

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Ensure smiles this Halloween with a homemade trick-or-treat bag that's full of fang-tastic personality.

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This project is featured on the Embroidery Library Pinterest page. Pin it yourself using the "Pin It" button on this page.

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