Sewing Halloween Gift Bags with Scrap Halloween Fabrics

While preparing to ship October birthday gifts to a special little girl, I realized it was nearing Halloween. I knew I probably wouldn't be sending another box before the holiday, so I wanted to include a little Halloween fun with the birthday items.

After gathering all the gifts, I was left with the dilemma of how to wrap them. Instead of using birthday paper that I knew would be ripped and tossed, I decided on a more frugal approach. I gathered all my scraps of Halloween fabric from years of previous projects. They were all pretty small, but there was quite a variety that took me down memory lane. I decided to make a charm tote bag. Well, at least each side of the bag could be considered a charm. Charm quilts are usually defined as quilts made of a variety of fabrics, without repeating the fabrics. I made one charm tote bag and had a big enough fabric piece left over to make the tote's lining and a simple drawstring gift bag.

The tote bag was made up of 20 different Halloween fabrics. You, of course, do not need to purchase 20 fabrics. Use what you have and arrange the pieces in a pleasing design. You could even use everyday fabrics that are traditional Halloween colors.

Halloween Tote Bag

Step 1
Cut a total of 50, 4-inch squares. See, the pieces aren't that big, so you could even recycle old costumes and treat bags from years gone by.

Step 2
Arrange the squares for both sides of your tote. Each side is made up of a grid that is four squares wide by five squares long. Sew the squares together using a 1/4-inch seam. Press the seams open.

Step 3
Layer two pieces of fabric together with the right sides facing. The pieces need to be as large or larger than a tote bag side. Using a tote bag side as a pattern, cut the fabric. These are your lining pieces.

Step 4
Place the two tote bag sides together with the right sides facing. Pin the two long edges and one short edge. The short edge is the bottom of the tote. Sew the pinned edges using a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Sew the lining pieces in the same way, leaving a 4-inch opening on the bottom edge.

Step 5
Sew boxed bottoms. Fold a side seam of the tote bag over the bottom seam, creating a triangle point at the corner. Measure in from the point 2 1/2 inches and sew across the point. Repeat on the other bottom corner of the tote bag and the two bottom corners of the lining. Cut away the excess of each point, 1/4 inch from the sewn seams.

Step 6
Sew five squares together for each handle. Press the seams open. Lay one handle with the wrong side facing up. Fold the handle in half, matching the two long edges. Iron the folded edge. Open the handle. Fold the long edges to the center crease and iron. Do not unfold. Fold the handle in half again, matching the long edges. Iron the fold and pin the edges. Sew along the pinned edge as close to the edge as possible. Repeat with the other handle.

Step 7
Turn the tote bag right side out and lay flat on your work surface. Fold one handle in half, matching the two short ends. Place the two ends on the center top edge of the tote bag. Separate the ends by 6 inches and pin. Note: The handle will be laying upside down on the tote bag side with the ends even with the top edge. Flip the bag over and repeat with the remaining handle.

Step 8
Slip the right-side-out tote bag inside the wrong-side-out lining. Match the top edges and pin. Sew around the pinned edge. Turn the bag right side out through the opening in the bottom of the lining. Sew the opening closed. Top stitch around the top of the tote bag 1/4 inch from the edge.

Drawstring Bag

Step 1
Measure the item you will be placing in your drawstring bag. My item was a puzzle. I used a measuring tape and measured around the width. I added 3 inches and divided that number in half. I measured the length of the puzzle and added 4 inches. Do not divide the length measurement. Cut two pieces of fabric using your width and length measurements.

Step 2
Place the two pieces together with the right sides facing. Sew the two long edges and one short edge together using a 1/4-inch seam.

Step 3
Fold the open top edge of the bag over a 1/4 inch and press. Fold the edge another 1 inch, press and pin. Sew all the way around the pinned edge to create a casing. Top stitch along the top edge of the opening as close to the edge as possible.

Step 4
You now have a stitch line on the top and bottom of the casing. Turn the bag right side out and press. Use a seam ripper to open the bag's side seams between the top and bottom stitch lines of the casing.

Step 5
Cut two lengths of ribbon three times as wide as the bag. Pin a safety pin to one end of a ribbon. Insert the safety pin into an open side seam and thread the ribbon all the way around the bag. Remove the pin and knot the ends together. Attach a safety pin to the other ribbon. Insert the pin into the other open side seam and thread the ribbon all the way around the bag. Remove the pin and knot the ends. Pull the knotted ribbon ends to draw the bag closed.