DIY Felt trick or treat bag

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, which is ironic since I'm a dietitian... and candy...but oh well. Maybe I like it so much since it's like a free pass to eat a ton of candy (that I steal from my children).

Anyways, I have passed my love for this holiday on to my son. Unfortunately, this year we had less time to go out and buy halloween essentials (hello Isabel!) and since we just moved, we don't have any from last year. (No, I did not pack the plastic pumpkin that takes up half of a huge box... but I'm sure some other kids mom scored it at goodwill and couldn't be happier).

With some scraps of fabric laying around, I decided (on Halloween day.... actually 30 min before we left for trick or treating) that I should make an easy candy bag.

I think it turned out pretty cute and my son still uses it to carry around some of his toys. The best part about it is that it is small and can be tucked away in his toy box if need be... or a box for next halloween!

What you need:

2- 12" by 6" pieces of black fabric (for bats)
2- 14" by 6" felt pieces
2- 4" by 6" felt pieces
1- 14" by 4" felt piece
2- 12" by 1.5" strips of felt (for handles-- these can really be any size depending on your kids size or who you want to carry it)
Sewing machine with thread
Scissors
chalk (for drawing bat to cut out)

What to do:

Trace your bat
I like to make it as symmetrical as possible so I do it on the fold and just draw half a bat, as shown. I did 2 of these. One for each side of the bag.

Cut it out

 Put it on the bag and pin.

 Sew it on to the bag
I wanted it to be a little shabby chic so I left the edges raw.

 To change directions, leave your needle down, raise your foot and rotate the fabric as needed and continue sewing.

This is what you should have now:

 Next, sew on the sides of the bag to the piece your just made with the bat. Just line up the 6"side of the long beach of felt with the 6" side of the small piece of felt and sew.

 Do this for both sides and the bottom of the bag

Next, on the other side of the bottom of the bag, sew on the other bat side of the bag, making sure to always keep wrong sides together on all edges.

This is what it should look like now:

 Next, Sew the side to the bottom of the bag, keeping rite sides together. just fold it down, keeping the front (bat) fabric out of the way.

Next, sew the front to the side on the 6" side

 It should now look like this:

 Next you sew up the back (bat) to the side panels. It should look like this:

 Finally, it is time for the straps:

Pin them about 5 inches from each other. Make sure they are centered on the bag.

Sew the straps on

 Fill with candy :)

And here are some obligatory pictures of my adorable children in their halloween costumes! 

Little man is a cat, little lady is a mouse. The little man choose their costumes. I thought it was a winner! Happy first halloween little girl, don't worry... you'll get a bag next year to fill with candy for mommy and daddy to eat <3 ;)