The Fat Quarter Box - Halloween Haunt
The Cloth of Gold Fat Quarter Box offers simple instructions to follow inside the box of how to make the perfect Trick or Treat Bag. In this Blog is a step by step guide with pictures to follow along with. (Pictures will always be below the text)
To begin the Trick or Treat Bag you will need to identify which fabrics will be used for the top and lining (Fabric A) and the bottom and strap (Fabric B). From the picture you can see I choose Midnight Haunt Black Check for Fabric A and Harlequin Bats Orange for Fabric B. You will need to cut 2 of every pattern piece; as you can see, I folded my fat quarter in half to make sure I had minimum wastage.
I fused the Outer Bag pieces to give them a more sturdier feel. You will be provided with 30cm of heavy iron on interlining within the box to do the same. I always recommend cutting the fusing to size. Using the pattern pieces again you will need 2 of each Bag Bottom and Bag Top.
TOP TIP always put a scrap piece of fabric on the ironing board cover so if you don't quite line up the interlining correctly the sticky residue can be removed along with the scrap of fabric and not ruin your next project.
Sew the Outer Bag Top and Bottom together on the long edge using a 1cm seam allowance I have used black thread throughout the project so it's easier to see but you will be provided with an orange and a black thread to keep those seams invisible.
TOP TIP because you interlined these pattern pieces, I recommend ironing on the right side of the fabric when pressing the seam open to prevent getting sticky residue on your iron; but still remember to keep that scrap of fabric between the ironing board cover and your work in case any interlining is still visible
Place the back and front outer bag right sides together, then stitch the side seams and bottom edge. Make sure you pin the seams open, so you keep the thickness to a minimum. (Lining is explained further down)
DON'T sew around the cut out as this is done in the next step
To sew up the cut out, press the side seam and bottom seam together and sew across the triangle shape. This will create the bottom shape and allow the bag to stand up without falling over. Make sure you sew all the way to the edge at each end to close off without any gaps.
There are 2 ways to do the strap and in this blog. I will show you in Option 1 the cheat way so you don't have the stress of turning through a tiny strap.
Option 1
Using the iron, press the seam allowance over, then fold the strap in half but keep the top edge a couple mm back from the left edge. As you can see from the photo, you can stitch close to the edges without missing the fabric.
Option 2
You can sew the long edge of straps and turn through
Sew the handle in place using a 5mm allowance. Be careful not to twist the handles. Also, if you used the Option 1 method to make the handles you will need to place right side together so you can see that slight seam facing upwards
The Lining is done slightly differently to the Outer Bag pieces. Pin lining right side together; sew the top edge to dot and other dot to the bottom edge on one side. Then sew along the whole bottom edge and other side seam. As you can see I have left a substantial hole so I can turn the whole bag through shortly
Now to do the corner again, repeat the process as above. Sew up the cut out, press the side seam and bottom seam together and sew across the triangle shape. This will create the bottom shape and allow the bag to stand up without falling over. Make sure you sew all the way to the edge at each end to close off without any gaps.
Now to sew the Outer Bag and Lining together by keeping the top edge neat; turn the Outer Bag right side out with the seams inside, now place the Lining which has the seam on the outside of the bag so right sides of the fabric are together. Sew along the top edge
Using the hole you left on one of the side seams, turn bag through the hole in the lining
To close the hole in the lining fold seam allowance into the lining and edge stitch it close
Lastly fold the lining into the bag and press the top seam, tucking the lining into the bag. And time to fill with goodies!!
Happy Trick or Treating :) x
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