There are SO many fun things to make for Halloween!!! Why not make a special Halloween bag that makes it clear whose treats are whose! The plastic pumpkins are cute and all, but they are not unique, and, frankly, they don’t hold enough!

This is a super fun Halloween sewing project. Perfect for beginners, and fun for experienced sewers. Learn how to make a DIY Halloween treat bag with our step by step directions using raw edge appliqué with fusible web to make the monster face and hair.

Download the layout and pattern for the monster bag and follow our treat bag tutorial to make this fun Halloween tote bag! Click on the button below to download our free treat back pattern.

MONSTER TRICK OR TREAT BAG FREE PATTERN

One (1) Trick or Treat Bag

How to Make a Monster Trick or Treat Bag

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Active Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Difficulty: Beginner

Our not-so-scary monster trick or treat bag is a fun project to make. Have fun with his eyes, mouth - and should he have the unibrow? Then have even have more fun filling it with candy!

Materials

13-inch x 13-inch square of fabric for outside of bag (green in this example)
13-inch x 13-inch square fabric for bag lining (cat batik in this example)
Two (2) 13-inch x 5-inch rectangles of black fabric for hair, uni-brow, eyes and nose
6-inch square white fabric for eyes and teeth; scraps work perfect!
Two pieces of fabric 6-inch x 18-inches for handles
Fusible web for black and white fabrics
Black thread
White thread
Thread to sew bag; I used a neutral grey
Pattern for monster face printed

Tools

Sewing machine
Iron
Pressing surface
Fabric scissors
Paper scissors
Removable fabric marker; I used a Frixion pen
Teflon sheet for pressing, or piece of parchment paper

Instructions

Download and print the Monster Face Layout and Pattern. I like to print it on freezer paper which makes it easy to cut out and then press directly onto the fabric to use as a pattern. If you don’t have freezer paper handy, just print on regular printer paper and pin to your fabric.

Prepare the black and white fabrics with fusible on the wrong side of the fabric. Check out our article all about fusible web if you’d like to learn more. Here are all of the pieces all cut out and ready to assemble! The bag outside fabric, lining fabric, handles as well as all of the face elements.
Let’s start by making the monster face! Take one of your green pieces of background fabric and lay it out for appliqué. Begin by cutting the hair from black fused fabric. Have fun making the bangs a lot of different lengths! Just cut up and down one of the pieces of black fabric for the face and then cut the hair for the back of the bag.
Then lay down the eyes, unibrow and nose below the hair. Take your Teflon sheet or a piece of parchment paper and press the appliqué pieces into place.
Here are the front and back of the bag all fused!
Now it is time to mark in the mouth. I used a Frixion pen. NOTE: Always test your removable fabric marker on a scrap of fabric so that you know your marks will come out when you want them to.
And, here is the scar all marked and ready for sewing
Time to go back to your sewing machine. I used a basic zigzag stitch, but you could use a satin stitch or any of the fancy stitches on your machine. I started with the hair, stitching along the edge to cover the raw edge appliqué.
Stitch the hair for both the front and the back of the bag.
Next, I stitched around the center of the eyes, while i had the black thread on the machine. Also, go ahead and stitch along the mouth line now.
Then I changed to white thread and sewed around the outer eye.
Place each of the teeth along the stitched black line for the mouth. Make sure to angle the teeth differently for a messed-up-mouth look of a monster! I just did a center zigzag stitch down each tooth to make sure they were secure, but you can stitch around each tooth if you prefer.
To finish the monster face, zigzag in white for the face scar. I forgot to take a picture of this step. 🙁 Then sew his ears together. Take two of the ear pieces and place them right sides together. Sew around the outside edges with a quarter-inch seam. Then repeat for the other ear.
Clip the edges so that the curve will be smooth when you turn the ears to the right side.Turn the ears and press.
Let’s make the handles next. Take the two (2) strips of fabric and first press in half lengthwise.
Then fold and press the outside edges into the center fold line.
Finally, press in half again, so that the fabric is four layers thick with a single fold on one side and double fold on the other of the strap pieces.
Topstitch along both sides of the handle pieces.
Now it's time to put our bag together! Place the back of the bag right side up on your table. With right sides together, place the ears so that the bottoms of the ears fall just below the bottom of the hair. Pin in place.
Next, layer the front of the bag with the right sides together over the back and pin.
Using a 1/2-inch seam allowance, sew down one side of the bag, along the bottom and up the other side seam.
Next, sew the lining pieces together. With the lining, sew down one side. Turn the corner and ONLY sew about 2-inches. Leave a gap and then start again about 2-inches from the opposite corner along the bottom of the bag. You’ll want to leave this opening in the bottom seam to be able to turn the bag.
Turn the lining right side out and put it inside the front of the bag with right sides together.
Place the handles between the bag front and lining, about 3-1/2 inches from each side with the raw edge of the handle lining up with the raw edges of the bag body and lining. Pin the handles in place. Sew 1/2-inch seam allowance all around the top of the bag.
Pull the lining out of the bag.
Turn the bag right side out through the opening in the lining bottom.
Fold in the seam allowance of the opening in the bottom of the lining fabric and topstitch it closed.
Press along the top edge of the bag.
Press the bag.
Topstitch along the upper edge of the bag using your edge stitch foot.
When you get to the handles, make sure they are not tucked under the lining. Also, this helps secure the handles with the extra stitching.
And, you have a finished monster trick or treat bag!

Monster trick or treat bag finished 1

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Tips and ideas for making a special halloween trick or treat bag

You can use the basic measurements and process to make your own Halloween bag! Just buy some cute Halloween themed fabric for the outside, lining and handles to make a super quick and easy project! Or, take the time to do the raw edge appliqué monster bag or, make it your own!
Make (or purchase) a plain black tote bag and use fabric paint to hand-paint a scary bag for Halloween night!
Buy some Halloween fat quarter and sew them up for a quick and easy reusable bag.
Instead of making a monster face, using a satin stitch or narrow zig zag stitch, sew a spider web on the front of the DIY Halloween bag.
Ideas for making the bag your own include making a white bag and raw edge appliqué black eyes and mouth to make an easy ghost trick or treat bag.
Or use orange fabric for the outside of the bag and cut out triangle eyes and nose and a toothy mouth from black fabric to make a Jack-o-lantern Halloween bag.
Have a little one? You can make the bag and handles smaller so that the bag doesn’t drag on the ground when they are out and about in their special costume. Just cut the fabric for the outside and lining smaller (still a square) and shorten the handles. Before printing the face pattern and layout, reduce the image in your print settings before printing.
And, on the other side, do you have a big kid looking to get a lot of treats this year? Make the bag larger! Increase the size of the squares, lengthen the handle, and increase the size of the image before printing.

Most of all have fun, and be safe while out trick or treating. And, then pick your favorites from the evening haul of goodies to enjoy! Happy Halloween:)

Browse through more Halloween projects and inspiration on Create Whimsy.