Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Sara Jane: Felt Pumpkin Bags

***Giveaway is now closed***

Have I told you how amazing my/our mother is?  Well, she is.  She always has been, too.  She was the mom who was always volunteering in the classroom.  She would give demonstrations at school on how to make bread or sew an apron.  She made (back when you could take homemade treats) birthday treats for the class when our birthdays came around (keep in mind she had 7 children).  She was very involved in PTA (her fundraisers funded the new playground when I was in elementary school).  She was/is amazing!

One of the fun things I remember her doing for at least a few of my school classes were pumpkin bags for Halloween.  She would spend hours cutting and sewing the bags and then stuff the cute bags with little treats and plastic spiders.  

A few years ago, I came across one of my pumpkin bags from my childhood.  At this time, Penelope was just beginning to understand how fun Halloween and other holidays were.  I made a pattern off of the bag, made 10 bags, and then Penelope and I took them to her favorite people (I think one actually made it back to my mom).  We had so much fun doing it that it has now become a tradition in my family and I hope to someday get to take a tray of them to my children's classes.

With special permission from my mother, I am going to share these bags with you.  Here we go...


First, you will need black and orange felt and ribbon for the handle.  My mom always used green ribbon so that is what I have used. First, cut out a pumpkin, a mouth, a nose and two eyes.  For the nose and eyes, I just cut random triangles so each pumpkin was different.  If you would like a copy of the template I used for the pumpkin and the mouth, either leave your email in a comment or email me at fivecraftysisters@gmail.com and I would be happy to send one to you.  I could not get the template uploaded.  Next, using your hot glue gun, glue on the eyes, nose and mouth making sure to leave enough room for a seam.


Next, you sew the pumpkin together, making a bag.  A few things to remember: (1) be sure to add the ribbon into the first few stitches, (2) make sure to back stitch the beginning and end and (3) make sure to keep the top open - You may be thinking "duh"...I've sewed the top shut before :)

I had quite a difficult time sewing these little guys this time around.  My thread kept breaking, my needle broke....needless to say, these bags are in no way perfect but I am sure the children who receive them will still love them.  I tried hot gluing the pumpkin pieces together and it worked really well.  I just like the look of the black thread on the orange felt :)



When you are finished sewing, this is what your bag should look like.


We like to fill ours with our favorite candy and I always add, just like my mom did, a plastic spider ring.  This year, we are also adding Dracula teeth.  



Penelope can't wait to hand out her favorite little goody bags.  



Now for the giveaway that I promised back here...

I will be giving away TEN pumpkin bags to one lucky reader (treats not included). 

All you have to do to be in the running to receive these is leave a comment on what your favorite holiday tradition is in your family.  This giveaway will close at 12:00 AM on Saturday morning.  That way I can mail the bags to you in time for Halloween.



 I hope you guys enjoy these bags as much as we do around here.

Sara Jane

11 comments:

  1. Am I out of the running for this since I just won Allison's ;) I'll tell you my fav tradition anyway. I love going and looking at Christmas lights on Christmas Eve and then going home, drinking hot chocolate, and making cookies for Santa. Then we read the Christmas story and open one gift each.

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  2. I know tons of people do this, but I love opening homemade pj pants on Christmas Eve, sleeping in them, and then all wearing them for Christmas morning, so we all match in the pictures later!

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  3. My Dad used to make a big pot of chili on Halloween night. We would take a break from trick-or-treating and eat a bowl with some corn bread. I love those memories and hope to do the same when my kids get older. Love the bags!!!

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  4. Hmmm... so many fun traditions to choose from. One of my favorite traditions is making sugar cookies and decorating them for Christmas. It was something we did as kids and now I try to do the same with our 5 1/2 kiddos!

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  5. My Mom would always make homemade tamales for Christmas eve (both regular and sweet). Sooo yummy!

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  6. I could go the sentimental route and say that we are starting a new tradition this year for Halloween...my sister is getting married! But I guess I will go another sentimental route...my aunt passed away 2 years ago on October 27th, and she always loved singing Christmas carols as a family on Christmas Eve. We have been continuing this tradition for the last couple years, and probably will again this year.

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  7. Wait...not including treats? Just kidding--I like the bags better! Favorite tradition...of all holidays? Unfair to pick one! So I will just tell you one that I love: on Christmas Eve, my dad makes cheese fondue from a recipe from The Rhinelander--in Portland! I thought you'd like that. It's mostly made of swiss cheese and my mom and dad tell funny stories about having to pick up sherry from liquor stores and smuggle it out w/o a bishop or someone seeing. Later, they learned to sub white grape juice for it. We eat the fondue with chunks of good, rustic, toasted bread. Other foods may come and go, but that one stays the same. I find food traditions highly symbolic and fascinating.

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  8. Those are adorable! Now I just have to get my sewin machine going :) I think my favorite tradition we started is strawberry crepes on Christmas morning!! And what a wonderful mother you have and an example for you (and the rest of us).

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  9. We have started a tradition with our kids to take them on the Santa Train every year. I try to remember to watch The Polar Express with the kids first, and then they are all about keeping their tickets.

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