Candy Corn Trick or Treat Bags
Halloween celebrates many things, ghosts and goblins, the crisp Fall weather, and of course candy! I wanted to make a quick and easy set of bags for all that trick or treating loot but I was having trouble coming up with a good idea that said “Halloween”. After much brainstorming Joelle, Page, and I had an Ah-Ha moment: we could make them in a candy corn shape!
Even though it is the simplest of candies (they are basically made of sugar, and appropriately, corn syrup) I have a soft spot for candy corn. They are such a fun shape and I love their sunny colors. For me they signify Halloween and the Fall, and despite their meager ingredients I love the way they taste! Plus I thought the idea of putting candy into a candy shaped container was cool!
To make the bags I used our beautiful 100% wool felt. It comes in the most lovely saturated colors and needs no hemming. The finished bags are about 10-inches deep so they can hold a lot of candy, and since it’s made from sturdy all natural materials they can be used for years to come. These are so quick and easy and make Trick or Treating all the more special!
Happy Trick or Treating! –Molly
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Molly Schnick. Click here to see even more of Molly’s work!
Materials
To make a set of three bags:
- Three 18-inch x 18-inch pieces of Wool Felt in “Sun”
- One 18-inch x 18-inch piece of Wool Felt in “Bright Orange”
- One 18-inch x 18-inch piece of Wool Felt in “Ecru”
- One yellow spool of cotton thread (color 1640)
- One orange spool of cotton thread (color 1720)
- 2-yards of 25mm grosgrain ribbon in Orange
- One Candy Corn Trick or Treat Bag Template, available for free download here, print, cut out and assembled as directed.
If you’d only like to make one trick or treat bag you will only need one piece of the yellow “Sun” colored felt, to make two you will need two pieces.
Size
10-inches tall
Pattern
Cutting
Fold the yellow (“Sun”) felt in half diagonally and then place the Candy Corn Base template along the fold as directed. Cut the felt along the template. Repeat this for the two other pieces of yellow felt.
Trace the middle template three times onto the orange felt as shown above so that all three shapes fit onto the one piece of felt.
Cut three of the top templates from the ecru felt (you will have no problem fitting them.)
Cut three 20-inch lengths from the grosgrain ribbon.
You will have three of each shape and three lengths of ribbon.
Adding the Stripes
Iron the middle crease out of one of the yellow base pieces.
Place a white piece at the point of the base piece, lining up the sides so they match exactly.
Place an orange middle piece below the white piece so that the middle piece’s edges line up exactly with the base. The top of the middle piece will overlap the bottom curved edge of the top piece.
Pin the middle piece down along both of its curved edges. When you pin along the top curved edge make sure that you are pinning through all three layers (the top piece, the middle piece, and the base.)
Using the orange thread top stitch the middle piece along the pinned edges. By sewing the top edge of the middle piece you will also be sewing through the top piece.
Sewing the Bag
Fold and pin the entire piece in half width-wise, right sides together, so that it forms a pie-slice-shape. Using the yellow thread, sew the pinned sides together with a 1/2-inch seam allowance.
Sew a horizontal line 2-inches above the bottom of the bag as shown above.
Snip off the bottom angle of the bag a 1/4-inch from the bottom horizontal seam.
Hemming the Top
Press the side seam of the bag open.
Fold and pin the top edge of the bag 1/2-inch towards the wrong side all along the top edge. Since this is a curved edge it will not lay 100% flat so do not iron it down, just fold it over with your fingers and pin it.
Using the yellow thread hand stitch this fold down with a small running stitch. The stitches you make should be very small on the right side of the bag and wider on the wrong side. The picture above is a close up of the wrong side, and the picture below is of the right side.
Attaching the Handle
Open the bag so that the seam is in the center. Pin the ribbon 3/4-inch below the rim of the bag at the left and right sides, making sure not to twist the ribbon.
Using the yellow thread and the sewing machine sew the ends of the ribbon down 1/2-inch from the top edge of the bag, along your hand sewing seam. Make sure to backstitch on either end of these short seams to secure the handles.
Turn the bag right side out, repeat for the other two bags, and you’re all done and ready for candy!
Why do you hand sew the top hem, instead of using the machine?
I think the hand stitching is necessary because you have to ease the hem quite a bit.
Also, I made these for my daughter and niece who are 2 and 3 respectively, and the ribbon was a little bit long. I shortened it to 14 inches and that worked well.
Hi! I love this craft and I featured it on my blog, Tastefully Crafted. Great job!
Absolutely darling! I hope it is okay if I feature this on my blog later this week in a post about last-minute Halloween ideas. (I'll give you full credit, of course!) This is simply too cute not to share!
I made a candy corn costume and linked to your project too: http://dollarstorecrafts.com/?p=7908
These bags are fab! I have a homemade gift basket ideas website and am always on the lookout for ideas for my visitors of new and creative ways of presenting gifts in containers other than baskets! I have added a picture as an example and a link to your tutorial. You can see it here :
http://www.fun-and-fab-gift-basket-ideas.com/halloween-baskets.html
Hope that's OK? Thank you!
Hi Jackie-
That is totally OK. Thanks for letting us know!
I'm hoping to put together a list of cute candy corn ideas for my blog in October, would it be okay if I used one picture that I linked back to you? If not, I can just add a text link. Thanks for such an adorable and easy idea!
Hi Ani-
That would be fine, as long as it links back directly to the story and not just the home page.
Thanks so much for thinking of us!
Featuring your awesome idea on my blog today! Feel free to check it out!
http://anisfavoritethings.blogspot.com/2011/10/candy-corn-crazy-and-few-other-fall.html
Thanks for such a great idea!
i love this idea, it's so simple and stunning, and useful. i love candy corn too and thought you might like to see my cc decoration.
http://loritimesfive.blogspot.com/2011/09/woolgathering.html
thank you for such wonderful ideas and perfect tutorials.
xo lori
Super cute! Have to make one for my daughter. She's a big girl now, but hasn't quite outgrown trick-or-treating. I'm pretty sure she'll be happy to carry this cute bag around. Thanks for posting the pattern. Love the idea of using felt. I might also try a fabric version!
Thanks Stephanie! You guys should come trick or treating in Soho!- Molly
I absolutely love these bags! They're so adorable!
I love this! I'm a novice seamstress, but this looks like something I can do. I plan on making this before the big trick-or-treat day in a few months! If I link back to this page, is it OK if I post your candy corn bag on my blog? It's too cute!
Hi Becky, Thank you so much for asking and checking with us first… If you link back to this page OF COURSE it's ok for you to post it on your blog. We love that you are so excited about the project. It's a fave of ours! -Laura
This is my first visit to your great site. I'm on a hunt for candy corn projects. I love this yours! I’ll be featuring it on http://onecreativemommy.com/ “>OneCreativeMommy.com later today. Please feel free to stop by and grab a featured button.
These might be the cutest treat bags ever! Love them! I'll have it up on my FB!
I adore this and had to make one! Thanks for the lovely pattern. You can check out the result on my blog: http://pocketalchemy.ca/2012/10/24/pointy-things-and-bacon-pants/#comment-362
Cheers!
Hi, if I come into your store, can I pick up all these materials (without bringing this list or should I bring the list)?
Thanks!
Cat
I made this for my daughters American Girl Doll, I shrunk t he pattern my 56%. She wanted a costume to match her own. Well she couldn't very well go trick or treating without her very own bag. 🙂
[URL=http://s356.photobucket.com/user/sleepblack/media/AmericanGirlDollHalloween_zps79a2f246.jpg.html%5D%5BIMG%5Dhttp://i356.photobucket.com/albums/oo2/sleepblack/AmericanGirlDollHalloween_zps79a2f246.jpg%5B/IMG%5D%5B/URL%5D
I used my machine to stitch the top hem and ribbon on all in one pass. It worked fine as long as you pin the hem good before sewing. These came out GREAT! Thanks for sharing this with us.
I would use nosew glue for the top part areas
I’m so happy I found something to make for my grandchildren that is gender neutral, quick and easy and so dang cute. Thanks for your ingenuity and sharing of the pattern and directions!
So adorable, you do such a great job in your patterns and very creative.