Pillowcase Trick-or-Treat Bags

Okay, so there is only a few days left before Halloween.  No problem, you can still do this.  If you are wondering what kind of bag your little princess or Spiderman will carry to hold their candy in this Halloween, try this craft.  It is simple, cheap and easy.  We are talking 15 minutes.  Pillowcase Trick-or-Treat bags - a white pillowcase with a ghostly black iron-on face, makes for a great bag to carry all their candy in. 

I saw this a month ago on a Martha Stewart re-run from Comcast on Demand and knew I had to try it.  She demonstrated this easy craft in only a few minutes.  You can go to marthastewart.com and type into the search box pillowcase trick or treat bags.  The article will pop up and you can print out her ghostly templates for free.

The materials needed for this craft are: a white pillowcase, 2 black 5 by 5 inch iron-on patches, 1 1/2 yards of heavy string or rope, a safety pen and scissors.

After the templates are printed out, cut out the templates (or you can design your own).  Place the cut-out mouth on one patch and the set of eyes on the other patch.  The 2 eyes will be cut out from one iron-on patch by folding it.  Martha says to use a white pencil to trace the template on the fusible side of the patch.  I simply used a pen and was able to see the outline to cut it out. 

This is what the cut out template will look like.  The 2 black circles are to be ironed on for the extra reinforcement for the drawstring.

After the template is cut out, iron on the eyes and mouth.  Place them in the center of the pillowcase however you would like.  Play around with the eyes and mouth, till you get the face you want.

Take the 2 circles and iron them on the inside of the pillowcase hem for extra support for your drawstring. 

Use scissors to cut small vertical openings (1/2 inch long) at the center of each black oval.   After the openings are cut, attach a safety pin to one side of the rope (I burned the ends of the rope to keep it from fraying).  Place the safety pin inside one opening and pass it through the pillowcase to the other opening. 

Now, tie both ends of your rope to complete the drawstring.

My kids love their bags with the ghost-like faces.  They are pretty big too!  Martha says to make a smaller bag, all you have to do is cut the bottom of the bag and sew it closed.