HOLIDAY DIY: Sugar Skull Trick or Treat Candy Bag
It is time for the 3rd Dia de los Muertos tour at Rebel and Malice. This is a time that the Latinx community reflects and celebrates the dead. While I'm not part of that community, I do honor my descendants through my work and life. I do enjoy the costumes of Halloween, but I prefer the meaningfulness of Dia de los Muertos. For those kids who live between two cultures, I made you all a sweet sugar skull trick or treat candy bag. Though, let's be honest, this bag is cool enough to be your new awesome tote bag. This bag uses Fairfield World OlyFun, which doesn't fray and cuts like paper, making it perfect for sugar skull details and funky skull shapes. The white and metallic OlyFun will reflect light, helping to keep kids safe while trick or treating. This post is part of a Dia de los Muertos Blog Tour. After my tutorial, check out the schedule at the bottom, for the other awesome participating blogs and more great ideas.
SUPPLIES:
Fairfield World provided me with the OlyFun for this project. Fairfield World paid me to create this project. Westcott provided me with their compass. I use Amazon Affiliate links. Any purchases used through these links, will result in Amazon paying me a small commision. This helps cover the cost of projects.
INSTRUCTIONS:
1) On the long construction paper, draw half of a skull. I drew the eyes, nose, and mouth too, to judge the scale of the skull shape. On a separate paper, draft out a mouth with 1/2" wide sections spaced 1" apart and are 1" high. The middles section is 9" wide by 1/2" high. Draw an upside down heart for the nose, that is 4.5" high by 4" wide. Set the compass at 1 5/8" wide. Pierce the paper with the compass point. Spin the tip around to create a 3.25" wide circle. Cut out all pattern pieces with paper scissors.
2) On the gold OlyFun back, trace two circles, the nose, and the mouth, with pencil. Also, draft two rectangles, 3" high by 24" long, for handles. On the red metallic OlyFun back, trace two circles. Around circles, draw petal shapes with black marker or pen. On the silver OlyFun back, draw 5 petal shapes 3" long by 1" wide. Cut out all pieces with fabric scissors.
Fold the white OlyFun in half. Lay the skull pattern along the fold. Pin in place. Cut out the folded skull with fabric scissors. Repeat three more times, for 4 total skulls.
3) Pair the skull pieces, and pin the edges. Set one skull pair aside. Lay the face shapes and leaves onto one skull piece. Leave the gold circles off, as they will be layered onto the red later. Sparingly pin the pieces along the edges, as metallic OlyFun has a foil layer that isn't forgiving with pin holes.
4) Straight stitch around the shapes with matching thread, about 1/8" from the edge. Stitch down the center of the silver leaves, to give them more of leaf appearance. After the red flowers are stitched, center the gold circles on top, and stitch in place.
5) On the top paired skulls, place straight pins about 7" down from the top, on each side. Above the straight pins, fold in the edge about 1/4" and straight pin in place. With white thread, straight stitch that section, close to the edge, making sure to catch both pieces in the stitching line.
6) Straight pin the edges together of the 2nd skull pair, leaving a section open at the bottom. With white thread, straight stitch around, about 1/4" from the edge, leaving an opening at the bottom. Turn the skulls inside out. Shape the skull edges and hand press. Fold in the opening and straight pin closed. Lining up with the front skull, straight pin around the back skull's top edges, and straight stitch in place 1/8" from the edge.
7) Fold the long handle rectangles in half lengthwise, white sides facing. Hand crease. Turn the edges in 1/4". Sparingly pin the folded edges together. With tan thread, straight stitch around the edges. With white thread, sew the handles onto the top of each skull, making sure the handles match up perfectly. I box stitch the handles, to attach them more securly.
8) Match the front and back skull, lining together. Closely straight pin the edges together carefully, since these edges are odd shapes. Straight stitch the remaining edges together, still 1/8" from the edge. This is trickier, since there's technically 8 layers, since the 4 layers have folded edges. Go slow, and make sure the layer edges are lining up correctly.
SUPPLIES:
Fairfield World provided me with the OlyFun for this project. Fairfield World paid me to create this project. Westcott provided me with their compass. I use Amazon Affiliate links. Any purchases used through these links, will result in Amazon paying me a small commision. This helps cover the cost of projects.
- OlyFun in Snow White
- OlyFun in Red Metallic
- OlyFun in Silver Metallic
- OlyFun in Gold Metallic
- Tan thread
- Light grey thread
- Red thread
- White thread
TOOLS:
- Long construction paper
- Pencil
- Westcott math compass
- Clear quilting ruler
- Paper scissors
- Straight pins
- Black marker or pen
- Fabric scissors
- Sewing machine
INSTRUCTIONS:
1) On the long construction paper, draw half of a skull. I drew the eyes, nose, and mouth too, to judge the scale of the skull shape. On a separate paper, draft out a mouth with 1/2" wide sections spaced 1" apart and are 1" high. The middles section is 9" wide by 1/2" high. Draw an upside down heart for the nose, that is 4.5" high by 4" wide. Set the compass at 1 5/8" wide. Pierce the paper with the compass point. Spin the tip around to create a 3.25" wide circle. Cut out all pattern pieces with paper scissors.
2) On the gold OlyFun back, trace two circles, the nose, and the mouth, with pencil. Also, draft two rectangles, 3" high by 24" long, for handles. On the red metallic OlyFun back, trace two circles. Around circles, draw petal shapes with black marker or pen. On the silver OlyFun back, draw 5 petal shapes 3" long by 1" wide. Cut out all pieces with fabric scissors.
Fold the white OlyFun in half. Lay the skull pattern along the fold. Pin in place. Cut out the folded skull with fabric scissors. Repeat three more times, for 4 total skulls.
3) Pair the skull pieces, and pin the edges. Set one skull pair aside. Lay the face shapes and leaves onto one skull piece. Leave the gold circles off, as they will be layered onto the red later. Sparingly pin the pieces along the edges, as metallic OlyFun has a foil layer that isn't forgiving with pin holes.
4) Straight stitch around the shapes with matching thread, about 1/8" from the edge. Stitch down the center of the silver leaves, to give them more of leaf appearance. After the red flowers are stitched, center the gold circles on top, and stitch in place.
5) On the top paired skulls, place straight pins about 7" down from the top, on each side. Above the straight pins, fold in the edge about 1/4" and straight pin in place. With white thread, straight stitch that section, close to the edge, making sure to catch both pieces in the stitching line.
6) Straight pin the edges together of the 2nd skull pair, leaving a section open at the bottom. With white thread, straight stitch around, about 1/4" from the edge, leaving an opening at the bottom. Turn the skulls inside out. Shape the skull edges and hand press. Fold in the opening and straight pin closed. Lining up with the front skull, straight pin around the back skull's top edges, and straight stitch in place 1/8" from the edge.
7) Fold the long handle rectangles in half lengthwise, white sides facing. Hand crease. Turn the edges in 1/4". Sparingly pin the folded edges together. With tan thread, straight stitch around the edges. With white thread, sew the handles onto the top of each skull, making sure the handles match up perfectly. I box stitch the handles, to attach them more securly.
8) Match the front and back skull, lining together. Closely straight pin the edges together carefully, since these edges are odd shapes. Straight stitch the remaining edges together, still 1/8" from the edge. This is trickier, since there's technically 8 layers, since the 4 layers have folded edges. Go slow, and make sure the layer edges are lining up correctly.
That's all for this tutorial. I mentioned at the begining, that this could be an awesome tote bag. You could make it more handy by adding pockets inside. I made my sugar skull bag with safety in mind, but this can be made in a combination of any 18 OlyFun colors and 4 metallics. While OlyFun cuts like paper, keep the shapes simple, to make sewing easier. The more complicated the shape, the harder it is to sew. Those flower petal eyes are the tricky part here. Have an amazing Dia de los Muertos and Halloween. Happy Makery!
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS BLOG TOUR
Keep the celebration going! Follow the schedule below to see all the talented bloggers.
October 28 - Tenille’s Thread
October 31 - Rebel and Malice
November 1 - Round Up and Tour Summary
I love this project and that metallic. It really makes the details pop. Thanks so much for being part of the tour again.
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