Happy Owloween!

Well....temptation struck again and I temporarily abandoned my current projects (Hooterville and the Living Room Quilt and A Girl In Paris) to attack a new one. Fortunately, it was a quick and easy project and I can now return to my regularly scheduled projects. Anyway.....here's what happened....

I've mentioned the Hooterville quilt that I'm working on about a million times before. And one of my readers commented that she wanted to use the owl applique from the pattern and put it on a skirt for her daughter. What an incredibly cute idea! So, that got me thinking of all the other things I could do with that adorable owl applique design.....and at that time I had just been thinking about vintage Halloween decor (I LOVE vintage Halloween stuff!). So my mind jumped to a Halloween Owl Tote.

I grabbed some appropriate black and orange fabrics and threw in a little green for fun.....
I built up my applique owl in the corner of my bag....

I attempted to see if you can do a hand blanket stitch on the edge of a fusible applique using one strand of thread and I've gotta say.....it looked absolutely awful! So I ripped those stitches out and did machine satin stitch around the edges like a sane person. Then I threw some ruffles on at the top.....
And voila! Here I am "modeling" my new Happy Owloween Tote Bag! It would also make a cute Trick or Treat bag for kids.
It's a very simple bag. Just some rectangles, some ruffles, a handle and an applique. I must confess - I'm sometimes intimidated by those bag patterns that have fancy pockets and structured bodies and all sorts of perfect details. So, I just created a very simple, lightweight bag with a simple lining. But you could add a layer of fusible fleece if you wanted a bag with more structure and body. You could also add a snap or a button at the top. And you could also add some little black beads or French Knots for eyes. I went with a "blank stare" kind of look for my owl!

I was so happy with how my bag turned out that I decided to make kits of my Happy Owloween bag.

And now that this little distraction is complete I'm heading back to Hooterville.....

Happy Sewing,
Jenny

P.S. Did you know that all Amy Butler Collections (Midwest Modern, Love and Soul Blossoms) and all Fig Tree Quilts Fabrics (Gypsy Rose, Patisserie and Mill House Inn) are now 50% OFF???!!! We're making room for the fabrics in our Love It or Leave It post. So hurry....quick like a bunny....grab some before they're all gone!