I’m managing to get on top of the art of starting things early. If I want to make the babies stockings for Christmas then I start them in mid-October. And if I make Halloween Trick or Treat bags and want to show you how to make them too then we have to have Halloween a little earlier than usual. Which is why we had it yesterday afternoon. Not that Truly & Daisy (my sister’s twins) minded. They will be busy on the weekend that Halloween falls so this way they won’t miss out.
I was so pleased that we did this yesterday for other reasons too as I woke up this morning to -5c and frost covering the entire garden. It’s amazing, and slightly wonderful, how quickly the weather changes from one season to the next but I’m a little afraid if Winter is here to stay already. Eeek! Where are the thermal long-johns? I know Robert loves it when I’m in them for 6 months out of twelve!
Now I’ve got my own babies I don’t get to see my beautiful nieces as much. But when I do see them I am reminded of just how much fun there is to come as mine get older. Cries of “that is a big spider hanging from the tree” rang out yesterday in the garden.
Along with “Daddy has a sore botty” !!!!
I’m not quite sure of the meaning of this and I don’t think I’ll ask. But my very good natured sister just looked at me and shrugged as if to say “Yours will be embarrassing you real soon. Just you wait”
As we don’t have neighbors in the usual sense of the word we have to make do with Trick or Treating another way. We copy the Easter Egg hunt from Easter and the kids don’t seem to mind a jot. Looking for chocolate is not a hardship for children and I think finding it under a tree is magical at any age. I loved it and ate much more than I should have yesterday.
Not wanting to leave my babies out of the fun I settled on my very old Autumnal quilt with a cup of tea and the sun at my back.
Look at the way Anaïs is holding on to my cardi. I love that. She’s getting very good at sitting up with not very much help.
Truly got bored at one point and wanted to fish in the pond.
And then Daisy joined her.
I stayed on the quilt for most of the time.
It would seem that my kids are very outdoorsy at the moment. They really do like it and are much more content outside, even if it is very cold. This is great for Robert and I as we are fans of gardening in the cooler weather. And the babies seem to be quite happy sitting in their seats or in their buggy and watching us. We wrap them up, making sure that they are warm, and we do everything that we would normally do. They love to watch us, napping occasionally, and chatting to their hands….when they are not in their mouths.
A nice cuppa on the lawn on an autumn afternoon.
Loving the simple things again.
Touching noses with Truly is a simple thing that I loved doing yesterday.
She’s a very generous girl, is our Tru. If you ask her for some of her chocolate she’ll give it to you.
But she also knows a good thing when she sees it and very quickly cottoned on to the fact that she may as well take the whole basket of sweets home with her instead of filling up a piddly trick or treat bag that holds half as much.
That’s my girl.
My kids seem to be cottoning on and getting a little smarter too…….
Anaïs : So, how long do we have to sit out here, having our pictures taken & getting cold bottoms?
Ned: Just smile, don’t say a word and the whole thing will be done much quicker.
Me: You are good children, aren’t you! Only another 5085 pictures left to take.
Anaïs : Whhhhhhhaaaaaaaatttttt!
Ned: Told you.
Be still my heart.
Puddy feet in minature Uggs.
Holding a felty soft Trick or Treat bag in small puddy hands.
Do me the honor of making these yourselves. And if you do, you have to let me know. Use the form on this page and if you have a blog send me the link.
For each bag you will need the following:
- 2 squares of felt measuring 30 x 30cm (in the colour of your choice)
- 4 strips of felt measuring 40 x 4cm and cut to a point at each end (in the colour of your choice)
- A square of felt for making the decoration on the bag (i.e. the ghost or pumpkin and in a contrasting colour to the bag itself)
- Some additional felt for any embellishments on the bag (i.e. eyes, nose, mouths etc.)
- Embroidery thread
- Needle
- Pins
How to make the bag(s)
- Start by drawing out your chosen Halloween image for the front of the bag onto a piece of card, I drew out a pumpkin for one bag and a ghost for the other but you can get as creative or as ghoulish as you or dare, woo ha ha!
- Cut out the cardboard template.
- Draw around the template onto the felt you have chosen and cut the felt shape out.
- Cut out and sew on any embellishments, for example if you are making a pumpkin like I did, now is the time cut out the eyes, nose, mouth and stalk.
- Pin the motif to one of the squares of felt and use embroidery thread to sew it on. I used green thread on my orange pumpkin and black thread on my ghost for contrast.
- Next for the handles. Sew two of the 40 x 4cm strips together, sewing them together will make the handles stronger. I used a blanket-stitch all the way around the handle in a white thread.
- Repeat this with the other two strips of felt, thus creating two handles for your bag.
- Pin either end of one of the handles to the opposite side of the felt to which the motif is on. (I pinned mine approximately 7 cm in from each side and approximately 4cm down.)
- Repeat this step using the other felt handle, on the other square of felt.
- Sew the handles in place using embroidery thread and follow the line of the handle point when sewing them on.
- When the handles are sewn together in place it is then time to sew the bag together.
- Pin the bag together in place and the correct way round.
- Use embroidery thread to blanket stitch the three sides of the bag together.
- To finish the bag, I blanket stitched either side of the bag across the the top (the opening) as I found this gave it more definition.
I love you and feel very fortunate to have you read this. Please know that.
Cherry x
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