Make 30 Treat Bags in under 30 Minutes

A few years ago I hand sewed about 200 mini business card holders for a conference I went to. I remember thinking at the time, ‘there has GOT to be a better way’! Last night as I was thinking about Halloween and what I wanted to give out this year, it dawned on me. THERE WAS! And just like sewing magic, the idea was formed. I tried my brainchild out today with total success.

It was official, I had sewn 30 treat bags in under 30 minutes. All that is left is tying the top off with some ribbon!

Sure, this is more time consuming than simply handing out a bag of candy. But when you want to add in little ‘Jesus loves you’ tags, or other items to let kids know just how special they are, then these bags are perfect! Lollipops, with a message of love, and that extra special handmade touch. Imagine the possibilities!

Use letter stamps and an ink pad to easily customize the bags for birthday party take-aways, or use glue to add stickers to the front of the bag giving them a festive touch. The options are endless! And all you need is 30 minutes for an entire classroom of kids. BOOM.

How to sew 30 treat bags

in under 30 minutes

Time needed: 30 minutes

Skill level: beginner seamstress

MATERIALS NEEDED:

1/2 yard felt fabric
Ruler
Marker / Fabric Pen
Basic sewing essentials

*I opted for felt fabric, as it is easy to work with and will not fray like woven fabric. If you don’t mind a bit of frayed fabric, then basic quilting cotton will work just as well! The hardest part of this entire process is the measuring!

HOW TO SEW TONS OF TREAT BAGS:

STEP ONE – Cut your felt to 17″ wide.

STEP TWO – Fold the fabric in half, so that the short side edges meet up.

STEP THREE – Pin the fabric together in various spots to secure in place.

STEP FOUR – Using a ruler and marker and/or fabric pencil, measure 5.25″ up from the bottom folded edge and draw a straight line across. Move your ruler 5.25″ up from your drawn line, and repeat. Continue all the way to the top of the fabric. Cut away excess fabric from the top edge when it exceeds 5.25″ (but is not enough to make another treat bag row).

STEP FIVE – Mark 1/4″ from the long side edge and draw a straight line all the way down. Measure 3″ in from your drawn line along the side edge, and repeat. Now, measure 1/4″ away from your second drawn line, and draw a straight line all the way down. Next measure 3″ and draw a line, then 1/4″ and draw a line. We will be repeating this process across the entire fabric until you reach the opposite edge. Draw one last line, 1/4″ away from the side edge.

STEP SIX – Sew straight lines over all of your drawn lines across the entire fabric.

STEP SEVEN – Lastly, all you need to do is cut the treat bags out! To do so, simply use a rotary cutter and cut IN BETWEEN all of the 1/4″ lines going from top to bottom. Once you have the felt separated into these cut out lines, simply cut directly UNDERNEATH the sewn line on each bag (except for the bag that was on the fold of the fabric), and you will have approximately 30 treat bags when done!

Decorate as desired.