Halloween Treat Bags

Greetings, friends!

It’s Benzie Design tutorial day, so get excited for a spooktacular new Halloween project! 🎃🧵

Halloween is creeping closer, and what better way to celebrate than with a frightfully fun stitchy adventure? Whether you're a beginner with limited time or a seasoned stitcher ready for an afternoon of creativity, these handmade Halloween Treat Bags are the perfect way to get into the spooky spirit. 🕷🕸

Using a rich felt palette and natural linen, you can create charming little bags that are as versatile as they are adorable. Choose your own adventure: 

• Glue it
• Hand Stitch it
• Machine Sew it

…or mix and match techniques to suit your skills and schedule!

👻🦇 Mix and match the included Halloween motifs to make each bag uniquely yours. And if you're short on time, no worries—grab a Benzie Design drawstring bag from your stash and add your own spooky twist!

⭐🌙 Ready to conjure up some Halloween magic?

Head over to the Benzie Design Blog for the full tutorial and templates, grab your supplies, and let the hauntingly fun crafting begin!

You can find the complete supply list, tutorial with  photos, and templates here:
Halloween Treat Bags: https://www.benziedesign.com/blogs/tutorials/halloween-treat-bags

Materials You’ll Need (contains affiliate links that help me keep this blog ad-free):

From Benzie Design:

• Wool Blend Felt
• DMC Floss
• Essex Linen Yarn Dyed, Flax
• Beads and Sequins
• Sequin Glue
• Home Sweet Haunt, Renaissance Ribbons
• Black Bakers Twine
• Scallop Shears, 10mm

From Therm O Web:

• HeatnBond Fusible Fleece or HeatnBond Heavyweight Nonwoven Fusible Interfacing
• SpraynBond Basting Adhesive Spray 
• Fabric Fuse Liquid Adhesive

🐈‍⬛🧹Why You’ll Love This Project:

• Quick and beginner-friendly
• Great for gifting and/or decorating
• Customizable
• Make it simple or complex
  
  

So grab your floss, felt, and Halloween spirit—let’s get stitching! ✂️🧵 Whether you stitch every detail or add a few spooky touches to a ready-made bag, you'll create something truly special—and that is what handmade Halloween magic is all about! These treat bags reflect your creativity and style, so don’t be afraid to experiment with colors, stitches, and embellishments. Every bag tells its own story, and yours is sure to delight! Thanks for crafting along—now go create, fill your bags with goodies, and share the spooky joy. Happy Halloween and happy making! 🐦‍⬛🪦

Halloween Sweet Snacks Mug Rug

Greetings friends! I wanted to stop by today with a little Halloween fun. It has been a bit hectic here since I returned from traveling abroad, but I will be back to share about my trip very soon (it was an amazing journey). I have been playing catch-up since arriving home, but managed to make a little time for Halloween sewing. I needed a little "play time" in my sewing studio, so I took my "Sweet Snacks Mug Rug" pattern and adapted it for Halloween, using scraps of fabric from Sweet Tooth by Elea Lutz for Poppie Cotton. 

I followed the pattern, but decided to remove the heart and steam stitches and add a ghost as the "steam." The ghost was free-form cut without a template and is not a part of the pattern. I applied HeatnBond Fusible Interfacing to the back of a piece of white fabric (this helps to keep the background fabric from showing through - I wanted it to look like steam, so a little background showing through is good, but I wanted my ghost nice and white). Next, I fused HeatnBond Lite Adhesive to the back (I used a piece leftover from the sheet I printed the teacup templates on). I then used a pencil to draw a free-form ghost and cut it out. After machine appliquéing the pieces in place, I hand stitched the ghost eyes and mouth, using French knots for the eyes and straight stitches for the mouth. I was super happy with the results! 

My Sweet Snacks Mug Rug pattern is perfect for seasonal sewing and gifts...is beginner friendly...and is great for using up scraps. I can't wait to make some in holiday prints - I am thinking of adding a gingerbread cookie!

Digital Pattern: https://blueribbondesigns.etsy.com/listing/1656427148

Paper Pattern: https://blueribbondesigns.etsy.com/listing/1656421646

You can find a video tutorial reel on my Instagram page, with a longer version on my YouTube channel. You can also find a list of the project products I used in in my Amazon Shop: https://amzn.to/4f7Vycx (note: as an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases - thank you for visiting!).

For all sorts of creative Halloween finishes, visit my Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/brdgirl/), where I have been sharing images and videos all month long!

Six Bats and a Black Cat - New Cross Stitch

Greetings friends - I'm so happy you stopped by for a visit today!

First of all, thank you so much for the super sweet comments and messages regarding my Poppie Cotton fabric designs and my Therm O Web projects - I am so thrilled you like all the patterns, projects, and tutorials I have been working on! I look forward to sharing more patterns and tutorials with you in the coming months.

My overnight schedule has me pretty much upside-down (and truthfully, a bit cranky), but it means less interruptions, so I have been working on all sorts of creative projects...and today, I am here to tell you all about one of those projects....yes, it's a new cross stitch design alert! I just released a brand new cross stitch pattern called "Six Bats and a Black Cat" and it is available in both paper pattern and digital format in my Etsy shop. This "merry not scary" Halloween design contains charting for the framed design (in both color and black & white), stitching instructions, and stitch diagrams. 

Long time fans may recall a similar design I allowed Just Cross Stitch to publish over ten years ago. I always maintain all my design rights and I have wanted to release this pattern in my print/digital catalog for quite some time...with my own branding, in my own style, with my specifics and details. Magazines always make changes for space and adjust wording, finishing, photography, and even provided details - this drives me a bit crazy, as I am very particular about my brand and my artwork. I have a pile of classic designs that were published in magazines, that will be added to my design catalog, where they belong...with my personal vision and attention to detail!

Here are a few more details...

Six Bats and a Black Cat (BRD-133)

When I created this design, I planned it square, so it could not only be put in a frame, but it would look good in a tray, or on a box top, or as a pillow. The motifs around the border and throughout the design were created to work well for Halloween feather tree ornaments. It is in my usual Halloween style, which means it is more classic and happy, versus scary and gory....I am definitely a "Merry Halloween" girl!

The model was stitched with The Gentle Art Sampler Threads and DMC conversions are included.

I stitched it on 32-count Sand Dune (Standard) from Lakeside Linens, but it would look great on any orange, brown, gold or natural linen - any linen dark enough to show the white ghosts. On 32-count fabric, the design measures 7.5" x 7.5".

Stitches include: Cross Stitch over two linen threads, Back Stitch, French or Colonial Knots, Satin Stitch, and Smyrna Cross...diagrams are provided...and the specialty stitches can easily be converted to cross stitch for those who are working on Aida or shy away from specialty stitches.

Paper pattern: https://blueribbondesigns.etsy.com/listing/1575848945

Digital pattern: https://blueribbondesigns.etsy.com/listing/1575851785

I truly hope you find the new design a great addition to my catalog and my vast array of Halloween designs!

Next up, I will be adding a couple new sewing/quilting patterns to my catalog, so stay tuned for that...

...and, I have needlework finishing and custom work to complete for clients...piles of sewing to complete for my Etsy shop...another project tutorial for the Therm O Web Blog that will be available in October...plus my blog will be a stop on the Hide and Seek Fabric Tour for Poppie Cotton in a few weeks, so I will be back to visit with you again before you know it! 

Also - by popular demand, I have added more sets of wool felted acorns to my Etsy shop - this time they are in brighter, cheerful colors. Stop by my shop to see what is currently available...

Thanks for stopping by today and for always being so supportive of my creativity...💗

Kitty Loves Candy Fabric Tour

Greetings friends, happy Wednesday! I am thrilled to be today's stop on the Kitty Loves Candy Fabric Tour - thank you so much for stopping by for a visit. I have some fun projects to share...all created with the new Kitty Loves Candy Fabric Collection designed by Lori Woods for Poppie Cotton. I enjoyed being creative and playing with these unique, cheerful Halloween prints. This brand new collection (shipping to shops this month) has charming fall pumpkins and florals, the sweetest witch and farm scene, along with that charming hat-wearing kitty cat…all done in a surprisingly modern and bright color palette. This is Poppie Cotton's first Halloween collection and I find it very endearing - the more I worked with it, the more I was inspired by it. This month, for my projects, I used my very own patterns - in fact, I created a brand new medium tote bag pattern using this fabric collection for the model. I also had a chance to play around in my studio without a pattern for my monthly pincushion...

Working through my projects, I started with my "Pretty Posies Pouch" pattern and created a super cute mini charm zippered pouch with a boxed bottom and a wrist strap. With all the wonderful little details in each print, it was fun to use mini charm squares to focus on the special motifs in each fabric...

Paper Pattern: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1232483326/pretty-posies-pouch-quilt-pattern-paper
Digital Pattern: https://www.etsy.com/listing/943706179/pretty-posies-pouch-quilt-pattern

Next is my "Mini-Medi Tote Bag". This is a brand new pattern I just listed in my Etsy Shop today! This medium-sized tote bag was also created with mini charm squares - hence the name. It features two pockets on the outside with round bottoms and two large pockets inside. It can be made with one charm pack and one yard of any fabric you choose, but I thought it was wonderful in these special Halloween fabrics. The directions and diagrams in this new pattern are quite thorough, so this is great project for all skill levels. I used Poppie Cotton Country Confetti Licorice Black for the bag/pocket linings and handles.

Paper Pattern: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1478728707/mini-medi-tote-bag-quilt-pattern-paper
Digital Pattern: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1478737849/mini-medi-tote-bag-quilt-pattern-digital

Finally, I created my "Forty-Five Tote Bag"...a big oversized tote, perfect for a retreat or outing. This large tote bag can also be created with one charm pack and one yard of any fabric of your choosing. It features two pockets on the outside, each large enough to hold today's largest cell phones...and two large pockets on the inside. 

Paper Pattern: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1246433121/forty-five-tote-bag-quilt-pattern-paper
Digital Pattern: https://www.etsy.com/listing/941372669/forty-five-tote-bag-quilt-pattern

As always, I *had to* create a special pincushion with this collection...I present to you, "Happy Cat Pincushion." This time my fat quarters didn't have any selvage ends to create with, so I decided to go all out on the machine appliqué. I didn't have a pattern; I just designed the applique in EQ8 and worked on it as I went along – this 6” square pincushion is an original design and is all machine appliqué. The whiskers and mouth were machine stitched – the flowers on the hat were fussy cut from Pretty Pumpkins Black and machine stitched in place with raw edge appliqué. The Rick Rack is ¾” from Riley Blake Designs in the color Hot Pink....and I used a star-shaped specialty pin in the top of the hat. I was tickled with how well this came out - it is just as I envisioned!

I hope you have enjoyed this stop on the fabric tour and are feeling inspired - thank you for visiting with me today. For more creative projects using the Kitty Loves Candy fabric collection, visit the Poppie Cotton Blog. If you love this fabric collection, be sure to check out your favorite quilt shop - Kitty Loves Candy is shipping soon.

I am already working on project ideas for the next Poppie Cotton Fabric Tour in June - it is using the fabric collection "Oh What Fun" (click on the link to see a preview - it is a Christmas collection!!). Plus, I will have a new ThermOWeb project tutorial posted later this month…so, be sure to stop back soon...

Pick of the Patch

Can you believe how quickly the summer months are passing?? - I can't believe it is already mid-August...where does the time go?! Halloween items are popping up everywhere...and soon stores will be setting up their Christmas holiday displays (if they haven't already). It's time to start working on Halloween and holiday items, if you want to have them completed in time to display this year...

The current issue of Just CrossStitch Magazine (October 2020) features a Halloween Spooktacular section that includes five ornaments to stitch up and decorate your Halloween tree....and yes, you can find Blue Ribbon Designs in this feature. My Halloween ornament this year is titled "Pick of the Patch" and is a fun, quick stitch!  You can locate my ornament and all the details on page 40. My ornament is worked in cross stitch, partial cross stitch, elongated cross stitch, and back stitch...and I used Weeks Dye Works linen (Confederate Gray) and Weeks Dye Works cotton floss (a DMC conversion is also provided). There are TONS of fabulous ways to finish your Halloween ornaments - for this particular ornament, I chose a classic flat-finish with black twisted cord. This is the autumn issue, so there are a plethora of fall designs, as well...and it includes Halloween ornaments by StitchyFish Designs and Charlotte's Web Needlework...along with a fun Halloween framed design by Durene Jones (featured on the cover). You can find this issue of Just CrossStitch Magazine at your favorite needlework shop or on newsstands now...

....and don't forget to grab a copy of the 2020 Just CrossStitch Halloween Special Collector's Issue featuring my "Halloween Haul" wall hanging...

Halloween Haul

Hello stitching friends! Although we are in the midst of a very HOT and humid summer, it looks like many of you are working on autumn and Halloween projects. I always enjoy checking out creative blogs and social media to see what my fellow stitchers and quilters are working on and I keep seeing fall projects popping up everywhere...perhaps you are all ahead of the game OR perhaps thoughts of autumn and winter are keeping you cool during the heatwave...OR maybe it is the release of the 2020 Just CrossStitch Halloween Special Collector's Issue. This annual issue is quite impressive with 58 spooky designs...and it looks like there is something for everyone - including Blue Ribbon Designs fans - yes it's true, I have a spooktacular design in this issue!

You can find my "Halloween Haul" wall hanging starting on page 36. This "sweet design" is a relatively quick stitch and I provided finishing instructions for the quilted wall hanging...OR this design will fit perfectly in a standard 8" x 10" frame (when stitched as directed on 32-count fabric). The stitch count is 98H x 129W and the finished design size measures approximately 6.125" H x 8.125" W . I stitched the model on 32-count Tarnished Silver from Lakeside Linens with Weeks Dye Works Hand Over-dyed Floss...and DMC Cotton Floss conversions are provided. The linen matches my photo as seen in the upper right-hand corner much better than the image depicted in the magazine and shown below (it is gray, not purple). For some reason, I always lose the lottery with photography in this particular publication (insert eye roll here)...

....AND look for another special Blue Ribbon Designs Halloween project in the October 2020 issue of Just Cross Stitch Magazine (an ornament)...I can't wait for you to see it...

...and of course, I designed a Christmas ornament for the upcoming Just Cross Stitch 2020 Special Christmas Ornament issue!

Things are buzzing along in my studio and I will have quite a few new needlework finishes to share with you soon. This weekend, we are headed to Iowa - but I will be back to visit with you again soon....

Halloween Highlights

It’s almost October 31st, so today I have a little video treat for you...it features all sorts of Blue Ribbon Designs (some you may have forgotten, some may be new to you). May your Halloween day be haunty, witchy, spooky, scaredy, and frighty...

Happy Halloween from Blue Ribbon Designs! 

To find more information on these BRD Halloween designs, visit the following resources:
https://blueribbondesigns.com
https://blueribbondesigns.blogspot.com
https://etsy.com/shop/BlueRibbonDesigns

Startled Superstition and Hayride Happenings

Can you believe how quickly the summer months have passed?? - I can't believe it is September...where does the time go?! Halloween items are popping up everywhere...and stores are already getting out their Christmas holiday displays...personally, I'd be content to keep the summer months here just a little bit longer...but it is time to start working on Halloween and holiday items, if you want to have them completed in time to display this year...

I have a couple new cross stitch designs in the current issue of Just CrossStitch Magazine (October 2018) that will fit right into your autumn stitching schedule!

The October issue features a Halloween Ornament Spooktacular that includes six ornaments to stitch up and decorate your Halloween tree....and yes, you can find Blue Ribbon Designs in this feature. My Halloween ornament this year is titled "Startled Superstition" and is a fun, quick stitch!  You can locate my ornament and all the details on page 43. The entire ornament is worked in cross stitch - with a few back stitches and some long straight stitches for the cat whiskers (NOTE: I used French knots for the bat eyes, but I see the magazine omitted them from the pattern - I'm not sure why). I used Weeks Dye Works linen (Confederate Gray) and Weeks Dye Works cotton floss (a DMC conversion is also provided). There are TONS of fabulous ways to finish your Halloween ornaments - for this particular ornament, I chose a flat-finish....and I used two-tone twisted cord in green and black for a special touch. Please also note - the color photography in the magazine for this ornament is WAY off and completely over-exposed - the colors aren't even close - I am including a photo of the actual ornament laying on the magazine for reference - I am not sure why they lightened the photo so much that the colors are muted and barely resemble the actual piece (I was extremely disappointed in how they represented this project)....

This is the autumn issue, so you will also find a Designer Q & A and a seasonal project I created especially for this issue. If you turn to page 50, you can read a short question and answer session with me, followed by my autumn project titled "Hayride Happenings" starting on page 51. This fall-inspired pincushion is stitched on Weeks Dye Works linen (Beige) with Weeks Dye Works cotton floss (a DMC conversion is also provided) and is stuffed with crushed walnut shells and trimmed with lovely hand-dyed chenille (Jack) from Lady Dot Creates.

 You can find this issue of Just CrossStitch magazine at your favorite needlework shop or on newsstands now...

Blue Ribbon Designs is also featured in the Just CrossStitch Ornament Issue, which is arriving in homes and shops now - I'll be back to share details soon!