Julie Finn
Let the Halloween crafting begin! Whether you’re a newbie or an advanced sewer, sewn Halloween projects are a terrific way to decorate for the holiday. Pillows, stuffies, and buntings are fun and festive, and they’re easy to store between seasons. For parties, go for table decorations and small gifts that make your guests feel monstrously special. For kids, there are tons of cute toys and trick-or-treat accessories to make… and costumes, of course!
And if you’re feeling especially adventurous, sew something heirloom-quality for Halloween. A quilt or a beautifully-embellished soft decoration might be an unusual piece to create with a Halloween theme. It’s worth it, thought, to see your unique personality shine through something that can’t be store-bought.
Check out my list, below, of my favorite things to sew for Halloween. And don’t forget to tweak all of these patterns and tutorials to suit yourself. After all, Halloween is the best holiday for showing off your imagination!
Halloween Toys
Eyeball softie. I’m always on the lookout for DIY Halloween things that aren’t *too* scary. Making stuff for my baby niece is my favorite hobby, but her parents wouldn’t thank me for giving her handmade nightmares! I love this eyeball softie because, although it’s definitely on the quirky side as far as handmade baby gifts go, it’s not particularly creepy… to the kid, at least!
Stuffed candy corn. For a stuffed lovey that’s just as fun as the eyeball, above, without a hint of spookiness, go for this candy corn stuffie instead.
Fabric pumpkins. Make these low-sew fabric pumpkins as large or as small as you want, because the tutorial is easily customizable.
Skeleton stuffie. Embroidery means that you can stitch on all the little bones that you desire (I love an anatomically-accurate skeleton!), and a fun fabric for the back means your little skelly won’t be too scary.
Pillows and Quilts
Halloween pillows. This sewing project uses pre-made pillow forms to make it even quicker and easier. My favorite trick is to use an orange or black fabric whose print isn’t specifically Halloween-themed. That way, I let the embellishments do the work of the Halloween theming.
Trick-or-Treat pillows. Want some pillows but don’t want to do all the extra stitching that applique requires? These pillows use stencils instead!
Skull quilt. This quilt is both easy enough to not need a printed pattern (it’s just squares!) and sophisticated enough that people will gasp with awe and wonder as they gaze upon it.
Skull quilt block tutorial. If an entire skull quilt seems too ambitious, here’s a simpler quilt block with a step-by-step tutorial.
Bat quilt block. These bats combine into a fun quilt, but the blocks, themselves, are small enough that you can also use one to embellish a trick-or-treat bag or to make a bunting, table runner, or mantle decoration.
Candy quilt block. You can do the same projects with this candy quilt block as I suggest for the bat block, above. Or, combine them onto a single quilt!
Patchwork pumpkin quilt block. The tutorial includes instructions for both the quilt block alone and for a table runner made from the blocks.
Spiderweb table topper. This spiderweb looks cute when sewn with fun Halloween-themed prints, and scarier when sewn with black and white fabrics.
Party Decorations, Clothes, and Accessories
Bunting. An upcycled bunting from denim scraps and stash felt is fun to make for every holiday.
Burlap “Boo!” bunting. Burlap is another eco-friendly fabric that’s perfect for sewing a Halloween banner.
Candy corn table runner. Using quilting cotton to make the traditional candy corn color scheme on this table runner is just about the cleverest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.
Ruffled felt candy corn garland. Once you learn this one simple trick for making a ruffled garland, you’ll want to use it for every holiday!
Witch feet banner. I don’t love iron-on interfacing, but when you’re making a home decor item that’s solely for display, it’s actually easy to make a substitution. Felt or denim work well to add stability. Or you use something non-traditional, like cardboard, if you won’t need to wash your decoration.
Halloween pillowcases. I mean, you *could* put pillows in these pillowcases and sleep on them–that would actually be pretty cute for a Halloween sleepover, now that I think of it!–but I think these pillowcases are best used as old-school trick-or-treat bags. Not only are they non-plastic, but think of how much candy they hold!
Pillowcase ghost dress. When my kiddos were wee, I had a blast making them adorable pillowcase dresses from all the pretty thrifted pillowcases I could find. A few embellishments turns a plain white pillowcase into a sweet ghost dress!
Spiderweb skirt. Here’s a festive Halloween skirt that I personally think you could get away with wearing all season.
Do you have a favorite thing that you’ve sewn to celebrate Halloween? Tell us about it in the Comments below!
