Categories: Costume, Bags and Totes, Halloween, Holiday

Halloween is quickly approaching, making many children plan out costumes and the best bag for trick or treating. This bat wings backpack doubles at both a costume accessory and bag for collecting candy without hurting your hands. This is a take on a string strap backpack, but with wider fabric straps for comfortable and durability. OlyFun is the same great fabric used for reusable shopping bags. It doesn’t fray and cuts like paper, making it great for shapes that would normally have tricky seams. Inside the wings is Stiffen Interfacing. Normally, this would be heat bonded to normal fabric, but OlyFun shouldn’t be ironed to that temperature. The wings are so small, that sewing it in works out perfectly. Stiffen gives the wings a sturdy shape, preventing floppy wings. While I chose bat wings, this could be easily changed to other wings…fairy, angel, butterfly, plane…whatever your child desires. Instead of wings, you could add a Poly-Fil stuffed tail to the bag bottom, or other details that coordinate with the chosen costume. The white lines on the wings use glow in the dark fabric paint, creating a safety feature which is great to spot kids on dark Halloween nights.

What you need to make this project

Materials: Oly-Fun Craft Pack in Jet Black; Stiffen One Sided Fusible Interfacing

Supplies: Black Thread; Tulip Soft Fabric Paint in Matte White; Tulip Soft Fabric Paint in Glow Natural; Quilting Ruler; White Pencil; Regular Pencil; Fabric Scissors; Straight Pins; Sewing Machine; Detail Paintbrush; Wax Paper; Bright Light

Instructions

Step One

Out of the Jet Black OlyFun, cut a rectangle 12″ wide by 30″ long, 2 long strips 2″ wide by 45″ long, and 2 rectangles 16″ wide by 7″ long. If this bag is for larger person than my petite daughter, the long strips should be longer. It’s better if the straps are too long to start with, as they can be shortened later for a best fit.

Step Two

With the large rectangle, fold in both short ends 1″. Pin in place. Straight stitch 1/8″ from the short cut edge. This creates two casing for the straps to go inside. Set this part aside for now.

Step Three

On the smaller rectangle, draw symmetrical bat wings with the white pencil. My top points are 6″ apart. The outer points are 1.5″ up from the center bottom point. At the bottom, you’ll have 7 total points, evenly spaced. Pin the two small rectangles together, with the drawing on top. Cut out the bat wings outline.

Step Four

Using a regular pencil, trace the bat wings shape once onto the Stiffen Interfacing. Cut it out. Trim 1/4″ off around the Stiffen bat wings, so it will fit better between the two pieces of OlyFun.

Step Five

Insert the Stiffen bat wings in between the two OlyFun bat wings pieces. Line up the edges, and pin in place if needed.

Step Six

At the sewing machine, with black thread, straight stitch around the wings. Straight stitch from the a top point to each bottom point. The inner stitches secure Stiffen into place, and creates the bone lines of bat wings.

Step Seven

Lay the bat wings, curving out, 3″ down from a casing on the front of the bag rectangle. At the sewing machine, straight stitch them in place on either side of the center bat stitching.

Step Eight

Fold the bag rectangle, right sides together, folding in the wings gently. Straight stitch 1/4″ away from the side, below the casing until 1″ from the bottom. Repeat for other bag seam. Turn right side out, gently moving the wings.

Step Nine

Trim back the casing 1/4″ inch at each open end, making sure not the cut through the stitching. This makes the casing lay flat. The straps will slide easily later.

Step Ten

Rip off 2 pieces of wax paper, big enough to slip under each wing. Having the wax paper under the wings will prevent paint from getting on the bag, and remaining on just the wings.

Step Eleven

With the Tulip Soft Fabric Paint in Matte Glacier White and the detail paint brush, paint thick lines along the bone stitching and along the top of the wings. Let dry. Repeat painting layers of white until the color is opaque.

Step Twelve

With the Tulip Soft Fabric Paint in Glow Natural and the detail paint brush, paint over the white lines. Let dry. Repeat painting layers of glow until the glow is strong in the dark. About 2-3 layers is good. You need the white under the glow for better impact. The glow is very sheer, but will stand out better over a white base. Let dry completely. Remove the wax paper.

Step Thirteen

Fold the two long strips in thirds longways. Pin if needed. Straight stitch down the center, catching the edges.

Step Fourteen

From the center of each long strip, mark out 7″ in each direction, with the white pencil. Place the two long strips together, matching up those marks. Pin one set of marks together. Zigzag stitch on the opposite side of the pin, to the end. Trim the stitched together ends to match, if needed. This makes one side of the strap.

Step Fifteen

Slip one loose strap end through one casing. Repeat for the other loose strap and casing. Pin the straps together at the 7″ from center marks. The straps should be laying flat and even together. If not, adjust the straps, so they are flat together.

Step Sixteen

Zigzag stitch the straps together from the pin to the end. Trim the ends to match, if needed.

Step Seventeen

Insert each strap end into the coordinating hole at the bottom of the bag seam. I found they sit better on the body, if they are angled up slightly. Pin in place. Straight stitch the opening closed, through the inserted straps. Back stitch over the inserted straps, so they are securely attached.

Step Eighteen

Put the bag onto whoever it’s for. If it’s too loose and falling off, the straps need to be shortened. Use a seam ripper to carefully take out the stitches where the straps attach at the bottom. Adjust the strap length on the wearer. Cut the straps shorter at an angle, and resew them into the bag.

Step Nineteen

The bag should lay comfortably high on the back, with the wings curving out.

Step Twenty

Before wearing out at night, leave the bag, wings side up in direct light, so the glow in the dark paint fully charges. The paint should glow strong for an hour or so, before needing more charging. While the glowing feature helps keep children safer in the dark, it doesn’t replace using a flashlight for better safety. You can shine the flashlight on the glow paint to recharge it throughout your trick or treating.

Trick or Treat Bat Wings Backpack