Celebrate Halloween with Sew Beautiful!

Happy Halloween from the staff at Sew Beautiful! It's that time of year, and whether you're aiming for spooky or sweet, we have lots of ideas for you to create your own holiday magic. This autumn, we celebrated the release of our new vintage-inspired Halloween Stitchin' machine embroidery CD, complete with 20 multi-format designs (eight 4x4 words or phrases and twelve picture designs in both 4x4 and 5x7 sizes). You can snag one for $40.00 in our online store.

For some ideas on how to use these fun new designs, we featured a spread of projects in Issue #132, including a cute embellished pennant (templates available on the pullout centerfold of that issue), a custom treat tote (instructions and templates also on the pullout centerfold), and simple embellished linens (linen blanks available in our online store). Once you have your Halloween Stitchin' disc in hand, all you need is some ribbon, rickrack, buttons and felt baubles to get creative.

TIP: Don't have the time or patience to sew on all that trim? We are fans of using products like Steam-a-Seam 2 and Fabri-Tac glue when in a pinch! Or use our old favorite, Roxanne's Glue-Baste-It - you can tack it in place now, and sew it later for a permanent finish.


In Issue #132, we also shared some easy costume ideas from designers Audra Kennedy, Kari Mecca and Sis Hutchison that would be perfect for trick-or-treating, or even just playing dress-up.


The top three costumes pictured above are made using our blank skirted bubbles and embellished with sewn-on chiffon ruffle tutus and Whimsy Stick trims, while the bottom tutu is easily made with strips of tulle netting and elastic. Easy instructions for both tutu styles are available in Issue #132; information on the "Not-so-scary Witch" costume is available on our website.

For even more Halloween ideas, we referred back to our Pumpkin Parade feature in Issue #126, September/October 2009. Appropriate for both Halloween and autumn alike, free downloadable instructions are available in the Freebies section of our website for these smocked jack-o-lanterns, embroidered tea towel, stuffed pumpkins and pumpkin pillows.

We hope you feel inspired to create a few last minute Halloween projects with these easy ideas! Sew on, sew well, and Sew Beautiful.