I’m Under a Spell!

It’s true….I’m under a spell…the “let’s make something just for Halloween that you’ll only use for like a month a year” spell lol! I love Halloween, what can I say!

And what’s my favourite thing to make? You guessed it….I made a Halloween bag and it’s featuring my absolute 100% favourite Halloween movie….Hocus Pocus eeeekkk!!!

I scooped up a 1/2 yard of this Disney Hocus Pocus Group Pack fabric as soon as we got it, and this was definitely one of those times that I had no clue what I was going to use it for but I didn’t even care…I mean I kind of assumed it would be a bag cause that’s obviously my go-to but that was pretty much where the thought process ended!

So now with the diaper bag finished, I decided this was the time! Yes, it’s pretty much already Halloween but as I said, I’ll use this bag for many, many Halloween’s to come so I’m not worried about that, and I decided that this would be a fun time to try a pattern I haven’t done before, giving the pattern a trial run shall we say. Now I know there’s probably lots of you out there that always make up a pattern as a trial the first time, using fabric you don’t really care about but that way you get all the kinks out before using your real fabric of choice……I am definitely not one of those people and I can pretty much guarantee I never will be lol! I just go with it right from the beginning, there’s no trial runs….and I will say that a couple of times it has bit me in the butt and I’m wasted/ruined my fabric but I can really only think of 2 times so I think that’s a pretty good average that I’m willing to continue with!

It seems like lately I’ve been buying bag patterns and not actually making them, and I don’t like that, but I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in this…right lol?!? I definitely will eventually use them, just not exactly sure when! And while they’re great bags and I’m excited to make them, they weren’t quite right for this project, the patterns are a little more involved than what I was looking for….and then it came to me! Some of you might remember that I previously made a Tuesday Tote from Knotted Threads for my bestie, Nancy, using the amazing Antique Library of Rarities fabric line and it was super quick and fun!

This was a very basic tote….no pockets, no hardware, nothing…..just a tote bag which was great, it served it’s purpose….she’s even used it to tote games to our house when they’ve come for a visit ! So it was the perfect tote bag pattern, but then, the designer took it to another whole new level when she introduced an add-on package to the original pattern that she called the Weekend Add-On! She named them this way because the original pattern was something you could make any night of the week, say a Tuesday lol, and then with the new add-ons, it might take you….can you guess? You’re right again, it might take you the weekend lol!! She’s so clever isn’t she! So with the additional pattern, your simple tote could be elevated in so many different ways, just check this out….

I mean WOW right!!!! Look at all of those options, 10 to be exact! You can add as many or as few as you like! Remember, they all work together with the original pattern so you must own them both, and I see on her website, you can buy them separately if you already have the Tuesday Tote, but if you’re brand new to this pattern, you can buy them together in a bundle for a reduced price! In all the bags I’ve made over the years, I know I’ve done each of these possibilities before but Shannon, the designer, had some very unique ways of doing them…and to have them all in one place is great too! You could absolutely incorporate them into other bags too and since they’re all right here, there won’t be any searching for them in the future!

Shannon also includes accompanying videos on her YouTube channel that are great as well so there’s certainly lots of support if you need it! I will be honest that I was a bit confused in the beginning because, as I said, you’re working with the 2 patterns simultaneously so you really needed to pay attention to the directions! You’d work on one pattern for steps 1-4, then go back to the other pattern and do steps 5 and 6, then back again….etc lol! And I’d work on one of the add-ons and then realize I needed to have completed a different add-on before that one so back I’d go…….see what I’m saying lol?!? It didn’t take me too long to realize that it was all going to work out….Shannon’s explanation of the steps are in-depth and full of information, no guessing needed, and she was completely right when she said you don’t have to do things in the order that she wrote them…it all works out in the end, and here’s the proof…..hope you’re ready for this lol!!

Picture overload yet again lol, I’m sorry, I just can’t help it! Once again, I used the cork material we used to carry and I’m starting to panic that my supply is getting low! I feel like I should ration it but also why….I bought it to use it so I should use it..right lol?!? As you can see, I did almost all of the add-ons. There was 10 available, I did 9 lol! I opted not to do the key ring because I don’t use my keys! I of course always have my keys on me but they’re just in a the bottom of a pocket in my purse, I never need access to them, I just have to have them on my somewhere because my car is keyless and our house lock is digital so again, no key! And speaking of pockets…look at them all!!!!!! I actually don’t carry enough stuff in my purse to even fill them so I have like 2 things in each pocket lol! So as I said, I used the Hocus Pocus Group Pack fabric and then I accented it with just Kona Clementine and Kona Black, both leftovers from previous projects! Melissa was kind enough to bring those zipper pulls in for me, and I think they were perfect…so much fun! I used our Navy Webbing for the straps and since I wanted to be able to carry this tote over my shoulder, I made them long enough to do that comfortably, the only alteration I made to the pattern!

So there we go, I’m ready for this Halloween season and will proudly carry this bag on any outings I may do for the next few days! After that I will pack my bag away with the rest of the seasonal decorations till October 1, 2024!

Happy Halloween friends!

Shawna