Gearing up for Halloween needn’t be time consuming or expensive. If you don’t need a full costume, there are plenty of ways to get into the mood. Here, we add some fun to a child’s top and a baby onsie. Each took about an afternoon, and they have added interest because of their 3D nature.
Spooky – a Ghostly onsie
From a very simple ghost shape, by adding volume to the top layer, you have a dimensional applique. By sewing it down only around the curves, you get movement.
I believe the net is an off-cut from curtaining or mosquito netting. The advantage of this fabric is that the lower edge doesn’t need finishing, leaving lighter and more ghostly.
I have used sequins because I had some to hand that were just the right size, but small circles cut from felt would do just as well. The sequins have been sewn on the flat layer so they are captured between the two layers of net, but they could be sewn on the back of the flat layer and then trapped between the shirt and the applique shape, making them harder for little fingers to remove.
The two layers are stitched together, turned so the raw edges are inside the applique shape. They are then stitched onto the garment with little back stitches. I have stitched down the two layers at the edge, which keeps the bulk toward the centre of the shape.
The outline used to create the applique is available on our resources to download page for free.
Pepita – your very own Jack-o-lantern
Using a brighter felt for the cutouts, we get the illusion of lights inside the pumpkin shape. Cutting the top layer wider (about 3 times wider) and a little taller, you get both the gathering and a little rounding of the top layer.
The net used for this design was from a dress-up costume that had been outgrown some time ago, and had in fact already been deconstructed and altered.
This time, instead of gathering the fabric on the fly, I created a little pattern by gathering some tracing paper. It wasn’t until after I cut this that I realised that the fabric would need to have some vertical give as well, hence the more generous seam allowance for the top layer.
The pattern pieces for the felt were quite small, so instead of trying to pin them, I used a quilting glue stick to hold them in place for cutting out. It was handy again, when stitching them to the back layer of the pumpkin.
Gather the top layer to the base, leaving a gap on one side. Turn the shape right side out, so the face is between the layers. Close the gap with whip stitch. Pin the shape to the garment then stitch around the shape with a back stitch just inside the edge.