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Easy Halloween Sewing Ideas
(ARA) - It’s that most wonderful time of the year. Doorways are
decked out with banners and bows, twinkling lights edge the
rooftops and all through the house everything from baby bibs and
bath towels to tablecloths and throw pillows sports a holiday
motif. No, it’s not Christmas -- yet. But hot on Santa’s heels,
Halloween is second only to Christmas as the largest decorating
holiday of the year, says the National Retail Federation (NRF),
the world’s largest retail trade association.
According to the NRF, 55.8 percent of consumers plan to
celebrate Halloween and they are continuing to do it in style,
decorating their homes and yards with a Halloween theme. With that
in mind, the sewing experts at Husqvarna Viking are urging
consumers to dust the cobwebs off their sewing machine and stitch
up a few fun, fast and easy projects to celebrate the season.
Nancy Jewell, publicity director for the Swedish-made sewing
machine company, points out that a terrific selection of
Halloween-themed fabrics and the advent of computerized sewing and
embroidery machines make it easy to duplicate those trendy
ready-made table linens, door banners and pillows that fill the
store shelves.
“Most of these projects require only the most basic of sewing
skills. All you really need to know how to do is stitch a straight
line,” explains Jewell. Embroidering those cute little ghosts,
black cats and pumpkins on sweatshirts, bibs and towels is a snap.
Machines like the Husqvarna Viking Designer I let you simply touch
a button and the machine sews, all by itself. Hundreds of Holiday
designs are available via the Husqvarna Viking On-line Web Shop (www.husqvarnaviking.com)
or through your local retailer. Simply select, click, download to
a floppy disk and sew. What could be easier?
So this Halloween, why not dabble in the creative arts? The
experts at Husqvarna Viking offer these suggestions for Halloween
decorating -- all requiring only a minimum of stitch witchery. But
beware, once you fall under the spell of sewing you may find
yourself cooking up a bewitching spell to get one of today’s
easy-to-use sewing machines.
 * Fun fabric bags are fast replacing plastic pumpkins and
pillowcases as the receptacle of choice for toting home lots of
candy. Making your own is incredibly easy. Fabrics like sparkle
felts, ric rac trim, variegated threads in autumn tones and a few
decorative stitches add to the festivities. The best part, this
simple to make bag is very forgiving so you don’t have to be an
expert. Plus, you can sew in reflective tape to keep your little
ghosts and goblins safe. For detailed instructions on how to make
a fabric bag, visit www.husqvarnaviking.com
* Bring the creatures of the night into your house by
suspending soft sculpture bats from fishing line. Cut bat shapes
from black felt or fleece and stitch two pieces together, leaving
a small opening on one side. Stuff with fiberfill and sew opening
closed. Decorate finished bat with fabric paint and pens. Use a
needle to thread fishing line through the top of the bat.
* Use glow-in-the dark threads to embroider creepy spider
webs (Husqvarna Viking’s Holiday Embroidery disk has a great
one) on a black fabric cut to fit your table. Or, sew a covering
from glow-in-the-dark fabric for a trick tablecloth
* Decorate the doorstep with an easy-to-make patchwork
pumpkin, courtesy of The Home Sewing Association; instructions
and materials list can be found at
www.sewing.org
* Greet trick-or-treaters with a friendly ghost door
decoration made with Butterick Pattern 4312 (www.butterick.com).
The site also offers a pattern for an easy-sew Halloween banner,
pumpkin centerpiece and runner.
Armed with your bag of sewing tricks, you can create great
decorative Halloween items for your home in little to no time and
without spending a ghoulish amount of money.
Courtesy of ARA Content
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