I used to love going trick-or-treating as a kid. There were many times when we didn’t stop until we filled our whole bag with candy. But the problem was always the trick-or-treat bags. We would use plastic ones. They weren’t strong enough. By the end of the night, our hands would hurt from holding them.
That’s why it’s so much better to make your own custom Halloween trick-or-treat bags. Tote bag material is a lot stronger than plastic Halloween. I love that you can personalize it according to your kid’s taste. I’ll show you how to make your own Cricut DIY Halloween trick or treat bags. But I’ll show you how to do it without HTV.
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Materials needed for Cricut DIY Halloween trick-or-treat bags
- Any Cricut machine that can cut vinyl big enough for this project.
- Stencil vinyl or removable vinyl
- Chalk Paste, htv, fabric markers, or Cricut Infusible Ink
- Chalk paste squeegee
- Weeding tools
- Standard or Lite grip mat
- Tote bag blank
- Iron, Easy press, or heat press
- Transfer tape
How to make Cricut DIY Halloween trick-or-treat bags without HTV
I’ll show you how to make personalized trick-or-treat bags without HTV. The method I am using is screen printing. However, I am just using stencil vinyl and chalk paste.
Chalk paste works similarly to printing ink. The results last just as long. You don’t have to worry about cracking, peeling, or it coming off. Chalk paste comes in a variety of colors. No, you don’t need a screen-printing screen. I will set it using my easy press.
I will show you step-by-step how to do it.
Prepare your trick-or-treat bag design
First, open Cricut design space. Then click start new project. If you want to use the exact same design I am, click here. The project will automatically load inside of your Cricut design space. Once the design is in your Cricut design space account click make it.
But it is designed according to my tote bag measurements. The trick-or-treat stencil design is 6.77 inches wide by 7.14 inches
Each of the smaller Halloween stencils is 2.67 inches wide by 2.46 inches. I arranged them in a way where you can place them wherever you want.
If you want to make your own stencil design, click on shapes. Then click the square shape. Then go to size at the top in the design space. Then click the little lock icon. This will allow you to make the square shape any size you want.
Then click text so you can use whatever font and phrase you want. Once you’re happy with the size of your shape, and text, place your text above the square shape. Then to highlight both the square and text in the layers panel hit the shift key while clicking with your mouse.
After you’ve done this click slice on the bottom. This will cut out the phrase from your square. Then you can remove the phrase and delete it.
I would change the color of your square from black to whatever the color of your vinyl is.
You should now have your own stencil design that’s ready to cut. Once you’re happy with the way everything looks click make it.
Cut your trick-or-treat stencil
Since the stencils are all one color, they should all appear on one mat. Once you’re happy with how it looks click continue. Once you’re on the make-it screen select your material.
Add your stencil material to your mat. Then load it into your Cricut machine. Click go once you’re ready to cut.
Once it’s done cutting remove your mat. Then remove your stencil. Next weed off the excess material. But since it’s a stencil you’ll weed in reverse. This means you’ll remove the letters and everything except the square shape of the stencils.
Since I used stencil vinyl, I selected stencil vinyl as my material. I use my standard grip mat. I’ve had mine for a while. So, it’s not as sticky as it is when it’s brand new. But feel free to use a light grip mat if you prefer.
You do not have to mirror since it’s not HTV or iron-on vinyl. I use Oracle stencil vinyl but feel free to use a different brand. You can even use freezer paper.
Apply chalkpaste paint
Don’t forget to use transfer tape to transfer your stencil to your tote bag. Once your stencil is on your blank tote bag it’s time to apply the chalk paste.
When you open your chalk paste remove the liner. Then stir it using this tool. You want it to have the same consistency as yogurt. Then you’ll use this tool to spread a thin line across the top of your stencil.
Then use the large squeegee to spread the chalk past from the top to the bottom of the stencil. Then keep doing it until your design is filled. Then wait for it to dry before taking off the stencil.
You can use whatever colors you want. For the sake of this tutorial, I just used black. Believe me, a little goes a long way. You don’t want to put globs of it on the stencil before you spread it.
If you end up using too little you can always add more. But when you start off using a lot, it’s hard to clean it off. Another method you can use is to put some chalk paste on the squeegee itself instead of on the stencil first.
Set your Cricut Diy Halloween Trick or Treat bags with an easy press, heat press, or iron
Now it’s time to set the design with heat. This helps to make the chalk paste permanently adhere to the tote bag. For this part, I used my Cricut Easy Press 2. I have the 12″x10″.
I set mine to 325 degrees for around 7-10 seconds. You can use parchment paper or Teflon over your tote bag before you press it.
If you don’t have an easy press, feel free to use an iron or heat press. You won’t have to press it for too long.
Once you’re done pressing, you are all done! Now you have a trick-or-treat bag that your kids will love!
Alternative Methods
There are other methods you can use to make your Cricut DIY Halloween trick or treat bags. The first is with HTV or iron-on vinyl. This process is no different than making a t-shirt with vinyl. Except the tote bag material is different.
The next method is with Cricut infusible ink sheets. They work similarly to sublimation. You will cut the material like HTV. Add it to your tote bag. Then set it with your easy press or heat press. It doesn’t sit on top of the material like HTV or iron-on vinyl.
The last method is to use fabric markers. You would use a stencil. Then fill in the design with fabric markers instead of chalk paste.
Related posts
Easy DIY Cricut Canvas Tote Bag
Fall Preschool and Kindergarten Worksheets
How to Make Waterproof Stickers with Your Cricut
Conclusion
I hope you found this Cricut DIY Halloween trick or treat bags tutorial helpful. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll want to make them year after year. I really enjoyed making mine. I think tote bags are better because they’re big and won’t break. So, your child can get as much candy as they want.
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