DIY Halloween Trick or Treat Bags with Cricut

Learn how easy it is to make personalized Halloween Trick or Treat bags with your Cricut machine. I’ll show you the easy step-by-step process for applying iron-on vinyl to a cotton canvas tote – plus, I’ll share my free pumpkin SVG design.

Halloween is almost here! If your kids are anything like mine, they’ve been looking forward to this day since November 1st last year. And if I’m being honest, I love Halloween too. It’s so much fun watching my kids dress up in their costumes, and go from house to house collecting candy.

Speaking of collecting candy, do you have your trick or treat bags ready? If you still need to make them, I’ve got just the post for you. This step-by-step tutorial will show you how to make the cutest DIY Halloween Trick or Treat Bags with Cricut and iron-on vinyl.

And, I’ve created a free pumpkin SVG file that you can use to create cute, custom Halloween treat bags.

DIY Halloween Trick or Treat Bags

This is a quick and easy Cricut project that you can whip up in an hour or two. It’s a great project for beginners, even if you’re brand new to working with iron-on vinyl.

For more information about what a Cricut can do, click to read: What is a Cricut Machine, and What Can it Do?

Ready to get crafty? Grab a couple of tote bags and your favorite color vinyl, and let’s get to it!

Materials You’ll Need for this Project

Here are the suggested supplies and tools that you’ll need for this project.

• Cricut Machine. Any Cricut machine will cut vinyl. The Explore 3 and Maker 3 can cut larger shapes than the Joy, so keep that in mind.
• Iron-on vinyl in the color of your choice. Cricut Iron-On vinyl works well, as does Siser EasyWeed HTV.
• Cricut Cutting Mat. I like the blue LightGrip mat for this project, but a green StandardGrip cutting mat works great too.
• Cricut EasyPress or household iron.
• EasyPress Mat or other pressing mat.
• Tote bags. You can pick up a pack of plain cotton canvas tote bags online, or look for some at your local dollar store.

You can also download my free Trick or Treat Pumpkin SVG to use in your designs. Enter your email in the box below and I will send the free SVG straight to your inbox.

How to Make Trick or Treat Bags with Cricut and Iron-On Vinyl

This project is not complicated, but there are quite a few steps. I want to make this as easy as possible – especially if you’re new to Design Space – so I’ve broken it down into 3 main phases: setting up the file in Design Space, cutting the vinyl with your Cricut, and applying the vinyl with your EasyPress.

Setting up the SVG file in Design Space

1. Download my free Trick or Treat Pumpkin SVG file.
2. Open Design Space, and start a new project. Click the Upload button, and upload the Trick or Treat Pumpkin SVG file to Design Space. (For more information, read this article to learn How to Upload Images to Design Space.)
3. Select the Trick or Treat Pumpkin image, and add it to your Canvas.
4. Measure your tote bag, and decide how large you would like the Pumpkin shape to be. Use the Width and Height input boxes in the top toolbar to resize the Pumpkin design to fit your tote bag. I made mine 9 inches wide and 8 inches tall, for reference.
5. Optional: Click on the Text tool to add a name or an initial to the design. Make sure that the new design will fit on your tote bag. When you are happy with the design, select all layers and click Attach. (This will hold the individual pieces together in place when you go to the Mat Screen in the next step).

Cutting the Iron-On Vinyl with Cricut

1. Once your design is ready, click Make it. Check that everything looks correct on the Prepare Screen. Since we are using Iron-On Vinyl (HTV), make sure to click Mirror. Then press Continue.
2. On the Make Screen, select your material and double-check that you have the correct blade in your machine. Place your iron-on vinyl onto the cutting mat with the “shiny side down”, and load it into the machine. When you’re ready, click Go to start the cut.
3. After the cut is complete, unload the mat and remove the vinyl. Use your weeding tool to remove the excess vinyl from the design.

Applying the Iron-On Vinyl to the Tote Bag

1. Next, preheat your EasyPress or household iron, and prepare the tote bag for pressing. Lay the tote bag on a pressing mat and smooth any wrinkles. (If you have a small pressing mat, you can even place it inside the tote bag.)
2. Center the vinyl design on top of the tote bag with the “shiny side up” (This means that the plastic carrier sheet is up, and the dull vinyl side is touching the tote bag.)
3. Press the vinyl with the EasyPress as instructed by the super useful Cricut Heat Guide. For my tote bag, I used light pressure at 340°F for 30 seconds. Let the tote bag cool, and carefully peel off the plastic transfer sheet.
4. Check to see if the vinyl is well-adhered to the tote bag. For extra insurance, cover the design with a cotton pressing cloth, and press for another 15 seconds. Then turn the bag over, and press from the back for another 15 seconds.

And there you go! You’ve created a cute, custom treat or treat bag that your kiddo can use to haul back-breaking amounts of candy around the neighborhood.

How to Personalize your Treat Bags

I love the pumpkin design as is, but you can certainly use your creativity to personalize your Halloween trick or treat bags as you see fit.

Got a couple of kids? Why not add their name or initials to the design? That way, they can easily and quickly identify who’s candy is who’s – which will definitely save you a headache down the road.

Want to learn more about adding fonts? Check out this post to learn How to Upload Fonts to Cricut Design Space in 4 Easy Steps

Want a different color or pattern? I think this design would look really cool made with one of Cricut’s patterned Infusible Ink sheets.  Click here for a complete Cricut Infusible Ink tutorial. If you want to use Infusible Ink, make sure to purchase compatible tote bags. They’ll need to be made with polyester fiber, or have a suitable sublimation coating. (Consider buying Cricut brand tote bags, which are designed to work with Infusible Ink.)

Explore More Cricut Tutorials

If you love crafting with your Cricut, check out these related posts.

• How to Make Shirts with Cricut Iron-On Vinyl
• How to Make Stickers with Cricut “Print then Cut”
• How to Etch Glass with Armour Etch and Cricut
• How to Make Rolled Paper Flowers with Cricut

What’s Next?

Pin this post: Save this tutorial to your Pinterest boards so that you can come back to it later.

Leave a comment: We love to hear your feedback. Tell me in the comments below!

Share on Instagram or Facebook: When you make this project, share it on social media and tag me @sarahmaker_. We love to see what you make!

Have questions? Join the Facebook Group!

We hope this article was useful for you! If you have any additional questions, feel free to join my Facebook Group. We created this group for you to share pictures, ask questions, and help each other out.