t’s that beautiful time of year again—the air is crisp, the leaves are turning, and my mind is buzzing with ideas for fall décor. After finishing my canvas crow, which perfectly bridges my themes of Halloween, fall, and Thanksgiving, I found myself flipping through my trusty Prims book. I came across a visual of some Halloween characters that just jumped out at me—they used so many wonderful textures! They looked so different and interesting, and I immediately knew that was my next project.

I’m calling them my “Halloween Boys,” and I’m just thrilled to share how this multi-media project came together. It’s all about coordinating colors, mixing textures, and creating something completely unique!

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The Spark of Inspiration & Pattern Play

My crafting process often starts with a visual, and this time, it was a beautiful combination of a picture and an existing pattern. I used the visual inspiration from the Prims book, but since it didn’t include a pattern, I needed a base to work from.

My brilliant solution? I turned to Lisa Pay’s October pattern for one of her adorable pumpkin “cuddle dolls.” I love her series, and I decided this was the perfect starting shape! To make them the size I wanted, I got clever with the computer:

1. I took Lisa’s pattern.
2. I reduced the size down to 75%.
3. I printed them out and cut them.

This allowed me to maintain a wonderful, soft doll shape while adapting the look to create my four charming trick-or-treaters!

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Multi-Media Magic: Fabric, Wire, and Wood

The true fun of this project was diving into a multi-media approach. I love incorporating different materials to give a piece depth and character.

The Body and Colour Coordination

For the bodies, I used simple, soft T-shirt fabric. Before sewing, I made sure to interface all the fabric pieces with a fusible lining—this gives the cloth a nice structure and makes the stuffing process much smoother. I created four boys, each with a coordinated but contrasting color scheme:

• Orange top with a green bottom.
• Green top with an orange bottom.
• Two sets in browns and beige tones.

For the heads, I contemplated using a different color for each, but in the end, I went with a basic solid color for each head, and I think this really allowed the colorful bodies to shine!

Bases and Structure

I initially considered making little boots for the bases, but that felt like it would take too much time. Instead, I found a delightful alternative: those little wooden discs from the dollar store that look exactly like a slice of a tree trunk! I simply glued the feet right onto the wood, and it turned out to be a quick, effective, and perfectly rustic way to make them stand up.

I also incorporated wire into the heads. Wire is so much fun to use in these projects—it adds structure and allows for a little bit of whimsy and shape.

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The Secret Ingredient: Coffee-Stained Cheesecloth

One of the most unique elements of the Halloween Boys is the texture of their accessories—the arms and the little bow around their chests. They all look like lovely, crinkled gauze, and that’s because they are!

Here is the step-by-step for this aged, autumn effect:

1. I took simple cheesecloth.
2. I rolled it up and stained it completely by soaking it in a cup of coffee. This gave it a wonderful, aged base color.
3. Once dried, I laid the coffee-stained cheesecloth out onto a piece of plastic.
4. Then, I grabbed my acrylic paints and a sponge, and I just dabbed and sponged different autumn colors onto the fabric.

This technique created a multi-toned, rustic look that perfectly complements the t-shirt fabric and adds a beautiful, weathered texture that is so perfect for fall.

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Bringing Faces to Life

The faces are actually quite simple, which keeps the focus on the body’s colors and textures.

• Eyes: I used felt for the main eye shape, and for the eyelids, I took a small piece of heat-and-bond with black felt and pressed it right onto the face. Some of my boys also have those neat clip-on eyes for a different look.
• Nose and Embellishments: I used simple floss to stitch the nose and other little accents.
• Mouth: I used a little bit of floss and pulled it tight to give the mouth a bit of texture and a playful expression.
• Hats: The hair on the head is made from a simple, lovely burlap ribbon, which adds another layer of texture.

My Signature Touch

I always love leaving a little piece of “me” on my projects. On the backs of the boys, I used coordinating colours from the head fabric and stitched on my signature little hearts to cover the closure stitching. It’s a sweet detail and a perfect way to finish the piece!

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The Joy of Creativity

This entire project was a wonderful mix of dreaming and figuring things out. It’s a testament to the fact that creativity is the most important part! We have wire, fabric, paint, and wood—a truly multi-media undertaking. It was a fun challenge to take a visual from a book that had no pattern and figure out how to do my own eyes, noses, and stitching to pull it all together.

These little Halloween Boys will be sitting happily among my autumn décor right up until the day after Halloween, when I’ll lovingly tuck them away. I hope you enjoyed seeing this project come together! Thanks for watching and talk to you soon!