Toddler back pack. Now she can haul her own junk around!

Now that Cyrilla is getting bigger she's getting much stronger and I've often thought "she could really carry a lot of things around for me" and as my due date approaches and I'm thinking about all the great stuff I'm going to be hauling around for the new baby (note sarcasm), I figured it was time for Cyrilla to start doing her part... and also because my diaper bag simply is not big enough for two kids! So I set out to make Cyrilla her own back pack. I tried finding one at the thrift store down the road, but had no such luck, so after searching online I found a great tutorial that I knew would be easy to follow and went for it! The results were better than I'd hoped. There are a few things I'd do differently, and I did make some of my own adjustments to the process, but over all I stuck to the plan and Cyrilla now has her own pack to haul her own junk around in! She seems to like it and so far we've gotten lots of compliments... although a few people have asked her if she's going to school (and not jokingly) and I have to sigh and think "my poor giant kid will be getting this her whole life... people thinking she's older than she is. Pretty sure no kid under the age of two goes to school..."

Here is the original link to the back pack tutorial I followed. It has great instructions and easy to follow pictures, which I love. It also is simple and doesn't require too much sewing skill like some of the back pack tutorials I came across. 

http://atsecondstreet.blogspot.com/2011/04/backpack-tutorial-and-pattern.html

Cyrilla's back pack ready to go

With mine I added an outside pocket instead of a decal so that I could have Cyrilla's sippy cups and snacks accessable without having to open the bag. I added elastic to the top of the pocket, and while it does a nice job of keeping things in place it does cause the bag to pucker a bit in the center. I also sewed a seam down the center of the pocket so it was two little pockets instead of one big one I added a button and elastic hook so that the pack would stay closed but also be flexible for when it was empty or very full.

I used a very heavy wool material that I had on hand from a thrift store ages ago. It was the perfect weight for a bag like this. I also top stitched the entire bag to give it more structure, which make it look really crisp.

The back. Two different button settings for adjustability.

The inside/liner

The liner turned out to be a bit bigger than it needed to be, so again I'd cut that down by a half inch or more next time I do a bag.

Over all a success! I'd recommend trying this one out and thanks again Kalleen for the great tutorial!

Diaper bag for my little girl's baby doll

So as many know I am in count down mode until baby number two comes, which means that A) I need to get all craft projects for Cyrilla's birthday done before March and B) I need a major distraction and crafting has been it!
I knew I wanted to make some awesome things to give my little girl for her 2nd birthday and came up with some good ideas, and after getting more input from searching the web and Pintrest, my good ideas became really great ideas. Here is one of those great ideas. A diaper bag for Cyrilla to use for her baby doll. Not only is it a diaper bag, but it is stocked full of goodies from a wipes case filled with wipes, to diapers, burp cloths, a bib and changing pad. I figure this gift will do double duty as fun for Cyrilla but also helpful for those moments when Mom needs to deal with her own baby and Cyrilla can play right along side with her baby!

I will do my best to explain the materials I used and process in making each item on the list as we go through the pictures.

The diaper bag

I simply cut out two equal size pieces of fabric for the front and back and then two additional  pieces of the same size fabric for the sides (making sure they were the same height as the front and back pieces and one bottom strip that is the same width as the side pieces and length of the front and back pieces. I sewed them all together and then top stitched the bag. The handles were also equal size pieces sewn into tubes, reversed and top stitched. 

The inside

I made a liner for the bag, using the same measurements as the outside bag, but if I were to do it again I'd decrease the measurements by a half inch or more as my liners always turn out too big. I also sewed a pocket to the right side of the liner before sewing the liner together (same as when sewing the outside of the bag.)

The goodies

Wipes case with wipes, Bib, Burp Cloths, Diapers, and Change pad (I did not make the change pad as I had an extra small one on hand) 

To make the diapers I used some extra fleece I had on hand as I didn't want to have to do too much tedious sewing and fleece won't fray (I know, I know, it's quite a wild pattern!). I simply took the doll they were going to be put on and cut out a paper pattern that would fit her and started cutting away at the fleece! I added velcro closures so that they would stay on. Honestly I'd hoped I could just use the hook part of the velcro and that it would adhere to the fleece on it's own, but it didn't so I had to add the softer part of the velcro too.

Baby doll diaper

The burp cloths were by far the easiest to make. It's simply one piece of pretty fabric and one piece of flannel, right sides sewn together, flipped right side out and then top stitched!

Baby Doll Burp Cloth

The bib was also pretty easy, again I made a pattern and tested it on the doll first, then cut equal parts of the same fabric, sewed it together right sides in, flipped it right side out and top stitched. I added velcro closures to the top instead of a snap because I thought it would be easier for my two year old to handle.

Baby Doll Bib

I got the idea for the wipes case from this blog, where there is also a tutorial: http://2littlehooligans.blogspot.com/2011/02/embrace-camera-baby-doll-accessories.html

Her diapers certainly put mine to shame, but I really did not want to do that kind of work! Also instead of using fleece wipes I cut up an old white t-shirt of my husbands and made several wipes. I love them because they are white like a real wipe, and the jersey fabric won't fray.

Wipes case for Baby Doll

And that's it! There is also enough space in her diaper bag to add the little accessories that came with the doll, like a bottle, pacifier, etc. I'm thinking this will be a big hit, but I guess I'll have to wait two months to find out!