Monkies all over this bag

This diaper bag turned out really cute: it has long handles, and lots of pockets inside. It matches the nursing cover and changing pad, too.

Lots of pockets inside

When I finished the bag, I started on a baby quilt. I began by cutting 3″ strips, and sewing them together. After they were all sewn and pressed, I cut them into 3″ pieces, and sewed those together. I now have twenty-four 7.5 inch squares. I think I need one more, so I can have a 5X5 layout instead of a 4X6.

These 9 patch squares turned out pretty good.

I laid them out on the floor, and I do think I need one more square:

Baby quilt squares laid out on the floor

Tomorrow I’ll make one more square, and then decide what to do about sashing.

I know y’all know I love to sew, but I love to sew for the new babies most of all. I spent yesterday cutting out two projects so that I could sit down to sew this afternoon. The first project was a changing pad. It was a really quick and easy project: you cut out two oval pieces of fabric, and two oval pieces of batting. Layer them together with the fabric right sides out. Stitch some quilting, trim, and finish off with some bias tape. Done.

Quilted changing pad

The other side of this is striped in the same colors. Just roll it up, put an elastic band around it, and it is good to go.

Roll it up and you're ready to go

When it is rolled up, it fits into the diaper bag. Actually, this is a large bag, so it will hold quite a bit of stuff. The breast feeding cover matches it, too. I didn’t finish this today. I got the outside quilted and stitched together, and the pockets attached to the lining before it was time to make dinner.

The Monkey diaper bag

The Monkey diaper bag

I  used Pellon 70 stiff interfacing and some polyester fiberfill batting to make a nice quilted bag that will stand up by itself. The bottom is reinforced with a second piece of Pellon 70 to make it extra sturdy. When I did the quilting stitches on the monkey print part, I used wavy lines because it is easier to do that without it looking like you messed up. On the brown fabric on the bottom, I used just straight lines. Tomorrow I’ll finish the lining and attach the handles and it will be done. Then I can start on a matching quilt. Sewing for a baby is fun!

The lving room is the temporary sewing room.

I spent the first part of the day moving my sewing stuff out of the trailer and into the house. I set up the sewing machine and other sewing stuff in the living room temporarily. I have sooo much room now to sew. I was ready to make something, anything, and Emily asked me to make her a breast feeding cover, which is a pretty drape to use when you are breast feeding baby in public.

This is the pattern I used.

We shopped for fabric while we were out yesterday, and got enough of this cute fabric to make the cover, a diaper bag, a zippered bag, and a changing pad. Monkeys!

How cute is that?

After I got the sewing area set up, I started on the cover. It was such an easy pattern to make. Of course, the the thing that took the longest was the cutting. After that, it was all straight lines, and some gathering for the ruffle. Finished in about two hours.

All finished!

This one has a piece of boning in the top so that it will stay open. That lets Mom see what’s going on with baby but prevents everyone else from seeing in.

The straps

I used D rings to make the strap adjustable. This was really quick and easy to make, and will be quite useful for Emily when Baby Rascoe gets here.

Even if you have never sewn in a zipper before, you will be able to make this cute little bag in about an hour and a half. To make it, you’ll need two fat quarters of fabric (18″ X 22″), two pieces of batting that measure at least 8″ X 10″,  one zipper at least 10″ long, scissors, thread, pins and a sewing machine.

You need two fabrics, some batting, and a zipper.

To get started, cut two pieces from each of the fat quarters that measure 8″ X 10″. Decide which one will be the outside of the bag. In this tutorial, the outside will be the puppy print fabric, and the inside will be the yellow prints.

cut two pieces of each fabric and two pieces of batting

Make a “sandwich” using one piece of each fabric and one piece of batting. Make sure the right sides of each fabric are facing out, with the batting in between the wrong sides of the fabric.

The sandwich, with the batting in the middle and fabrics right sides out.

Sew some lines of stitching through all three layers to quilt them. I usually sew from corner to corner in both directions, then do a couple more lines. It is up to you how much you want to stitch.

Make some lines of stitches to quilt the bag

When you are finished quilting both sides of the bag, set one sandwich aside for later.

This is what the quilted pieces will look like

Lay the remaining piece right side up, and place the zipper face down along the edge of the piece.

place the zipper face down, the fabric piece right side up.

Pin the zipper in place with a couple of pins. Then, starting at one end, stitch along the length of the zipper. Open the zipper part of the way to begin. After you stitch a few inches, close the zipper back up so that the zipper pull doesn’t get in the way of the needle and presser foot.

Start stitching with the zipper open

After stitching the length of the zipper, fold the zipper to the inside. Press with an iron.

Fold zipper to the inside

Go back to the sewing machine with the piece, and top stitch 1/4″ from the edge of the fabric.

Top stitch 1/4" from the edge of the fabric

This is what it will look like when  you have finished top stitching:

Top stitching keeps the zipper in place on the inside.

Next, repeat all the steps for sewing the zipper with the other piece of sandwiched fabric. When you have finished sewing in and topstitching the other side of the zipper, the bag will look like this:

The bag will look like this when you have finished the other side of the zipper

Next, fold the two pieces so that the outside pieces of fabric are together, on the inside. Match up the edges, and pin. Make sure the zipper is open half way before you start to stitch.

Fold so that the outside of the bag are facing each other

Stitch along the three sides of the bag, starting at the zipper edge and ending at the zipper edge on the other side. Be careful not to stitch over the hard pieces of the zipper. Stitch the beginning and ending few stitches back and forth a couple of times to reinforce the stitches so they won’t come apart.

Trim the zipper ends, and the corners at the bottom of the bag at an angle.

Stitch around the entire seam again with a zigzag stitch to prevent ravelling of the seams inside the bag.

Stitch along the seam again with a zigzag stitch

Turn the bag inside out, and press with an iron to set the stitches.

The inside of the bag

This little bag can be used for so many things! I use one for manicure supplies, one for jewelry, one for holding toothbrush, toothpaste and floss, etc.

What a cute little bag!

What is your bag going to hold?