Monday, August 20, 2012

Baby bag

After making myself several nappy (diaper) bags over the last few years, and using them til they fall apart, I consider I am well placed to design and make a useful one. So before my new little nephew was born I offered my services to my SIL and she accepted. Yay, another excuse to sew :-)
I gave her a choice of fabrics (via phone pics at fabric stores) and she chose this very cute bird print from Ikea. When I cut out the main panels I made sure I got some of the sweet and quite humorous little birds in prominent positions. For the lining I used a robust denim, as the main fabric is a mid weight and needed a bit of structure.
I based the design on this bag and gave it more rounded corners. The adjustable strap, magnetic snap, outside zipper pocket and various inside pockets are all things I find useful so I included those.
And, in what was the most fun aspect of this project, I made a matching change mat to keep in the bag for outings. I first made one a few bags ago and based it on the design from Lotta Jansdotter's book "Simple sewing for baby". It uses a layer of wadding in the middle and is topstitched around the perimeter. Even though I am definitely no quilter, occasionally I love to try a little kinda quilting type stitches and in this case I stitched diagonal lines through all the layers to hold them together well, then stitched around the  birds for a little extra detail. I finished the mat with some blue grosgrain ribbon and velcro. I also used the same ribbon on a pair of slippers and blanket that I made for bub. Ah, gotta love that feeling you get from a bit of coordination ;-)
Bags are something I never get sick of making and this was no exception. I hope my SIL uses it to death like I have mine, then I'll consider it's a job done well.


6 comments:

  1. Nothing like a good nappy bag... it looks gorgeous and practical too! I love the birds fabric! :)

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  2. Looks terrific Jo. Hey where do you get the strap hardware for your bags? I've made a couple and each time i've had such trouble finding the rectangular rings (weirdly the sliders are much easier the come by!) cheers, Anna

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    1. Hi Anna, I got the strap bits as a set from Spotlight, though I can't remember the brand sorry - my local Spotlight has a bag accessories section and it was there. If I remember it I'll let you know. Hope that helps a bit. Jo

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  3. Oh, I love this Jo! And the quilting is a really nice touch. I recently made my first change mat from that same book and I have been wanting to make the bag as well...but I'm naturally struggling with time management issues here with a baby and toddler. Hmmm...one day...

    x

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  4. Nice baby bag and strong enough to carry huge item. The bird picture on it is really nice one and increase its wellness.

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  5. I love this bag!! Wow! It's awesome! Funny that you never get tired of sewing bags; I find them super tedious to make (although very satisfying to have) Just goes to show, everyone's inspiration is so different, right?

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