Tutorial - Envelope-style Nappy/Diaper Holder

Does anyone else find that their nappy/diaper bag needs/wants/style changes from the first baby, to the second and beyond?  Well I certainly have.  When Bethany was born I carried a huge nappy bag around with me, but I could never find what I wanted at any given time.  So when Hannah was born, I made myself a Change Mat for Little Bots, and carried this around, neatly stored at one end of my nappy bag.  Before long though, as Hannah became a little bigger and didn't need as many changes of clothes, I decided I wanted to stop carrying my nappy-bag, and go back to a large handbag.  I still needed nappy-changing gear though, so I designed the Change-Mat Clutch.  I love this design, and it's been one of my most popular tutorials.  Before I even got round to making one for myself though (I made lots for friends as gifts), I decided that I really didn't need a change-mat anymore, but rather just some kind of pouch to keep nappies and wipes at easy reach whenever they were needed.  So a little bit of Pinterest-searching later, I found this amazing tutorial/design for a Diaper Pouch on Noodle-head (one of my favourite blogs).  This is how mine turned out... 

(Oh, and do you recognise the fabric ... it was the left over bits from my Little Birdie Pinafore ... I had been holding onto those scraps for just the right project ... love this fabric!)

So I've been using this pouch for over a year now, and I love that it's small enough to fit in a handbag (albeit a BIG handbag) and that whether it's a nappy-change or just some sticky fingers, nappies and wipes are never far from reach.  It's also been great for Daddy.  If he's taking Hannah out by himself, he can simply grab the pouch and off he goes.  I've made this pouch as gifts for a few people, and everyone who sees it thinks it's such a good idea.

                                           

What I did find though was that as Hannah grew (and so did her nappy size), the pouch became a little bit of a tight squeeze, especially for taking a whole day's-worth of nappies out.  Also, with the strap closure which leaves gaps at either side, I found that any small items like a little tub of nappy-rash cream would often fall out and be lost in the black hole of my handbag ... never to be seen again!

So, when one of the Mums from school saw my noddle-head pouch and said she'd love a nappy pouch too, I offered to make her one (like, as if I can ever say no to a chance to sew something!).  I thought I'd  take the chance to tweak and change the design.  If I'm honest, I really just wanted any excuse to create a new design!!!  I tell you, I'm addicted ... hmmmm .... anyway ... There are a few differences between the Noodle-Head pouch and mine ... my pouch is a little larger, and can easily fit 3 toddler nappies and a flat-pack of wipes like the one in the pic above.  That's enough for a day out at Hannah's age.  I also changed the way the lining works 'cause I didn't want the rim of lining-fabric around the top edge, and I changed the closure to stop things falling out so easily.  It's an envelope style, very similar to the envelope closure on the Change-Mat Clutch.  I also added a stripe on top of the main fabric, instead of cutting the outer fabrics to fit.  For me it was just a little simpler that way.

And here's the one I made for the Mum from school ... I used this fabric-choice as I thought it was pretty, but neutral, and I liked the idea of using "Mummy-style" fabric instead of a kid's fabric ... considering it lives in Mummy's bag and all! 

As always I love to be able to share how I've made things in case you want to make one too.  So there's a tutorial below.  And, I have made a couple of extras of these, one the same as the one above, and the other in a cute animal-print like the one at the top of this post.  I have listed them just now for sale at my shop, so if you'd rather just buy one, feel free to head over and take a look! I think they'd make a gorgeous baby-shower gift!

To Make One You'll Need:

- Fabric for the outer, and a coordinating fabric for the lining (I used a quilting-weight cotton).  A fat quarter of each would be enough.

- Light-weight quilt batting (or if you want to cheat like me, I just used a piece of fleece fabric). A fat quarter will be plenty

- Small piece (about 1") of velcro (I prefer the sticky-backed one so it stays still while you sew it)

- Ruler, scissors (or cutting mat and rotary cutter)

- Sewing machine and coordinating cotton

How to:

Oh, and I apologise in advance for my VERY messy cutting mat in the pics below ... I have been cutting fleece ... can you tell?  It needs a good clean now!

Use a 1/4" seam allowance throughout unless otherwise stated!

1.  First we'll cut out the envelope closure flap.  Cut a square measuring 9" x 9" (WxH) from both the lining and outer fabrics ... like so ...

2. Measure along the top edge of both rectangles and mark the mid-point with a pen/pencil, then measure down each side and mark the mid-point ... like so ... (Note: Ignore the measurements in the photo below ... this was an earlier trial and needed to be a bit larger).

3.  On the outer piece, line up your ruler edge at the top marking, and one side like so and cut to make the envelope shape ...

... and repeat for the other side so you have a nice envelope shape, and repeat this process for the lining piece.

4.  Now we'll cut the rest of the pieces.  You want:
- 2 rectangles of outer fabric, and 2 rectangles of lining fabric, all measuring 9"x10 1/2" (WxH)
- 2 rectangles of batting (or fleece if you're cheating like me) measuring 9"x10 1/2" (WxH)
- 2 rectangles of lining fabric for the stripe measuring 9"x3" (WxH)

Note: In this pic, the matching pieces are stacked on top 

of each other so it looks like there's only one.  You need 2 of each piece.

5. Take your lining piece of the envelope and stick one side of the velcro approximately 1 inch from the point.  Centre it as best you can (you really just want to make sure that there is plenty of room for your seam allowance either side of it).  

Then sew carefully around the edge of the velcro, backstitching at the beginning and end to make it more secure. I usually like to sew a square, then a diagonal line across the middle like this...nice and secure!  There's nothing worse than velcro coming off mid-use. (And as you can see from the sticth markings, I may have forgotten to sew the velcro on and had to unpick to put it on ... whoops!)

6.  Place the envelope outer and lining right sides together and sew the 2 sides and the envelope peak, leave the bottom straight edge open for tuning.  Then snip the point off, as close to the stitching as you dare to help you get a clean point when you turn it through.  Also snip the other two side-corners in this same way.

7.  Turn the envelope closure right-side-out, and use a pencil or something pointy-but-not-too-sharp to poke those corners out as sharply as you can.  Then iron the whole piece flat.

8.  Now grab your stripe pieces, and while the iron's still hot, iron each long edge under 1/4" like so ...

9.  Grab your two outer rectangles, and pin the stripes in place (with the folded edges tucked under).  I sewed mine about 4 1/2" from the top.  You can do wahtever you prefer, but just remember to measure each piece accurately because you really want the stripes to match up at the sides.

... then top-stitch 1/8" from each edge of the stripe like so to hold it in place.

10.  Choose one outer piece to be your front, and measure 2" from the top, at the centre and stick the other half of your velcro, then stitch it in place the same way you did the first piece.

11.  Take your 2 lining rectangles, place them right sides together and sew up both long sides, and along one short edge ... BUT ... leave a 3" gap in the short edge.  You will use this for turning the whole thing right-side-out, so I would suggest backstitching at each side of the gap to make it a bit stronger.

Leave the other short edge open.

12.  Baste the batting/fleece/whatever to the wrong side of each of your outer pieces using a 1/8" seam allowance ...

... then place each of your outer pieces right sides together and pint them in place ... this is the time to make sure your stripes match up perfectly at the sides.  Then sew down one side, across the bottom and up the other side, leaving the top open.

13.  To box the corners, just fold each corner so that the side seam is touching the base seam and pinch.  Place a pin 1 1/2" in from the corner, and sew a straight line across at this line.

... it will look like this once you've done both sides.

... then using sharp scissors, cut the corner flaps off, approximately 1/4" from your sewing line.

 ... then repeat with the lining pieces, at the same end as the 3" opening like this ...

14.  Turn the outer pieces right-side-out and slip the outer pouch inside the lining pouch, like so ...

 ... then insert the envelope flap piece in between the outer and the lining, with the point pointing down, and the raw edge matching up with the raw edge of the pouch pieces.  You'll need to make sure you insert the envelope piece on correct side so the velcro pieces match.  The envelope piece needs to be inserted at the BACK side of the pouch (ie, the side of the pouch without the velcro), and make sure it's facing the correct way... lining to lining, outer to outer. 

15.  Line up the side seams of the outer and lining pieces, then pin around the top joining the outer to the lining, and making sure to catch in the envelope raw edge.

... then sew in place 1/4" from the edge.  Take it slowly and carefully at this stage ... this is probably the trickiest part!

16.  Now, opening up the 3" opening in the lining, grab hold of the outer and pull it through, turning both the lining and the outer right-side-out.

... The envelope flap will now also be free.

17.  Pin together the opening in the lining, and top-stitch closed about 1/8" from the edge, like so.  Then push the lining into the outer, and you're done!!

18.  For an extra decorative touch I made a matching fabric-covered button and hand-sewed this off-centre on the front stripe.  I though it was a cute touch!

And there you have it ... my take on a Nappy / Diaper Pouch that's big enough for 3 toddler nappies and some wipes, but small enough to fit in my handbag ... OK, I know my handbag is huge, but still ... it fits!!

This one is available for sale at my shop ...

And so is this one ... 

Tutorial: Baby Change-Mat Clutch

So you might remember when I made my Change Mat for Little Bots, which essentially was a padded change-mat with some pockets and a fold out flap.  The idea was to roll it, tie it and store it in the nappy bag or under that pram for easy gathering of all nappy-change supplies in one neat roll.  I used mine an absolute tonne when Hannah was a baby.  Now that she's bigger though, I was finding that having the roll in my bag was a little cumbersome for something I wasn't really using all that often, and I was well and truly ready to ditch the nappy bag and go for more of a handbag ... albeit a big one to hold all of those Mummy necessities.  I found a beautiful Cath Kidston Handbag (do you like it??), then I started to ponder ... 

Then, one day as I was looking through my past sewing projects, I remembered the little envelope-style pouch I made to hold the Matching Scraps matching game.  My mind started going, and this is what resulted ... an envelope-style, change-mat clutch, that still has space for a pack of wipes and a couple of nappies, but will still fit neatly in my bag.  It's also fully washable and is a lot more slim-line than my change-mat  roll.  Actually, to be honest, I haven't even made one of these for me yet ... I've had a run of new babies being born to friends and family, so I've made 2 as gifts so far.  By the time I get round to it, Hannah will probably be out of nappies! 

Wanna make one?  Here's what you need:

- 1 yard (metre) of fabric for the inside, and 1 yard of coordinating fabric for the outside. (If you use coordinating fabrics, this will be enough to make 2 of these.  If you want to make the inside and outside from the same fabric, you will have enough fabric with just 1 yard for 1 of these.)

- 1 yard (metre) fusible interfacing 

- Small piece of velcro, or a velcro dot (1 inch) - I use the sticky-backed one - it stays still while sewing!

- Iron

- Chalk or a tailor's pencil

- Sewing Machine
- Thread

- Scissors

How to do it:

I chose these 2 quilting weight cotton fabrics!

1.  Cut a rectangle out of each fabric, each being 24" x 19 1/2".  I used my rotary cutter and mat for this as I find it a bit easier to cut straight with the rotary cutter and ruler for such long sides.  Then iron them so they're completely wrinkle-free.

2.  On the right side of the outer fabric, measure 10" from the top edge, in the middle, and stick down then sew one side of your velcro.  To sew this down, I generally use a small zig-zag stitch, and sew around the edge, then also sew along the diagonals of the rectangle just to make sure it's secure.  I also use the sticky-backed velcro 'cause it's much easier to sew this on when it's stuck in place.

3.  Grab your fusible interfacing ... I bought mine in a roll pack like this.  It is just a light-weight interfacing.  Be sure to get the iron-on one, not the sew-on one!  Cut out 2 rectangles of interfacing that are 1 inch smaller in each direction than your fabric rectangles (ie 23" x 18.5").

4.  Iron the interfacing to the wrong side of each of your fabric rectangles.  Be sure to take your time and get it all perfectly flat without bubbling....it will look much nicer that way!

5.  Place your 2 fabric rectangles right-sides-together.  Start approximately 3/4 of the way along one of the  short sides, and sew around all 4 edges of the rectangles to join them together, using a 1/4" seam allowance.  When you get back to the top edge where you started, only sew along about 1/4 of the way.  This way, you will have a gap of a little more than 10" in the top centre of the change-mat.  Also, be sure to pivot at each corner (lower the needle, lift the sewing machine foot, turn the fabric, lower the foot then keep sewing) so that you get nice clean corners.

6.  Clip the corners off close to the stitch line, but not cutting any stitches.

7.  Use the gap in the top to turn your change-mat through, right-sides-out.  Use something pointy but not too sharp (I used a pen with it's lid on!) to poke each of the corners out so you have nice sharp corners.  Then turn the raw edges of the gap over 1/4 inch and press them with the iron ... like so ...

8.  Now for the envelope part ... cut 2 rectangles from one of your fabrics 10" x 5" (I used the inner fabric, so that it would contrast with the outer when it's closed!).

9.  Fold your rectangle in half and iron a crease down the centre like so ....

10.  Use a ruler and chalk to mark then cut with scissors, or alternatively just use a rotary cutter and ruler to cut a line from the top of the centre fold you just made to the bottom corner on each side, making a triangle.  Like so ...

... Repeat for the other rectangle, so you're left with 2 matching triangles.

11.  Measure vertically down 1 inch from the tip of the triangle, and stick then sew (with a zig-zag stitch as before) the other part of your velcro ... like so!

12.  Place your triangles right-sides-together, then sew around the diagonal lines using a 1/4 inch seam allowance, then clip the top corner close to the stitching, but not cutting any stitches.

Turn your triangle through to right-side-out, and use your pointy "something" to poke the corner out all nice and pointy!

13. Insert the raw edges of your triangle into the gap at the top of the change-mat.  Push it in approximately 1/2", then pin it in place.  Make sure the side with the velcro is facing the inside of the change-mat.

14. Topstitch around the entire change mat, 1/8" from the edge, starting at a corner and ending at the same corner.  As you top-stitch along the top edge, you will be closing the gap, and holding the envelope flap in place.

15.  Measure 4" along along the top edge, and using a long ruler draw a vertical line down the length of the change-mat ... like so ...

...then repeat on the other side, 4" from the other side.  Then sew down each of these lines from the top of the change-mat to the bottom.  This stitch-line makes folding the change-mat a bit easier.

And ... you're finished!

Now, here's how you store your nappies and wipes and fold the change mat ...

Place the wipes and nappies in a neat stack between the sewn lines on the open mat, 

then fold up the bottom of the mat to cover them.

Fold in the sides, along the sewn lines.

Neatly fold the bottom part (with the wipes and nappies inside) 

up and over and over until they reach the top of the mat.

Like so ... 

Fold the flap down and secure your velcro.

All done, and ready to use ... or gift!  I made this one for my beautiful friend who just had her first little baby, and I coupled it with a with a little dolly from the girl. Inspired. doll pattern ... I seriously love this pattern!

If you make one of these, I'd love to see ... so feel free to drop me an email any time!  I'm always up for a chat!