Saturday, January 11, 2014

Kid's Felt Doctor Bag Tutorial


Several months ago, our lovely neighbors cleaned out their guest room that was full of their grand children's baby toys and gave us ALL of them!  Needless to say, Ali Cat and Cookie just adore our neighbors, mostly because they give them cookies everyday.
Included in the box of toys was a bunch of play doctor toys.
Thus the birth of the Dr's Bag!




I know you don't want read me blab anymore, so let's get started!

Materials:

1/4 yard of main felt (or 3 sheets)
1/8 yard of accent felt
Scrap cotton or anything for the cross
Small amount of double sided fusible webbing for the cross
2" pieces of sew on hook and loop (Velcro)
Other sewing paraphernalia
(machine, thread, music, coffee, snacks, and anything else to make your sewing experience pleasurable)

1. Download CROSS pattern.

2.  Let's cut!
a. Cut out cross pattern from your small scrap of cotton (mine is flannel) and cut out cross pattern from the fusible webbing.

b.   From felt MAIN:
cut 2 - 10" x 11" pieces (main panel)
cut 2 - 2.5"x 10" pieces (side panels)
cut 1 - 2.5" x 11" piece (bottom panel)

c. from felt ACCENT
cut 2 - 3"x 15" piece (handles)

All seam allowances are 1/2" and are included in the pattern.


Note: for the main panels, 11" side is horizontal (top and bottom), 10" side is vertical (sides).


1. Let's find the middle of a main panel.
Grab one main panel.  Fold in half one way, hand press a crease. Open.
Fold in half the other way, hand press a crease.
Unfold and make a mark where the two creases cross, the middle of the main panel.

2. Remove one paper side of the fusible webbing and place on wrong side of cross fabric.
Remove the other paper side of the webbing and place center of cross on the mark we made on the main panel. Give the cross a nice pressing to set the webbing. *When ironing felt, turn down the heat to the polyester setting!*

3. Using a wide (5) and narrow (0.5) zig zag stitch, stitch around the cross.
Remember to change your stitch width and length back to normal.

Handles
 4. Fold a handle piece in half, matching long sides. Sew 1/2" seam allowance.  Trim seams to 1/4.
Repeat with other handle.

5. Hook on a paper clip on one end.

6. Slide the paper clip inside loop.

7. Continue pushing paper clip through the loop until it comes out the other end.
You may need to pull, push and manipulate the handle.
Ta-da! Easy loop turning!
You can top stitch along both long edges of the handles if desired.
Repeat with the other loop.

8. Grab your  main panels and make sure an 11" side is across the top.  Pin raw edges of the handles 3" from each edge of the to right side of each main panel. Baste handles on main panel at 1/4".

9. Also on the right side of the main panels, pin your 2" piece of velcro in between the handles. 

10. Sew velcro in place.  Repeat for other main panel.

11. This is what you should have.

Assembly 

12. Lay out your side and bottom pieces as such: side, bottom, side.  
This is the order we will sew them together.

13. Take one side and the bottom piece. Sew together with 1/2" seam allowance. 

14. Open seam allowance and stitch the allowance down on each side at 1/4".
This is what the wrong side will look like.

15. Here is what the right side will look like.
Repeat with the other side panel.  Make sure you are sewing it to the bottom panel!

16. Right sides together, pin one end of a side panel to the top of a main panel and pin all the way down the side.  The main panel will be slightly longer than the side panel.  Don't pin the bottom yet. 

17. Sew with 1/2" seam allowance until right before the corner and pause.


18. Sew so that your needle in right in the middle of the side panel to bottom panel seam allowance, needle down.
This may require changing your stitch length so you are smack dab in the middle.
Doing so will allow for a perfect turn.

19. Raise your presser foot, but keeping your needle in the down position.
Maneuver the bottom panel so that it aligns with the bottom of your main panel.

20. Now turn your hole piece, adjust so everything is even and sew down bottom edge.
Repeat with corner from bottom to side and sew up the other side.
You can pin if you wish, but felt does stay together quite well.

21. Wrong side up, let's stitch those seam allowances down.
Open up the seam allowance and hand press it open.
Pick a side, and sew the allowance down at 1/4"-3/8" away from the original seam.

22. The corners can be a little bit tricky.  They will require some man handling.
Repeat for the other side of the seam allowance.

The exterior will look as such.

23. Repeat steps 16-22 to attach the other main panel.

Once again, be sure to leave your needle in the down position in the middle of the seam allowance to make nice and neat turns.

Lookin' like a bag now!

24. Turn wrong side out.  Turn down the top of your bag just enough so the velcro is on the wrong side.  Pin your handles up.

25. Top stitch around the top of the bag, double check your handles are up.  We are going to top stitch through those as well.

Oh yea!

Load 'er Up!

Taking Daddy's blood pressure with a baby doll sized cuff!

Thank you for joining me today!  Please feel free to contact me via comments, email or Facebook!



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