My grandbaby turned two last month and I was late sending his present. I couldn’t get organized about deciding on a gift, getting it purchased, wrapped, boxed, shipped, and card enclosed. Finally, I bought a birthday card and mailed it, but I was stuck on the gift! It was practically his birthday before I thought of making a backpack that would be just the right size for him. I remembered seeing this pattern a few years back. It’s the Toddler Backpack from Made-By-Ray.com and it turned out great! It’s perfect for kiddos that need to carry along books, toys, and snacks when they’re on the move!
Construction Details
It isn’t a hard project to make, but the details, that add tons of charm, do require careful construction. Sew the piping to the front of the backpack before the pattern pieces are assembled. Next, install the zipper on the top panel of the bag. Sew the piping on the side panels before attaching them to the zipper panel. I constructed the bottom of the bag with the same heavy red canvas used for the straps. Add a layer of batting to the bottom and quilt it to fasten the layers together. I’m sorry I didn’t get a picture of the bottom before I shipped it off.
Like the bottom, the straps have a layer of padding. To make the back, pin or baste the straps in position. Sew the piping to the back panel over the straps and baste the handle over the piping at the top of the backpack. Sew the bottom panel, side panels, and zipper panel together into a loop. Carefully fit the loop to the front panel. You can adjust the size of the loop by increasing or decreasing the seam allowances to make it fit perfectly to the front and back panels. Luckily mine fit without any adjustment.
Adding a Lining
I have a terrible relationship with iron-on interfacing and I convinced myself that the medium-weight canvas I used would be fine without it. I was wrong! The bag looked great but it was too floppy. No longer an opportunity to interface the exterior fabric, I put the interfacing on the lining pieces. This method produced a lining that has all the body needed to give the bag structure and it preserved the softness and other characteristics of the outer fabric.
There are so many reasons I don’t like iron-on interfacing, but it’s mainly because it’s hard to make it adhere evenly on large pieces. I added parallel lines of stitching at one-inch intervals on all the interfaced pieces to reassure myself that the layers won’t separate. I constructed the lining in the same manner as the exterior, leaving out the zipper and piping. To install the lining and complete the project, turn the completed backpack inside-out and slip it inside the finished lining wrong sides together. Stitch the lining to the completed bag on both sides of the zipper. I stitched directly on top of the zipper stitching. Hand stitch the lining around the ends of the zipper to eliminate any gaps between the two layers. After you turn the backpack right-side-out, you’re done! Yay!
Specs:
Toddler Backpack – Pattern by Rae Hoekstra
Fabric – 5oz. Cotton Canvas from Fabric.com
Straps and Bottom Fabric- Duck Canvas from Joann
Lining – Batik from stash
Notions – Zipper, Piping, Nylon Strap, and D-Rings from Joann
Made (with love) by Catie
