Carryin' Stuff

Have you seen that commercial by a certain large insurance carrier which poses the question: "Why does it take 30 lbs. of equipment to get an 8 lb. baby out the door?" I can totally relate! To help manage all of that gear, I sewed a diaper bag for Ryan & one for myself - both using patterns from Anna Maria Horner's Handmade Beginnings. There's Ryan, the weekend before Dylan arrived, modeling "The Dad Bag."

Here's a close-up of his bag. The inside is lined with a midnight blue tartan that he picked out when we were in Illinois back in November. I've neglected to take a picture - oops. If we wait for me to get that done, this will never get posted.

So, why did I make two diaper bags? 'Cause I wanted something cute and feminine and spacious, and there would be plenty of times that he'd have Dylan on his own and I knew he wouldn't love carrying around the kind of bag I wanted for myself. He's really happy with the bag, which makes me happy. That zipper on the front flap is a pocket for the changing pad, which is cream flannel backed in the same plaid as the lining of the bag. The inside is without pockets, but has a simple series of elastic loops along the back for stashing things like wipes and burp cloths and spare outfits - not that he uses the loops. If I ever get the time, I'll add a pocket to the inside for his personal items. His keys, wallet & sunglasses tend to get lost amongst her things.

My bag is the "Here We Go Bag," and it was finished just in time. I am so pleased with this bag. The main exterior fabric was picked up on a whim at Bolt with no particular project in mind. When it came time to get this project going, I knew I wanted something with a big, fun print, but also that the loud colors which usually come with such designs are just not me. After a whole day searching, I remembered this awesome fabric in my stash.. I nearly leapt for joy and simultaneously did a head-slap. The main fabric is from Tina Givens' Opal Owl collection for Free Spirit.


The little end pockets are the perfect size for holding the changing mats I mentioned in this post and my water bottle/keys/phone. The gingham fabric there came from a Bolt clearance a couple of years ago.

I also used it to add extra pockets to the inside for stashing wipes/burp cloths/diapers/spare outfits/etc. The inside of the bag and the bag's handles are made with "Laurel Dots" from Amy Butler's Soul Blossoms collection. This bag is fantastic. I just stuff it full of her stuff and mine when we're planning a day out.

I guess that's all for now... We'll see you soon for a look back at Dylan's first 3 months - a milestone we'll be reaching on Thursday!