Doodle Bag!

I originally shared this Doodle Bag over at Family Ever After a few months ago.  The bag was a great addition to our summer travels, near and far.  I think it would be a fun hand crafted gift for a child this upcoming holiday season, too.  Read on!

I love to sew anything and everything, but lately I’ve been sewing mostly for myself.  My youngest son informed me that I hadn’t made anything for him in a long time and he needed me to do something about that.  He’s four, loves to color, and is my errand-running buddy so I made him an easy to carry bag he can take anywhere
With a pocket to hold all kinds of coloring pagesA zippered pouch in the back to hold markers, a few toys and a snack or two
And the best part:  a vinyl window.  His coloring pages slip behind the window and he can color to his heart’s content without running out of paper. 

Any picture becomes a coloring page; he can practice his letters and numbersEven doodle on his brothers’ faces!A piece of extra-thick fun foam in the pocket gives a firm surface for coloring. 
Using dry erase markers, his artwork wipes clean off the vinyl, ready to be used again and again, anywhere he goes

We’re calling it the

Let me show you how I made it

MATERIALS:
3 pieces of cotton fabric 11”x14” (front, middle, back)
1 piece of clear vinyl 11”x14”
7” zipper
24” length of strap webbing
1 sheet fun foam – double thickness
dry erase markers
coloring sheets, pictures, etc

Right sides together, sew one side of the zipper to the top of the back fabricLay the back fabric on the middle fabric, right sides together with the right side of the unsewn zipper side lined up with the center top of the middle fabric.Sew zipper side to the top of the middle fabricFlip the back and middle fabric so that wrong sides are together.  Fold the ends of the top inside following the seam allowance of the zipper.  Slide one end of the webbing between the foldsSew a reinforced square-cross through the middle, back, and webbing, securing the webbing in place
Repeat with the other side of the webbing at the other end of the middle/back/zipper, creating a strap/handleCut a 10”x7” rectangle out of the center of the front fabricCut into the corners of the rectangle about 1/4 inchFold the sides of the rectangle towards the back of the fabric, press, and sew all aroundLay your front fabric on the vinyl, matching outer edges.
**The vinyl should come with a tissue paper-like backing to it.  DO NOT REMOVE this backing! You’ll need it to allow the vinyl to move smoothly across your foot and feed dogs.  If for some reason your vinyl does not have backing, layer tissue paper on the side of the vinyl that will be touching the machine.  In this case, it’s the bottom of the vinyl.**
So you should have a stack like this:

front fabric w/cut out
vinyl
tissue paper backing

Sew the vinyl to the front fabric all around the outer edge of the cutout.

Tear the tissue paper/backing off of the vinyl across the top edge onlyFold the top edge over to the back 1/4 inch and topstitchLay the front fabric/vinyl piece on the other two pieces.  The top, folded over edge of the front fabric needs to be lined up with the zipper edge of the other edge.  Right sides of the front fabric facing right side of the back fabric.  Sew around the sides and bottom. Tear off the rest of the tissue paper/backingCut corners and trim seam allowancesTurn bag right side out through open topSlide fun foam into the open pocket/window areaStore coloring books, pictures, coloring pages, etc. in pocket under fun foamPlace dry erase markers, treats and whatever else in the zippered pouch in the back
And your child is ready to doodle all day!


**When you need to launder the bag, just remove the fun foam, wash on cold, and air dry**