Travel Gear

Our trip to Disney World this year includes a nonstop red-eye flight. The "plan" is that the kids can get sleep on the plane. So, to make this nighttime a little more comfy cozy for little Madeleine I made her a quillow backpack complete with stuffed animal harness. There will also be a travel pillow that I have yet to sew up that will fit inside the quillow pocket.



I thought I'd show you how I created this in case you say, "Man, that's uber cool! I've got to make one for little dude!" So...

I started out with a yard of fleece. The girl chose little mermaid themed of course. It would be very easy to make 2 out of 1 yard for a toddler. However, I wanted the blanket to be just a tad bigger for ultimate plane comfort, so I cut it to 42 inches in length. I bought 3/8 yd. flannel for the pocket and straps (Now...I don't really fully understand myself here, because I would have had plenty of leftover fleece to make the whole thing...but...whatever.)





I cut a 12x13 inch rectangle for the pocket and pressed a 1/2 inch hem around the entire piece.













The top of the pocket got a hem and then I pinned the pocket at the center bottom of the 36 inch width of the fabric (so between 12 and 24 inches) and sewed on the sides and where fleece and pocket fabric meets at bottom.

Now you can fold in thirds, Then in half and half again and turn pocket out so the blanket is contained in the pocket.

Here is where I made the straps, which were 3" strips. You decide what length is best for your child. Mine were about 14 inches. I pressed the raw edges in 1/2 inch on each side and then pressed over to make a 1 inch strap.

These I sewed close to the edge on both sides.

I pinned them to the quillow where I wanted them, then unfolded the quillow and sewed them on, keeping raw edge under strap. (I found that keeping the top of the strap in the center was essential to keeping it on the child's small frame.) Now it's finished.

Unless you want to add a harness for your child's stuffed animal, which I failed to take pictures of. However it's a simple "Y" type shape which I finished raw edges around the "leg whole" and top portion and then sewed on the center of the pocket at sides and bottom. Stuff in a LIGHT stuffed animal (our Pal Mickey was too heavy as it brought the pocket out-could be remedied by a button or tie or maybe positioning straps upside down)

Now I didn't finish the edges of the fleece because they really don't need it and this was a simple fast project, but it is my intention to serge the edges to prevent stretching. The End.