Sew nappy bag - free pattern guide

• Material and preparation
  • Material selection for the diaper bag
  • patterns
• Nähanleitung
• Variants of the diaper bag
• Quick guide

When traveling with babies and toddlers, you are always happy to have your hands free. But the following rule has come true for me: the smaller the child, the more items you need on the way. That's why I show you today in this guide, how you can sew an ingenious diaper bag / diaper bag in which everything fits, which is important! What's more, you can create your own pattern!

Instructions for a simple diaper bag or diaper bag for hanging - so you always have everything with you!

If you search for a diaper or nappy bag / diaper bag with patterns online, you will find for the most part only small pouches for the purse, in the just two diapers and a small packet of wet wipes fit into it. Without a doubt often a great help. But if I spend some time with my dwarfs, unfortunately I do not put everything under it that I need. In this guide, I'll show you a diaper bag in its simplest form, and then come up with suggestions on how to personalize and spice it up to your liking.

Difficulty level 2/5
(suitable for beginners with this manual and this pattern)

Material costs 2/5
(on fabrics and accessories according to this manual is expected to about 40 €)

Time required 1.5 / 5
(with this manual you should be ready in about 2 hours with the diaper bag / diaper bag)

Material and preparation

Material selection for the diaper bag

I chose this bag for a mixture of jersey (striped, with stars), softshell (gray) and alpine fleece (pink), whereby I reinforced the jersey fabric parts with iron-on fleece. Since I work here with several layers, I recommend for beginners rather a combination with cotton woven goods.

patterns

The pattern for the diaper bag / diaper bag I have deliberately kept as simple as possible. It can be easily adapted to your wishes. I have set a basic size of 75 x 75 cm, as most of the softs are 150 cm wide and so the fabric width can be fully utilized. In this tutorial, all dimensions are already included, including seam allowances.

The pattern consists of several parts that can be left out, added or changed as desired. For the basic version in this manual, I have used the following blanks:

• Diaper bag outside: 75 x 75 cm Softshell
• Diaper bag inside: 75 x 75 cm alpine fleece
• bottom side compartments: 75 x 40 cm softshell
• upper side compartments: 75 x 35 cm jersey (+ 75 x 35 cm ironing insert)
• Corner pocket inside: 40 x 40 cm jersey (+ 40 x 40 cm ironing insert)
• Carrying handles: 75 x 12 cm softshell (cut twice!)
• Changing pad: 75 x 55 cm softshell
• 75 x 55 cm alpine fleece
• 2-3 m jersey band to the border
• Possibly. KamSnaps or jersey push buttons
• Possibly. velcro

Nähanleitung

I start with the changing mat. To do this, place the two pieces of fabric one on top of the other so that the desired sides are already on the outside.

Tip: I used softshell for the bottom because it is dirt and water repellent. For the top I used the roughened side of the Alpenfleece, so that my baby is nicely cuddly soft.

Round off the corners with a pencil. You can also use tools such as saucers, plates, rolls of tape and much more. Cut away the corners and fix the two pieces of fabric all around to avoid slipping.

Tip: Pins are unsuitable for softshell because this fabric is on the one hand quite thick and thus immediately wrinkles and the pins on the other leave unsightly holes in the tissue. Beginners can also glue the edge with Wondertape punctually.

Now lay the unfolded bias tape on one of the short sides in the middle, flush with the edge and clasp it firmly. Sewn in the top fold. Start sewing only after a few centimeters, ie where the point of the pencil points. Stitch once around with light stretch and sew a few inches before the beginning of the ribbon. In the corners, you can slightly increase the stretch of the bias binding. Now cut the two bands so that they meet exactly.

Bring the two ends together right to right and clasp them together.

Sew them together and iron the seam allowances apart. Now sew the remaining centimeters together with a slight stretch. Fold up the bottom edge in the first fold, fold it up a second time, and finally fold it back on the other side of the fabric and fix the tape on both sides.

Tip: If you think that the seam allowance has become too wide, you can cut it all the way around.

So that the edges look nice on both sides, I prefer to step down my seam line in softshell in advance. Although this takes a lot of time, but it is manageable with a changing mat and you will get better at sewing and also be satisfied with the result. I then once again step around with the machine in the seam shadow (white thread) of the first seam. At the same time I detect the bias binding on the back and then the changing mat is ready.

First, I iron on the jersey parts on the deposits.

Tip: Iron in the inserts according to the manufacturer's instructions regarding the temperature and period of heating. If you put some pressure on your iron, the glue can penetrate the fabric better. After that, it is important to allow the fabric to cool completely so that the glue solidifies and bonds well with the fabric. Then work on.

Fold the long strips of fabric for the side pockets lengthwise in the middle. The fabric square made of jersey fold in the middle diagonally. Now lay the two pieces of fabric together at the open edges, cling them to the sides and sew two subdivisions. Now lay the side pockets with the open edges outwards on the inner fabric and cleave all fabric layers in some places. For additional subdivision, I have sewn through the side pockets in the middle once through all fabric layers (lock beginning and end).

In the next step, pin the jersey triangle with the open sides out in a corner. On the outside, stitch all infected parts within the seam allowance.

For the risers, fold the two soft softshell pieces together lengthwise, then stitch them together to form a tube on the open side and turn it around. For the right position, fold the big square upwards and measure your usual seam allowance on each side. To these markings Now put the two carriers with the outer edge. Opposite the second carrier is clipped at the same points. Now place the piece of fabric, which is intended for the pocket outside with the right side of the fabric down on it and clip everything together well.

Now stitch it all around with your usual seam allowance - leaving out a turning opening of about 10 cm. Cut off the seam allowances at the corners at an angle, turn the bag around and form it nicely and close the turn-around opening.

Tip: Since I have already processed quite thick layers of fabric with softshell and alpine fleece, I leave it at that. If you use thinner fabrics, you can now stitch around again just around the edge to give the bag more stability.

If you also work with thicker materials, sew very slowly and carefully in the areas with many layers of fabric. In the places where the handles are attached, I even sewed only by manually turning the side wheel. Otherwise, the seams will not be nice. It may also be that the thread gets tangled or the needle breaks.

Filling, once to the side and once to fold up - and then the diaper bag is ready!

Variants of the diaper bag

My plain exterior design fits almost everywhere and I like it simple. If you like, you can of course decorate the outer sides with any application. Depending on the type of fabric, different plotter foils are possible. Applications must be applied at the latest before the final sewing. Ideally right at the beginning after cutting.

Optionally, you can also attach velcro strips inside the straps on the diaper bag, so you can also attach the bag to your stroller.

The snaps that you see on the picture with the materials, you can attach as pocket closures for the diaper bag also sew together before the final.

You can define the subdivisions in the side pockets from the beginning. For example, you can sew on the jersey stripe in places on the softshell stripe (only up to the point where the jersey stripe ends), then sew the two strands in places on the inner fabric (up to where the softshell ends) different widths.

If you still attach ribbed or woven tapes with snaps, you can fix small toys or the pacifier directly to the bag and easily remove them at any time.

If you are looking for a smaller diaper bag in which you only want to store a few little things, you will find here a further guide: Small diaper bag

Quick guide

1. Cut all fabric parts for the diaper bag and the changing mat according to the pattern or according to your own ideas
2. Changing mat: Merge fabrics left to left, round corners, close
3. Fold the fabric for the side pockets centrally lengthways and place them on top of each other
4. Staple side pocket pieces together arbitrarily
5. Place on the inner pocket fabric and attach again as desired
6. Fold square for corner pocket diagonally left to left and clip into corner
7. Stitch all pockets within the seam allowances
8. Make the straps and clasp them in the desired places
9. Put the outer fabric on the right side and clip it all together
10. Sew together (turning opening!)
11. Bevel, turn and close the corners. Possibly. Stitch again all around.
And the diaper bag is ready!

The twisted pirate