Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Easy Sew Diaper Bag Alternative with Bonus: Upcycle / Repurpose Outgrown Baby Clothes


When you have a baby, besides carrying the baby, you also must carry baby things.  Some women ditch their purses and carry their things in a diaper bag instead.  But some of us prefer our purses.  And I, for one, really dislike having my things mixed in a jumble with the baby's things in an oversized bag.

So I came up with this simple idea, years ago, and it has always been a big hit.
My big baby never got to wear this little suit I found at the thrift store.  I just love corduroy, so I made it into his bag.

This one is a good bit bigger:


But if you turn the baby's bag toward you when you carry it, your purse shows:


(This is an old purse; but it was my favorite for years).

This works great for so many reasons.  I still get to carry my purse, without having baby things mixed with my own, and without lugging two separate bags.  It is an ideal solution to having to unpack and repack bags, too.  Say you are out and about and you drop your child off to stay with a grandmother or babysitter...you just unbutton baby's bag and leave it with baby and take yours with you.  Or if you run out to the store and leave baby with Daddy, you just disattach baby's bag and leave it at home.  The size is perfect for carrying a few disposable diapers and wipes, a burp rag, pacifier, bottle, toys, snacks, or whatever items you really need to carry for your baby.

And the bonus is great, because it is always sad when baby outgrows a favorite garment.  Now you can continue to enjoy a favorite bubble suit, jon-jon, overalls, or dress long after baby has outgrown it!  You will even use such a bag long after you need to carry it on your purse for your baby, too.  I use one to hold clothespins, one for keeping lady things corralled and accessible in the bathroom, and I have one made from a larger baby suit that I use as my knitting bag.  I sometimes strap this to my purse, and sometimes I just carry this one as a bag itself.



These couldn't be simpler to sew.  Just take any baby clothes item that has shoulder straps that button, snap or velcro.  Turn the garment inside out and sew the bottom closed with a short straight stitch.  That is it, you are done!  You can stitch the seam again for security, bt otherwise, turn it right side out, strap it on your bag, and go.  You may be surprised, as I was, to hear nearly every person who sees this exclaim at how clever and cute it is.   But more importantly, it is practical and convenient and works well.

Happy Sewing!




Creations by Kara


<br>http://www.thethriftyhome.com





12 comments:

Amy said...

This is such a great idea!!! I hate having to drag around the diaper bag for just a few items, but the stuff I need doesn't fit into my purse. This is a wonderful solution!! THanks for sharing!

Kathleen said...

Those are just too cute! Thanks for sharing.

Nikki said...

What a BRILLIANT IDEA!!!!!!! Thanks so much for linking up to gettin' crafty on hump day! :)

KJ@letsgoflyakite said...

Thanks for stopping by the other day. I do appreciate it! I have been following this blog for sometime and love what you are offering in this cozy space.

Millie Green said...

Thanks ya'll!

Tiffanee said...

WOW!! These are amazing. You are so creative. Now following and can't wait to see what you will do next!!

CraftyMummy said...

This is sooo clever! Love it! Thanks for sharing in my blogfrog forum

Vickie said...

That is super cute and so EASY to do!!

Alessandra@ Tribal Times said...

Super clever!! Seems like it would be very easy to do.

Jersey Diva Mom said...

Whata really clever idea! I'm not the world's craftiest, but I think even I could havdle that one! Great use of older items too!

Unplanned Cooking said...

So cute! That is such a great way to re-use the baby clothes. We have boxes and boxes of them in the basement :).

Following from Blog Frog.

Mama Alvina said...

Very, very cool idea! I love sewing but don't have a sewing machine right now and this is something that I can totally do by hand. Thanks! ;0)