A toddler backpack, a baby toy, and a cape

I wanted to make a backpack for Camille for Christmas. Mostly it will be for her to take things to church. I hate feeling like a pack mule and she is old enough to carry a couple toys and snacks. It's big enough and hopefully well made enough that she'll be able to use it for a few years. The problem I found was that the toddler backpacks I liked online came from the same pattern that cost $8. The point of me making it was so it would be less expensive than buying, and I wasn't going to buy a pattern for $8. I was going to wing it until I found this tutorial. It was more in depth than I wanted, using piping and putting in a lining and a pocket. I just used the pattern pieces and measurements and constructed the backpack on my own. I used canvas duck for the main fabric and the padded straps, and I bought nylon webbing for the handle and bottom strap things. I had plans of using bias tape to cover the seams inside sort of like a Hong Kong seam finish. I started, but I got the wrong kind of tape, and it was difficult, so I stopped. I'm really happy with the finished backpack.

Camille was Little Red Riding Hood for Halloween. I made the cape. It was simple, especially sine I made it from a clearance felt remnant that didn't require hemming. I added the pom pom trim with a hot glue gun.

I made these back in May. Mom gave me the pattern, and I had leftover rattle/bell/squeaker things to go inside. They are cute. I hate doing embroidery, and I still can't do a French Knot. I sent them to my friend Whitney for her baby boy. Hopefully they didn't immediately fall apart.

Mummy Costume

I decided I was going to make Russell his costume for Halloween this year. I had grand visions at the beginning of sewing a super awesome costume like Brobee from Yo Gabba Gabba. Then I realized that I wasn't that dedicated to making a costume.

So, I spent a little bit of time thinking of something that would be a good traditional costume, but also pretty easy to sew. That's why I decided on a mummy.

There were few tutorials on how to make a toddler mummy costume, so at first I was just going to sew lots of strips from an old sheet onto long johns from Savers. Fail. Non-stretchy cotton sewn onto stretchy long johns didn't work.

Then I found a lady online who made a mummy costume for her toddler. She sewed some super simple pants and then a simple peasant top and that was the costume. She sewed the strips onto the fabric before sewing them into the shirt and pants. It was easy! The only other minor problem I had was that I apparently didn't measure Russell's upper arms very well because the sleeves were super tight on his bulging bi-ceps and shoulders.

This was before I put the finishing touches on the costume.