Just Another Hang Up: Lil' Boy Car Caddy...

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Lil' Boy Car Caddy...

It all started for me with a post about a week ago on "The Crafting Chicks", but Jamie alluded in her post to her inspiration which was the tutorial at "Homemade by Jill ," and Jill gave credit to Sharla at "My Little Gems ." That's how the blogging world operates. A great idea gets circulated and it grows and grows. Here's my version. Instead of calling it a "car cozy," I've named mine the "Lil' Boy Car Caddy."

This little caddy is a carrying case for hot wheel cars. It's the perfect gift for a little guy to keep him busy when he's out and about. There's a little "garage" for each car and a road for the cars to travel on...

Two of my grandson are traveling over the river and through the woods to Grandma's house this weekend. I can't wait to see them! I made one of these for the 2 years old and another for his brother, who will celebrate his 1st birthday while he's here! They're a little young for something like this, but hopefully they will enjoy it for a few years to come.

To make this car caddy I followed the directions at "Homemade by Jill," but I made a few alterations. I didn't use felt on any of it because I wanted it to be washable, and I lined all the pieces with fusible fleece to give it more durability. If there's one thing I know after raising five boys, it's that little-boy-toys need to be sturdy!

Here's a tip on sewing a straight line in the middle of fabric. I wanted to sew a "yellow line" down the middle of the "road." In order to do so I measured and put pins in the fabric in the middle of the "road," then I lined up my masking tape along those pins. Once the masking tape was down, I removed the pins. This allowed me to have a guide as I stitched my line...

It works like a charm! To fold up this caddy, just fold it in half lengthwise...

Then fold the length in thirds and snap shut. I chose a closure with a center release snapping buckle like this one...

All wrapped up and ready to go!

This was such an easy project. It takes very little fabric and works up very quickly. It would make a cute Christmas or birthday present for a little one in your life. Let the good times roll!