Vinyl Peek-a-Boo Baggies :: Booklet

I found this little peek-a-boo book the other day, and thought that my little person might like that.  But I didn't want the contents to be permanent - I want to be able to change it as the girls get older.  I remembered this organiser vinyl bag and these little toy bags.  A few weeks passed as my brain mulled it over and this is what I have come up with.  Kind of a combination between the organiser and toy bag.  I still want to make a fabric cover for it that will also clip into the rings, and sew/appliqué/something the girls names on to them.  I have a while still, as these will be for Christmas.

{Instructions after the jump}

Supplies:

Fabric scraps - 2 pieces of 5"x6"

Iron on interfacing

Clear vinyl - 1 piece of 6"x12"

5 1/2" strip of Velcro

Fold over elastic

Metal eyelets

Scrapbook rings

Stick some sticky tape to the underside of your presser foot and on to the metal machine plate.  It helps to keep the vinyl moving...although the ruddy stuff is so sticky - it sticks to everything and everything sticks to it.  A blooming pain in the butt!

Fold the fabric in half, wrong sides together, and apply iron on interfacing to 1 half.  Then fold the 6" long raw edges in about a 1/4" [My brain works in metric, but sometimes it is easier for me to use the inch side of my cutting mat...smaller numbers to remember!!].

Stick the velcro down with double sided tape.  I staggered the fabric bindings and velcro by 1", as I wanted to add eyelets later on {see the top right image below} - you can line them up nice and evenly if you are sticking with the unbound option.

Sew the velcro on, through a single fabric layer only, with a small zigzag stitch.

Again with double sided tape, stick one of the folded raw edges to the vinyl {bottom right image below} and then stick down the other folded raw edge - creating a vinyl sandwich.

Sew your vinyl sandwich close to the folded edge.  I found that if I held up the length of vinyl with the fingers of my left hand it made it easier to sew {top right image below}.  Then sew the top edge of folded fabric, also close to the fold.

Fold the vinyl so that the velcro matches up - taking into account the 1" offset mentioned previously {bottom right image below}.

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Time for the fold over elastic (FOE) to be stitched on, creating a closed pouch.  I used quite a narrow FOE - about 5/8" wide in total.  It is a bit tricky to get all layers sewn through, especially where there are a lot of layers.  It may well be easier to use a wider FOE so that all layers are easily sewn.  If you don't have any FOE you could use a wide ribbon or bias binding or wing it with a strip of fabric folded in half and just have a raw edge finish.

Again, I used my trusty double sided tape to help hold things in place - especially at the beginning and ends of the sides.  Sewing with a narrow zigzag makes it easier to catch all the layers.  Stick the FOE down to start with and sew across the short top edge, turn the corner, then down the side. Only stick the FOE down at the end as you get close, otherwise the elastic puckers as everything slips and slides.

Do the same along the other edge and HAY PRESTO! you have a little vinyl pouch!

If you want to turn your pouches into a booklet - mark your eyelet positions 3cm in from the side edges and 1.25cm in from the folded edge and follow the product instructions to insert your eyelets.

There you have it!  A little vinyl peek-a-boo pouch booklet!  ...awaiting it's front and back covers.  I hope that all made sense, my brain tends to conk out at regular baby shouting intervals.

For Chloe, who will be 7 months old at Christmas, I will put in things like sparkly glitter sprinkles, bits of colourful ribbon, cardboard shapes, plastic bugs and anything else I can get my hands on - safe in the knowledge that she can look but not touch.  For Ava, who will then be 2 & 8mths, I will put in things like puzzle pieces, little plastic animals, little note book and pencils.....

What would you do with yours?