Hello Campers!

Welcome to 1001 Peeps Summer Camp! Today we are making the Peeping Peeps zippered tote.

But first, leave me a comment with your favorite campfire treat and you'll be entered in a contest to win a mini fat quarter pack like the one I used to make this bag. Comments closed! Thanks to all who commented.

Here's what you need:
Lizzy House fabric
fusible interfacing (I prefer Wonder Under)
decor weight fabric (I used a solid from Ikea) 
clear vinyl (I used the packaging from toddler panties)

1 zipper at least 11 inches
28" of 1" wide grosgrain ribbon (for two 14" long handles)

office paper
1 tiny bulldog clip

thread and assorted sewing supplies

Let's make a pattern!
ALL SEAM ALLOWANCES ARE 1/4" AND ARE INCLUDED IN THESE MEASUREMENTS*. YOU DO NOT NEED TO ADD THEM.

bottom = 1 sheet of 8.5" X 11" office paper
top = cut 1 sheet in half lengthwise for 4.25" X 11" (fold like a hotdog bun and cut)
back = cut 1.5" off the long edge for 7" tall X 11" wide

sides = cut off the short edge for 7" tall X 8.5" wide
front side panels = 4.5" tall X 2.25" wide
front top and bottom panel = 1.75" tall X 11" wide

window = 4.5" tall X 7.5" wide

Prepare your sturdy pieces:
I generally cut my decor weight lining fabric about 1" larger on all sides, my interfacing 1/4" larger on all sides, and then my outer fabric 1/2" larger on all sides.
Iron your interfacing to your outer fabric. Let cool and peel off the paper backing. Iron your decor weight fabric to the outer fabric then pin pattern and trim to size.

bottom = cut 1 fabric, 1 interfacing, 1 liner
sides = cut 2 fabric, 2 interfacing, 2 liners (1 for each side)
back = cut 1 fabric, 1 interfacing, 1 liner

top = cut 4
front side panels = cut 4
front top and bottom panel = cut 4

Ok campers, let's do this!

1. Start with the front panel center piece. Make a fabric/plastic/fabric sandwich as shown. Put the fabric RST and slide the vinyl in to meet the edge. Clip together with the bulldog clip because you can't pin the plastic.
Stitch 1/4" away from the edge and repeat for the other side. Unfold your side pieces and finger press. Don't get an iron near the vinyl.

2. Add your top panel. Make a fabric/center piece/fabric sandwich just like above. Put the fabric RST lining up the edges. You'll have 4 layers of fabric on the edges and the added piece of vinyl in the center. Stitch and repeat for the bottom. Unfold your top and bottom pieces and topstitch as shown. This will secure the panel. Set this aside for later.

3. Let's move to the top piece. Like your panels, you are going to make a fabric/zipper/fabric sandwich. Put the fabric RST and place the zipper between the layers lining up at the edge. Stitch 1/4" away from the edge of the zipper, unfold and topstitch.  Repeat with the other side.  Set this aside for later.

*Note: At this point you can switch to larger seam allowances if you are more comfortable with that. Just be consistent from now on.

4. Get that front panel out. Attach the sides to the front and back panels RST making a big inside out loop as shown. Now you're getting somewhere!

5. Attach the bottom piece to your "loop" starting with the front panel. Line your edges up. You may have to use a seam ripper to clip a few stitches from your side panel seam allowances. DON'T stitch into your seam allowance or you'll have rounded corners and puckers instead of square ones. Stitch one side at a time, lining up each edge as you go.

6. Now you have the main portion of the bag finished. Take a minute to trim all of your seam allowances with your pinking shears or serge the edges so everything will stay nice.

7. Pin your ribbon handles to the inside of the bag. The ribbons should hang down into the RS of the fabric. These are placed 2" from the edge.

8. Stitch the front panel to the top piece RST, doublestitching over the ribbons for added strength. Repeat for the back panel.

9. Stitch one side closed, doublestitching over the zipper tape for strength. Then unzip as much as you need so that your hand will fit through the hole. Stitch the other side, again doublestitching over the zipper tape.

10. Reach your hand down into the bag and unzip all the way. Turn your bag inside out and pat yourself on the back, camper! You did it. Poke your fingers in all of the corners to tidy up.

Here's the whole troupe:
June 24: Alexia Abegg
July 1: Lemon Cadet
July 8: The Fat Quarterly!
July 15: Quilt Asylum.
July 22:  MrsMcPorkchop
July 29: Flax and Twine
August 5: Heather alamode
August 12:  Make Something
August 19: Whipstitch
August 26: Happy Zombie

Play Eats: Beautiful Felt Eggs

Katie of Hippos and Dinosaurs brings Play Eats to the next level today with a Felt Egg tutorial. You can "decorate" them for Easter or just make them white for your kitchen. She has even uploaded a pattern that you can print out. Katie is super talented and her blog is full of great projects that you can make for your kids.

I know that a lot of readers don't have sewing machines (or don't want to lug them out of the closet) and this is a project that can all be done by hand. In our kitchen we just have a couple of plastic eggs from last Easter and although they are cheap and easy (I even included them in the repurposing post), they are really hard for Z to open and close. I'm thinking when I make these, I might leave a seam open but finished so that we can hide things inside. What do you think?

Click over to Hippos and Dinosaurs for the full tutorial and pattern. Don't miss this play loaf of bread or the rest of her felt food tutorials.

Thanks so much to Katie for stitching up this awesome post. Of course, all photos are courtesy of Hippos and Dinosaurs.

Play Eats: Sew Some Pots and Pans!

Today the amazing Sabra of Sew a Straight Line brings you a tutorial on how to sew a set of pots and pans for your play kitchen. I seriously don't know how she comes up with these clever ideas. She does such a good job writing tutorials that her projects become super easy.

Check out these action shots! Clearly, her boys are psyched to have such a fabulous and talented mom.

It makes me want to have a boy. Maybe.

For the complete tutorial, click here. I think I might just make some of these to store stuff!

Photos courtesy of Sabra and her boys (who appear to be wearing cooking related shirts!). Thanks so much for participating in Play Eats!

Project: Another cape

Yeah, I know. I've gone cape crazy over here. But this one was for a gift. Our friends are like way cooler than us and they're really into bikes (um, almost as much as Mr. Lemon and his entourage). I knew I wanted to make their kid a cape using recycled (upcycled?) t-shirts but I had NO IDEA I would find this awesome t-shirt with bikes all over it. Somehow there was another t-shirt at the thrift store in the same color (to do this, you'll need two shirts).

I used red Hello Kitty ribbon that I bought at Target in those fabulous dollar bins (actually this took the entire spool but there were 4 spools in the pack). Zadie is currently enchanted by this kitty -- so much so that she is finally letting us brush her teeth because we are using a Hello Kitty toothbrush so you know it's a big deal.

The inside is that same organic cotton fleece that I bought for the cloth diapers that I never sewed but used for that bird jacket instead. Perfect for slightly chilly Spring days but not too hot. The pattern, once again, is from the awesome Grosgrain blog. I used it to make this and will definitely be using it again. I'm going to do some math and alter the pattern to make a 3 for next year. Such an easy pattern and such clear directions! Like last time, I reinforced the armholes with a little tacking stitch but this time I did that last. I do like to learn from my mistakes (see earlier post).

And you thought I was going to talk about supplies all week...

Project: Pinafore

Apparently my post about the market bag did absolutely nothing to bring on Spring. In fact, we got even more snow. So here's round two of hoping for better weather. But seriously, it can't get much worse.

I bought the pattern from Aliyah's Hope Chest on Etsy. She emailed the instructions but sent the pattern in the mail. She also sells pinafore kits in her shop. The pinafore was incredibly easy to make thanks to all the detail. There was one tricky part but she had a little video up on YouTube that showed how to do it. After seeing how it was constructed, I didn't have any problems. I actually made 4 more of these to give as Christmas gifts but my friends must not have cameras because I haven't seen any photos.

For the pinafore Zadie is wearing, I used awesome Tina Givens fabric (Chandelier Medallion) in chartreuse for the front and a vintage red fine wale corduroy for the inside. I wish I had fussy cut the print because it's so amazing but that's definitely part of the learning process.

It's perfectly reversible -- no weird seams or anything like that. Zadie is wearing the red side here. Unfortunately, my kid is also obsessed with fleece and demanded to wear that ugly hoodie. I will definitely be making many more of these. How cute they will be with little bloomers in the summer.

For more about Project: Project, read this post.

Project: A Mention

Remember the Storybook Cape that I made for Zadie? Kathleen over on the Grosgrain blog finds it "adorable." I'm so glad she likes it. I've always wondered how the designers of the fabric I use or the patterns I sew from like the stuff I make using their tools. I always share this information with a bit of trepidation just in case someone would hate my work.

Kathleen had a baby on Tuesday so head over there and check out the pictures of the new cutie.

For more information on Project: Project, read this post.