Unexpected Unpleasantness Bags

 

Everyone knows that babies are full of joy, wonder, bunnies, kittens, and anything else magical you can think of; however, they're often full of unpleasantness as well!  That's right, there's nothing magical or scheduled about diaper changes.  Therefore, for a recent baby shower I put together these emergency diaper change kits.  Reuseable, refillable, and small enough to keep in emergency locations like the glove box!

To put together one kit (and trust me, you'll probably want more than one) you'll need:

• Fabric of choice (less than 1/2 yard)
• 3 yds. of ribbon or shoe string (for tie)
• Contents of bag:
  - 2-3 diapers
  - a onesie
  - travel hand sanitizer
  - small pkg. baby wipes (mine are 18 ct.)

Start by measuring your largest item, or stack up your items and get an approximate measurement for how much space they will need in your bag.  My measurements, with a little extra space for wiggle room (or parents who want to shove the bag with as many diapers as possible) meant that I started by cutting my fabric into a piece 26.5" x 9".  If your fabric is one directional, take that into account.  I didn't really think about that when I made mine, so my birds are upright on one side of my bags but upside down on the other.  If you have fabric like that, divide the large measurement in half and cut two pieces instead of one that can be folded along the bottom.  It means one more seam, but is a simple fix that will help the bag appear more professional.

Since I have a serger, I started by serging around the entirety of my piece of fabric.  This gave the interior edges of my bag a finished look and made it easier for me to create the top casing as I didn't need to worry about turning in the sides of the casing prior to creating the pocket.

Once your fabric is prepped, measure and press your top casing.  I folded my fabric in half, placing right sides together, and then folded the top edge down 1.25" and pressed a crease.  I then flipped the piece over and did the same to the other side.  I also pressed the fold along the bottom of the bag so that it would feed through my machine nicely.

Start by sewing up the sides of your bag from the bottom fold.  Make sure not to sew past the bottom edge of the folded down casing.  With a serger, just guide the needles off the fabric before you get to the casing.  When I completed my edge, it looked a bit like the picture below.  As you can see, there's a bit of a curve before you get to the casing where I serged off the edge of the fabric.

To sew the casing, switch to a standard sewing machine and straight stitch the flap down 1" from the top of the bag.  Make sure to sew each side individually so that you have a casing on each side but can still open the bag.

Once your casings are made, turn the bag right side out and you're ready for the ties!

Cut your 3 yd. piece in half and place a safety pin on one end of the ribbon.  Feed the ribbon through one side of the casing from right to left, then back through the other side of the casing from left to right.  Even up the ends of the ribbon and tie an overhand knot near the matched ends.  Then take the second piece of ribbon and do the same thing, only opposite!  Start from the left of the front casing and work to the right, then from right to left through the back casing.  Even up the ends and tie another overhand knot.  If you could follow these instructions, you should be able to pull both knotted ends away from each other and the bag should cinch closed.

Now it's time to fill up your bag with all those fun goodies!  I've heard of more extensive collections including baby powder, diaper rash cream and/or some form of changing mat and disposal bag.  Mine are a bit simpler than that, as they are for emergencies only and not intended to replace an entire diaper bag.

  

Such a simple, but appreciated gift!  For the shower I attended, I made 5: one for mommie's glove box, one for daddie's glove box, one for mommie's parents, one for daddie's parents and a fifth for a location only the parents will realize they need one. As I'm not a parent (yet), I'm sure there are those of you out there who could suggest other necessary locations where unexpected unpleasantness tends to happen.  In fact, please share locations and items to include in such bundles below!  Who knows, maybe you'll get a set of bags from me in the future!