carseat tent

This "tent" is essential if you want to make it in and out of Walmart without 50 random people poking and prodding at your brand new baby!

It's easy and if you can make it in 2 hours (1 hour if you're a really fast and efficient seamstress/seamster)

What you need:

- 1.25 yards fabric EACH of 2 prints of fabric. I use the fabric you find in the quilting section--it's light and won't suffocate your baby :)

- Velcro

- optional: matching thread

- (And other basic sewing stuff ie: sewing machine, thread, pins, scissors, iron, etc)

Instructions:

1. lay out 2 pieces of fabric with the print sides facing each other. Trim off the extra quarter yard of fabric to be used later



2. from the rectangle you have in front of you, cut out a squarish oval (basically round off the corners of the rectangle). pin edges and sew together. Make sure to leave about 5 inches unsewed so you can turn the tent right side out. I use about a 1/4 inch seam. Turn tent right side out and iron if you feel like it.


3. sew the unfinished 5 inches together by hand with needle and thread. If you want your carseat to have a really nice finished look, you can sew a border around the outside using a 1/2 inch or so seam with the optional matching thread. (I usually do this)

4. With the extra fabric, you will make the straps. Usually I pick the opposite fabric from the topside fabric to make the straps. (For the tent I made for my kids, I put straps on both sides of the tent so that I could use either side for the topside depending on the gender of the current infant. This is not necessary though and was just extra work). I like to have the straps about 3 inches wide and 8 inches long so I cut out a 7 by 9 inch square. Fold it in half with right side facing in on itself. use 1/4 inch seam and sew one short edge and the long edge. turn the strap right side out. (Make 2 straps!)



5. (I sew up the unfinished edge as I sew on the Velcro). Cut Velcro to size. Attach sticky side of velcro on one side of strap. Turn strap over and attach soft side at the opposite end. (The velcro will be at opposite ends and opposite sides so that they sticky together as pictured below). I sew the velcro on and do a finished seam using a 1/4" seam at the same time.



6. Find the middle line of the longer length of the tent. pin the midline of the straps on so they are about 10" from each edge. If you have a carseat handy, check it to see if that's about right. Sew midline of straps to tent using either an X or a rectangle.



7. email/comment/call me if you have questions or clarification! :)

I've made at least 6 of these already and they make a really great baby shower gift. Just a tip, if you would like one for yourself at some point, make one for yourself first to use as a pattern in the future. I finally just made one for myself--before that, every time I made one I had to call around to my other friends who have them to make sure I was doing it right! good luck!