RTW: Folding Change Pad Carry All TUTORIAL

Reader's Tutorial Week is a week where i spotlight my Reader's fabulous tutorials and introduce you to fellow Craftaholics. it's tons of fun!!

Hi, my name is Heather and I am sharing with you today a post from my blog Smallfry and Co. I am a stay at home, mother of 2 girls ages 6 months and 2 years. When I have a moment (which seem to be in short supply some days) I love to craft, sew and create. That is what my blog is all about; a bit of everything for home. I am excited to share this post in particular because it is something that I created to make the life of a diaper changing mom a bit easier. Hope you enjoy!!

Last year I brought you this post with my tutorial for making a change pad clutch (an all in one change pad and diapers and wipe carrier). Included in that post I had a couple of pictures of a diaper bag set I had made for a friend that had both the change pad clutch and a folding change pad. Since that post I have received numerous e-mails asking for a pattern or directions on how to making the folding change pad. The one that I had made for my friend was made using a pattern from this book:
so I didn't feel it was my place to share those instructions on my blog since they were not of my creating. Since then I have created my own version of a folding change pad that is super quick and easy to make. This is version #1 with an elastic fastener strap which doubles as a wipes and diapers holder. TADA!!! This still allows the convenience of a all in one change pad without the size of the change pad clutch (which I had some complaints about).
Here is a tutorial:
Materials needed:
1 piece of fabric 22x15
1 piece of fabric 22x3
1 bath towel cut into a piece 22x15 (you want to use a decent quality towel for thickness and softness. I got mine at my favorite big blue store for $4.00 I was able to get 3 change pad pieces out of mine plus left over for bibs)
1 piece of velcro 3 inches long
1 piece of elastic 3 inches long (3/4 inch wide is what I used)

Step #1 Cut your two pieces of fabric. I was able to get my fabric in a little bundle at Walmart. It came with 6 different pieces I think, all precut to 22x16". It was super convenient considering the cutting staff at my Walmart work at the pace of a sloth. (just a side note I had to add) Step #2 Place towel piece down on fabric-right sides together

Step #3 Round your corners. I saw this trick on another blog. Use a CD as a pattern for rounding your corners.

It works best on the fabric not the towel. Trace the edge of the CD and then cut on your traced line.

Step#4 Pin your sides together and sew around all the edges. I used a Serger for mine but you could do the same thing on a regular machine with a 1/4 inch seam. Leave an opening for turning.

Step#5 Turn the entire thing right side out and top stitch around the edge at 1/8". Make sure you tuck the edges of your opening in while you are topstitching to secure them.

Step#6 Now for the strap. Take your remaining piece of fabric and fold it in half width wise, right sides together and sew along both sides. Again I used my Serger but you could do a 1/4" seam on a regular machine. Turn it right side out and press with an iron.

Step#7 Pin your elastic 2 6/8" from the open edge of the strap piece. I used 2 6/8" as a rough estimate. You are going to stretch this as you sew and you want it to be in the center of the strap piece. You may want to adjust it slightly depending on your elastic stretchiness.

Showing you that it is pinned nearer to the open edge. Notice that I tucked in about a 1/4 inch on my opening. Don't forget to do that.

Step#8 To begin sewing, sew across the end of the elastic first. Then put the needle down in the elastic and lift your presser foot and turn the strap piece so it looks like this (lengthwise facing you)

then pull it out straight. I took this picture when I was sewing my second side. To help hold the elastic it is a good idea when you stretch it out to pin it at the loose end to help hold it there as you are sewing. Sew all around all 4 sides of the elastic. I don't know about anyone else or if there is some secret I don't know about, but my sewing machine hates sewing over elastic. It eats it up. It's ugly. If yours does that too, know that you are not alone.

It should look like this when it is finished.

Step #10 Now a quick how too on folding these. (sorry some of these pictures are at odd angles-not sure what I was doing). Start with towel side up.

Fold in half.

Fold one side in (like in 3rds)

and the other side. At this point it doesn't matter which side you fold first. But after you add your strap piece it will.

Step #11 Attach the strap. You will attach the open edge of the strap first.

You want to attach it to the side of the folded change pad that doesn't have any flaps showing like this.

Center it and attach it with some pins. You want to attach it right where the change pad folds. It will look like the elastic part is not centered but once you add the diapers and wipes it will all even out.

Step#12 Now unfold the change pad and sew over this open edge.

Step#13 Attach velcro. You will want to attach one piece of velcro to the strap on the same side that the elastic is sewn to-right near the end-parallel with the end and the other piece of the velcro will be sewn to the change pad edge like this (sorry this is blurry). This is the opposite side of the side you sewed the strap too. You want the velcro to be centered just like the strap so they will line up when you go to secure them. Sew all around the edge of the velcro.

Step#14 Now another lesson in folding-only this time it matters which way you do it. So once again you start with the towel side up and fold it in half only you want the side with the strap to be on the bottom.

Fold the non velcro side in first

then the side with the velcro

and secure the fastener. In the picture below I have turned my change pad around 180 degrees from the picture above.

The back side.

And this is how it looks once you add a wipes case and 2 diapers. It holds a max of 2 diapers and 1 wipes case. It looks really cute with a coordinating wipes case like the picture at the top.

Stay tuned for versions 2 and 3 coming soon!!!