Baby Backpack!

I wanted a quick project for a birthday present for a special two-year-old in our lives, and I found this little drawstring backpack that seemed perfect.  And in a lot of ways, it is.  For one, it used up some of the abundant extra fabric I had after making my Amy Butler Birdie Sling (see my last post about that one!).  For two, it's the perfect size for toddlers--Little Sister (16 months old) could carry it around no problem.  For three, our little buddy picked it up as soon as my son gave it to him, stuck his pink glitter ball inside it, and slung it on.  He wore it for most of his party.  That tells me it's a hit.  For four, it was super quick to sew up--not that it was a last-minute gift, of course, because obviously I plan that kind of thing months in advance, not the night before.

So if you go to make this backpack yourself, here's what I would change from the original directions (or what I WILL do, if I make it again):

1.  Add a couple of extra inches for the straps.  These seem aaaaalmost too short.

By the way, how awesome does this guy look for his camping theme b-day party?

2.  Use a trim/ribbon/cord that is a bit slippery or satiny for the straps.  I didn't have any trim that coordinated with my fabric, so I made long strips of the canvas-y type fabric I made the rest of the bag out of, and they don't want to slide through easily to tighten or loosen the drawstring.

I had to give Little Sister a chance to try it out too!

3.  On that note, I would maybe make the casing a bit bigger, depending on what I end up using for the straps.   Remember, two of the straps need to fit through the casing.

4.  I think it would be fun to play with adding a flap over the top.  Not totally necessary, but might help keep stuff in (especially if you can't get the drawstring to close, like on my bag!)

In case you were curious, I did indeed make the b-day crown too--here it is by itself.

Not as cute as when it's on Q's head!

I make these by custom order; check out my website over here if you're interested.  Happy birthday!