Grocery Cart Cover and Curtains for My Grandson!

 

I've been busy grandma sewing lately!  I made back-tab curtains for my grandson's bedroom, using information from this tutorial as well as tips from my sister, an interior designer.  I lined the curtains with white, room-darkening fabric because I wanted to be able to make the room as dark as possible.  No need for the sun to wake up my grandson any earlier than necessary! 

 

My daughter-in-law found a curtain style she liked online.  I had my sister look at them.  She told me they were back-tab curtains.  I have made many curtains but never back-tab ones.  It turns out they are much easier to make than pinch-pleat draperies!  Next time, I will add drapery weights to the bottom corners to help them hang straighter and prevent flaring. 

 

 

I also made a grocery-cart cover for my grandson.  Hopefully this will protect him from germs found on the carts handled by so many people!  It also works as a high chair cover at restaurants.  Again, I searched the internet for on-line tutorials and ended up using a combination of this one and this one.

 

I made mine 44" x 44", rounding off the corners, using a regular dinner plate as a pattern to create the rounded corners.  To finish the leg openings, I pressed the edges of each leg opening to the wrong side on both layers, pinned, and then topstitched all the way around.  I made the leg openings 6" round and would make them 5" round next time.     

 

 

Just above the leg openings, I put a lined pocket.  I started with a lined piece 5" deep by 12" wide and stitched down the center, so I ended up with two pockets 6" wide x 5" deep.  (Do you recognize the curtain fabric?)  These can hold toys, little containers of food, etc.  I made two 3" buttonholes in the back of the cover so that a belt can be slipped through to secure my grandson in the cart. 

 

My daughter-in-law chose two fabrics from Hawthorne Threads.  The blue fabric is home dec fabric, so is 54" wide.  The green fabric was quilt-weight fabric and 42" wide.  I bought 1-1/4 yards of each fabric.  I inserted a strip of the blue fabric into the green fabric not exactly down the center, but closer to the back before I cut out the back.  I needed to do this to be able to make a 44" square.  Some tutorials called for adding batting between the fabric layers.  I decided not to and am happy with that decision.  

 

I had 5/8" elastic so used that in a casing around the outside.  When it's all done, it looks like a giant shower cap!  

 

My daughter-in-law says my grandson is a great shopping partner!

 

What have you sewn for a baby?  Inquiring minds want to know!  By commenting, you'll be entering this month's give-away of Marie Bostwick's newest book APART AT THE SEAMS, coming out the end of this month.  Three lucky people will each win a copy, courtesy of Kensington Publishing!  If you are reading this via email, you must click on the title of my blog post to be able to comment and read the comments of others.  The winner will be announced on May 1.

 

You might also enjoy reading my previous blog post Author Marie Bostwick Answers Your Questions.