If you didn't know, I went to UW-Madison with the intention of transferring to an art school in San Francisco for fashion. I obviously decided to go elsewhere with my life, but I became really good at sewing my freshman year.
However, I haven't really sewn anything in the past five years. So, naturally...I had to try. My niece is turning two this week, and her family is going to Disney sometime soon. It'll be her first time, so she's very excited (although, it'll be a little different than normal!).
Anyways, she's SUPER into Moana. I ordered her a pair of ears off of Etsy and decided I was going to make her a bag for her autograph book / photo album because she's also very into carrying her own stuff. I went to Joann's and picked out a few pieces of fabric, found a random video on Youtube to guide me through and got to work!
Overall, I was proud of how it turned out. Instead of the 12"X17" measurements that the video recommended, I believe I did 12.5"X19" to make sure it was large enough to fit the book. I also wanted to have two fabrics on the outside, so I made some adjustments. I cut my "outside fabric" about halfway, added the seam allowance measurement (don't forget that part!!) and cut another piece of fabric the size of what I cut off the first piece of fabric (and added seam allowance).
If you don't know how to sew and just want a bag, follow the video. She's super easy to follow along with, and the whole thing took me about an hour. Not to mention, I'm VERY rusty with sewing...and this was a good way to get back in!
PS - please don't show my niece because she's not getting this gift until the weekend. Odds of you knowing her and showing a two year old a blog post are slim, but I feel like I should still put a disclaimer in!