Giraffe Backpack
Somebody had a birthday-- this always means it's sewing time.
I knew exactly what my first project was going to be.
This last Christmas I bought myself and told my husband to give to me my husband bought me the fun sewing book, Oliver + S Little Things to Sew. I've had my eye on all the darling things in there-- but I was waiting for this little girl's birthday so I could sew up a backpack for her.
But I had to change it up a bit-- my girl loves many things-- and most of these things change all the time. But one constant has been the color orange and her love of giraffes.
So I had to change that cute penguin into a giraffe.
MATERIALS:
1. Oliver + S Little Things to sew book
2. Fabric cut out as directed (except choosing orange/yellow/brown fabrics)
3. Print out of giraffe pieces
4. Cut out giraffe fabric as directed
5. Extra 12" zipper (plus the already required 18" one)
STEP ONE: First we need to make the nose piece (formally the penguin's tummy piece) much bigger. Place the Oliver + S pocket piece on the fold and add 1/2" to all sides, then cut out. Cut out one piece of cotton lining to go in between the yellow layers. With right sides together and the cotton lining piece on top, sewing around the nose piece leaving 1" open. Cut the cotton lining back so it's just longer than the sewing.
STEP TWO: Flip the nose piece right side out and press. Top stitch around the entire piece making sure to close up the gap.
STEP THREE: Place the 12" zipper on the front backpack piece and pin into place, using the nose piece as your guide for width of the loop and placement on the bag. (The nose piece's bottom should be flush with the backpack's bottom edge.) Sew around just the side that is pressed against the bag.
STEP FOUR: Unzip zipper and pin the nose piece onto the open zipper piece. Once pinned, sew the nose piece onto the zipper.
STEP FIVE: Zip the nose piece back together. Clip off the zipper's end hardware and tuck the zipper into the nose piece. Then sew up both sides of the nose piece to make the pocket's sides.
STEP SIX: Sew on two lines to make the nose. I did this using a very tight stitch going back and forth and slowly moving down.
STEP SEVEN: Using the Giraffe pieces pattern, cut out your fabric for the ears and horns.
For the yellow ear pieces, turn each side in a teeny bit and iron down. Then sew each yellow ear piece onto one orange ear piece using a tight zig zag stitch. Then with right sides together sew around the ears and the horns, leaving the bottom open. Turn right side out and press.
-- Something I didn't do, but wish I did was add interfacing to these pieces. They're a little flippy, but with some stiff interfacing they would keep their shape a lot better.
STEP EIGHT: Fold the ear pieces together at the sides on the bottom. Pin the ears and horns onto the top backpack piece. Baste stitch them in place.
STEP NINE: The last (giraffe specific) step is to sew on the top backpack piece onto the bottom backpack piece, hand sew on the button eyes, then for added cuteness I added a teeny square of white paint onto the sides of the buttons to give them a bit more personality.
STEP TEN: From here you follow the rest of the directions as indicated from Oliver + S.
This was my second Oliver + S pattern I've followed, but I must say they live up to all the hype.
They are so well written and easy to understand and produce really quality work.
Sewing up this backpack was lots of fun.
My daughter saw it on her birthday and pronounced, "Oh, I always wanted a orangie, giraffie backpack."
Mission accomplished.
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