Lion Toddler Backpack for "M"

"In the jungle, the mighty jungle..."  That song has been in my head the ENTIRE time I was designing and sewing this backpack.

Two years ago, "J"s mom asked me to make her son a dump truck backpack for school.  She was really wonderful to work with and is the only Mom who was brave enough to ask for white piping and straps. We went through several iterations for the design - probably because they were on a waiting list and little "M" was deciding between an elephant and a lion.  I really like the end result.  Secretly, I was afraid he would pick the elephant. 

Here's how we started

But then M's mom was looking for a bit more "pop" so went went with a white mane instead of dark brown.

Something didn't look right and after a couple more emails, we decided on some whiskers and a mouth.

Now to finish the bag... I still needed to put an "M" somewhere on the bag but didn't think it would look right on the lion's body.  So I put it on the side of the bag.  The other side has an elasticized pocket.

The lining is the last of my green hippos

Like all of my backpacks, this one has a quilted bottom, padded straps, a hanging loop, and real backpack connectors. 

I really like this guy

He's great at going for walks at the pond (hubby was wondering why we were gone so long)

Hanging out in the old tree

Walking over the bridge

and just being silly with the Halloween decorations.

Good bye Lion!  It's been fun making you. 

Until next time,

Tractor Toddler Backpack

This little guy is heading onto a plane and flying all the way to Australia. This is the first tractor design that I have ever done and I can't wait to see little H wearing his new backpack.

The tractor on the left was my first design but H's mom and I both liked design #2 better.

A lot of thought goes into the design process - my rough sketches are just the beginning.  Once I get approval on the design, I then make the lines a little straighter, the wheels become rounder, and work towards a final design.

Then we play around with it in colour to make sure it still looks good.

Whenever it's a "first", I spend a little bit more time asking questions

Once I have approval, I begin sewing

At the final checkpoint, if Mom says "go!", then I sew the rest of the backpack together to get this:

It has two pockets on each side and a pocket on the inside.  This time the lining is a solid brown with dark brown piping.

Quilted bottom (or "bum" as my little one likes to call it)

And here's the back view

And it's a wrap!  Off to work on a new design... this time, it's an animal.

Toddler Backpack: Garbage Truck for Alex's Son

This toddler backpack was made for Alex's son "J".  He liked the Garbage Truck bag (what little kid wouldn't, right?).   Alex wanted a more clean look for her son's bag, hence, no pockets, no buttons, or extra colours.  Simple look and clean lines.  Here are some pictures... side views, top, quilted bottom, real backpack connectors to allow for easy adjusting, and hippo lining of course!

Baby Bunny likes to model so he agreed to put on the backpack just to check for the fit. 

If you were reading last month, you would have seen that I made a Dump Truck for Shannon's son.   Recently, she linked up a really cute video on my Facebook Page (click on photos and then scroll to the bottom for photos and videos).  Her adorable son was running around wearing his little backpack.  Take a peek - he's a cutie!

Next up, I need to finish this backpack... (and then a new one for Joshie and then one for Baby Bunny).

Note:  I create and sell toddler backpacks through my Josh & Teo ETSY Shop.  However, if you know how to sew and would like to tackle this project, visit Made by Rae's website to purchase a PDF copy of the pattern.  

 Happy Sewing!