Car Seat Canopy Tutorial for Sewing Dummies

Being a sewing dummy myself, I thought I would try to help those out there who may be new to sewing and want to do a fairly simple, cute, and useful project for their bambino (or a nice shower gift). I do link up to four different tutorials I used to make mine, so jump around to those ones if you'd like!

Notes to begin:
• the car seat I'm working with is a Baby Trend Flex-Loc Infant Carseat. Here is a link to a tutorial that fits a Graco car seat, and here's another one.
• I've inserted personal sewing-related notes in italics throughout the tutorial. Feel free to ignore them.

Needed Supplies

Coordinating Thread

1 Yard Top Fabric

1 Yard Coordinating Bottom Fabric

2 - 6"x8" Coordinating Fabric Pieces

2 - 2.5" x 8" Coordinating Fabric Pieces

2 - 1.5" x 3.75" Velcro Strips

2 Coordinating Buttons

 (thread not pictured because I forgot...oops!)

The Blanket Portion

(This is the fairly easy part, so let's start here.)

Step 1: Wash your fabrics on cold and dry on highest setting

 As a sewing dummy I have forgotten this step and cut my fabric first and then had to re-cut after I washed them. It's annoying. 

Step 2: Cut both fabrics to 33"x42" 

 When cutting, I find that it's easiest to lay one piece of fabric (right side up) on carpet, smooth it out, then lay the bottom fabric (right side down) then smooth them out together. Then I pick up both pieces and move them to a wood surface to cut with scissors. If using a rotary cutter and cutting pad, you could stay on the carpet to do your cutting. 

Step 2 (Optional Rounded Corners): Fold both fabrics together in half and then in half again so all corners are touching. Then get a plate and either (a) use your rotary cutter to cut off corners of your fabric or (b) mark where the plate meets the fabric with a pencil or fabric marker and then cut off corners with scissors.

Step 3: Unfold fabric pieces and pin the fabric pieces together.

 (Pinning not pictured because I forgot, and even for dummies, pinning fabric is pretty straightforward)

Step 4: Using a straight stitch on your sewing machine and a 1/4" seam allowance (the edge of the pedal), sew the two fabric pieces together leaving an 8" opening to turn it right side out.

When I need to turn fabrics, I pin all around the fabric, then reverse two of the needles and pin them backwards. Then, using the picture below as a reference, I began at the yellow needle, stitched all around the fabric to the pink needle, back-stitched, stitched to the yellow needle, and back-stitched. Then I just pulled out the thread between the two needles.

 

Step 5: Clip notches out of the corners of your fabric or use pinking shears to do the same thing. Be careful not to clip the stitches!

As a sewing dummy, I strongly recommend you invest in some pinking shears! At my local craft store I got them for 40% off with a coupon and the total price was about $10. Such a good investment and it has saved me so much time and agony by not having to notch out every corner I turn and tuck! For this project I also just cut around the entire fabric to minimize bulkiness, but that probably isn't necessary.

Step 6: Iron the un-sewed portion of the fabric open. This will keep that portion tucked in nicely during the top-stitching in the next step.

Every time I turn a fabric I use this trick. A huge time-saver!

Step 7: Turn the blanket right-side out, top-stitch around the edge of the blanket with a 1/4" seam allowance, and admire your handy-work!

Have fun with the top stitch and use a fun color or a new stitch on your machine! On mine I used a grey thread on top and a blue on bottom and the stitch I used can be seen in the pictures of the straps.

The Straps Portion

 I used velcro to connect my straps because I wanted buttons, and I liked the multi-fabric-layered look, but there are tons of ways to do your straps. Here are some other strap tutorials I found: 

Tie Straps 

Simple Velcro 

Fancy Velcro

Step 1: Iron all four straps length-wise in half with the right-side facing out. Unfold them and fold the long-ends into the middle and iron again.

Clear as mud, right? Hopefully the pictures can explain better than I can.

Step 2: Place the wider straps with the ends face-up and the thinner straps over-top of them with the ends face-down. The edges of both of the fabrics should match up, but don't stress if it's not perfect.

(The pieces on the left just show you how each of the pieces should look after ironing, and the one on the right shows how they go together.)

Step 3: Sew the two pieces together by top-stitching the lengths of the thinner strips (be sure your stitch is wide enough so it catches both fabrics). When they both strips are secured together, fold the shorter ends of the strips down under and do a simple stitch straight across to finish them off.

This is where I really went rogue with my version because I had a hard time following the other tutorials. Admittedly it's not the most beautiful thing ever, but it's cute, does the job, and the ugliest parts are on the underside of the straps, rarely seen anyway.

Step 4: Sew the velcro onto the ends of the straps. Be sure the opposite ends of the velcro are on opposite ends of the straps. If you can wear it like a bracelet you have the velcro on right! 

Step 5 (Optional Decorative Button):  Sew the button onto the top of the strap through the velcro.

 

The Putting Everything Together Portion

(This is the hardest part of the project, but it's going to work out, I promise!)

Step 1: Lay your blanket out flat with the side you want on top facing up and position your straps about 12" in from each side (about 8" apart) and about 17" from the top. Pin them in place.

This part takes some guess and check work and can really takes as long as you want to get them as perfect as you want. I got one of my straps where I thought it needed to be, sewed it on, and then folded the canopy in half so I could match the other strap be

 (As you can see, the strap on the right isn't perfectly straight, but I didn't even know that until I took this picture. You really can't tell when it's strapped on.)

Step 2:  After you've pinned the straps on for placement, attach your canopy to your car seat to make sure you have them in the right place. Make adjustments if necessary.

I really wish I knew how to help you more with this portion, but it's really a guess and check type of thing. My only advice is to not stress over perfection, because the biggest lesson I've learned sewing so far is that small imperfections are not noticeable to anyone or are covered up by cuteness anyway.

Step 3: Sew the straps onto the blanket by going around the edges and then making an "x" in the middle for reinforcement. (The picture from this tutorial shows that best.)

Step 4: Attach to car seat, insert baby, and enjoy your handiwork!

Please post any questions you may have and I hope everything goes so well for you and all your sewing projects!