Grey House Harbor
  • Home
  • about
  • contact

Jul 24 2014

how to sew a diaper strap

Posted by hayley
Tweet

When Songbird was born I carried a huge diaper bag and all the essentials… all the time. But by the time #2 came around, I wised up and leaned out my travel stash. In doing so, I was able to tote just a large-ish purse and kept back-up clothes/diapers/wipes in the car. One super simple, but essential piece of baby gear that made this lightness possible is a diaper strap. Pop over to Project Nursery where I’m sharing how you can sew one up in a jiffy for yourself or friend.

diaper strap tutorial

Tags: diy, kid stuff, organization, project nursery, sewing
CONTINUE READING >
0 comments
Jun 5 2014

sew a travel tray

Posted by hayley
Tweet

how to sew a travel tray  |  greyhouseharbor.com

My parents have the great fortune of spending many weeks a year traveling together. Whether they are sailing the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, enjoying a food tour in some new city for the weekend, or simply catching a flight to come visit their awesome grandkids, those two are always on the move.

Up until Mother’s Day (when I gifted her these great new trays), my mom had been using one of those little paper hats that they put on hotel cups to put her jewelry and things in at the end of the day. Resourceful, but chincy.

glasscaps

If you’re jet-setting this summer, sew yourself a little travel tray—the perfect spot to keep your keys, rings, phone and glasses together in one spot. Simple to sew, the tray unsnaps to fold flat in your suitcase for no-bulk packing too. And… even if you don’t sew, you can still make one! Scroll to the end of these directions for that info.

Materials:
– Two fabric pieces measuring 8.5″ x 11″ each. You’ll want the interior fabric to be a solid light color, so that it’s easy to see your items within.
– low loft batting
– snaps (I like the ones that install with a hammer, rather than the sew on type)

1. Use a letter sized paper to cut two pieces of fabric and your low loft batting to 8.5″ x 11″ each.

how to sew a travel tray  |  greyhouseharbor.com

how to sew a travel tray  |  greyhouseharbor.com

2. Stack the three pieces with batting on the bottom and the two fabrics with right sides together on top.

how to sew a travel tray  |  greyhouseharbor.com

3. Using a 1/4″ seam allowance, sew together all three pieces. Be sure and put the batting on the top, otherwise it could snag on the jagged feed dogs of the machine.

how to sew a travel tray  |  greyhouseharbor.com

4. Sew most of the way around, leaving a space of a few inches for turning.

how to sew a travel tray  |  greyhouseharbor.com

5. Turn the fabrics right side out and the batting will tuck inside. Top stitch 1/8″ around the entire piece to close it up.

how to sew a travel tray  |  greyhouseharbor.com

how to sew a travel tray  |  greyhouseharbor.com

6. On each side, sew a straight line 1.5″ from the edge.

how to sew a travel tray  |  greyhouseharbor.com

7. Inside the interior rectangle, sew lines every 1/2″ for a quilted effect.

how to sew a travel tray  |  greyhouseharbor.com

8. From the corner, measure in 1″ and install your snaps.

how to sew a travel tray  |  greyhouseharbor.com

how to sew a travel tray  |  greyhouseharbor.com

9. Finished! Snap the corners together and you’ve got yourself a nifty padded tray. The finished useable inside space measures 6″ x 8.5″. I found this ideal for a small cellphone, a pair of sunglasses and some jewelry, but you can easily customize the size by adjusting the beginning dimensions.

how to sew a travel tray  |  greyhouseharbor.com

I mentioned earlier that you can make one of these without sewing! Instead of cotton fabric, cut out a square of marine grade vinyl. Attach snaps in the same location, 1″ off the corners.

how to sew a travel tray  |  greyhouseharbor.com

how to sew a travel tray  |  greyhouseharbor.com

If you’re not the traveling type, these make excellent gifts for those in your life that are. My mom raves about it’s usefulness and I’m so glad she’s no longer hoarding hotel cup covers!

how to sew a travel tray  |  greyhouseharbor.com

Tags: diy, gift ideas, sewing, tutorials
CONTINUE READING >
4 comments
May 27 2014

the 30 minute kids bean bag chair

Posted by hayley
Tweet

How to sew a kids bean bag chair in 30 minutes

You don’t want to miss my newest post on Project Nursery. If you have two pieces of fabric, a zipper and filler then you’re only 30 minutes away from sewing the cutest kids bean bag chair ever! No advanced sewing skills required. Click HERE to get the instructions.

Tags: diy, kid stuff, project nursery, sewing
CONTINUE READING >
2 comments
May 16 2014

make a magnetic kids lap tray

Posted by hayley
Tweet

 How to make a magnetic kids lap tray  |  greyhouseharbor.com

Traveling with kids can be a challenge, but making them a cushioned lap tray can help! It’s a place to eat, play, and color that’s both comfortable and functional.

Supplies:
– 16″ pizza pan. I like this one from Walmart because it’s smooth without a thick rim.
– 18″ fabric of choice (minimum 40″ width)
– low loft batting
– 2″ wide sew-on velcro
– 2″ wide industrial strength adhesive velcro.

how to make a kids lap tray

1. Start by tracing the pizza pan on the fabric. Cut out two of these circles.

how to make a kids lap tray

2. Stack 4 layers of low loft batting together. Place pizza pan on top and cut around the edge.

How to make a magnetic kids lap tray  |  greyhouseharbor.com

3. Cut two strips of the soft fuzzy side of your sew-on velcro, each 9″ long. Measure 4″ in from the outside edge of one fabric circle. Center, pin and top-stitch to secure.

How to make a magnetic kids lap tray  |  greyhouseharbor.com

4. With right sides together, align the two fabric circles.

How to make a magnetic kids lap tray  |  greyhouseharbor.com

Then stack the cut batting underneath. Pin all layers together.

How to make a magnetic kids lap tray  |  greyhouseharbor.com

5. With the batting facing up, sew almost all the way around the edge, using a 1/2″ seam allowance. Leave a hole of about 6″ so you can pull the cushion right-side out.

How to make a magnetic kids lap tray  |  greyhouseharbor.com

6. Pull the cushion right-side out! Batting should fold to the inside.

How to make a magnetic kids lap tray  |  greyhouseharbor.com

7. If you’re good at closing seams by hand, rock on witchya bad self. If not, then you’re like me— just pin and top-stitch it closed.

How to make a magnetic kids lap tray  |  greyhouseharbor.com

8. Cut two strips of the scratchy side of your adhesive velcro, each 9″ long. Measure 4″ in from the edge of the tray and stick the adhesive velcro on so it lines up with the cushion velcro.

How to make a magnetic kids lap tray  |  greyhouseharbor.com

9. Velcro the cushion to the pan and you’re set. Since I used leftover fabric, each tray cost me just $15! Another cool thing is that since the cushion is removable, it’s also washable.

How to make a magnetic kids lap tray  |  greyhouseharbor.com

Sticking adhesive magetic buttons to the bottom of a cheap plate helps keep meal time spills at a minimum. I found these awesome divided plates at Walmart for $1—they’re BPA-free too!

road trip : kid prep  |   greyhouseharbor.com

 Magnetic buttons on the bottom of tupperware containers keep markers or small toys from sliding around, too.

road trip : kid prep  |   greyhouseharbor.com

The 16″ surface is large enough to fit a letter-sized coloring page. Magnetic toys of all shapes and sizes are perfect for playtime – fridge letters, magnetic dress up dolls, and building toys all work great!

While they are ideal for long road trips, I’m keeping these handy in the back seat for every day use, too.

How to make a magnetic kids lap tray  |  greyhouseharbor.com

Tags: diy, kid stuff, road trip, sewing, tutorials
CONTINUE READING >
1 comment


I'm Hayley. Wife and mother by day, DIY enthusiast by night. Fueled by sweet tea and jelly beans, I own power tools and know how to use them. Consider yourself warned.

featured on button

New posts delivered fresh to your inbox!

Follow on Bloglovin

Recent Posts

  • big ‘ole magnet board / job chart
  • a collection of caps a collection of caps
  • a new chapter a new chapter
  • treasure rocks treasure rocks
  • missing grams missing grams

 

S P O N S O R S - & - F R I E N D S

PREV 1 2 3 NEXT

Categories

Archives

Follow

Follow on Bloglovin

Recent Posts

  • big ‘ole magnet board / job chart
  • a collection of caps a collection of caps
  • a new chapter a new chapter

disclaimer & copyright

All opinions within are exclusively and honestly mine. I do not commit to posting positive reviews of any promotional items I may receive. However, if the product or service suits the interests of my readers I may feature it and denote such compensation.
All content © greyhouseharbor.com 2015.