Baby Car Seat Canopy

My baby grew out of the cozy cover we bought for him at the store---his little head was popping out of the head hole so you couldn't close it to keep him snuggly warm...so we needed something bigger to protect him from the elements. The weather is still not too good here--you'd think we'd be having some spring time weather by now! It snowed last week and it's been rainy with an occasional hail. And of course, it's ALWAYS super windy here. This baby car seat canopy was a super easy and fun project to make. All together, it probably took me 2 hours to do...and I'm so glad I did it! We used it yesterday (it was raining and chilly) and he was so cozy inside that he fell right asleep! Definitely worth it!

You'll need:

1 1/8 yd minkee

1 yd cotton or flannel coordinating fabric

2 magnetic clasps (you'll also need some felt to put between the clasp backing and the minkee)

grosgrain ribbon (for loops to hang toys inside)

Trim the minkee and coordinating fabric to 35 1/2" X 40 1/2". I finally took out my quilter's mat and rotary cutter and used that to trim the fabric. It was SO easy and fun! I love it and will definitely be using it more often!

Next I cut 4 strips of fabric from the minkee, each measuring 3 1/2" X 8 1/2". You'll use these for the handle straps.

Put your fabric right sides together and sew all the way around with a 1/4" seam. Leave a hole to turn the fabric right side out. Do the same with your fabric for the handle straps. Turn out each piece and press (I didn't press mine beacuse I didn't want to flatten the bumps on my minkee...I know someone that tried pressing minkee with bumps and she ended up with no bumps!) then hand sew the openings closed. BEFORE SEWING THE STRAPS CLOSED: you'll need to add your magnetic clasps. Then sew the openings shut.

Now center your straps on the large piece--attach them by sewing through all thicknesses of fabric.

I decided to attach some looped grosgrain ribbon to the inside to hang toys for my baby to play with...all I did was sew the ribbon into loops, then I sewed them right into the seam from the handle straps.