Car Caddy

Because my holiday break is quickly running out, I am trying  to get through some long-desired projects.

The first one was a car caddy.  My car, like my house, is pretty disorganized, which means that I am stressed every time I get in the car.  I saw a car caddy on Pinterest, and thought “what the heck? I can do that.” Here is the one that sparked my interest: http://ellebelleblog.blogspot.com/2012/05/car-caddy-take-2.html (lots of pictures and instructions) and here is the picture.

So, the first thing that I did was get some fabric ($3/yard), a clip ($3.99), and mid-weight fusible interfacing (.60/yard).  Then, I decided on measurements and began cutting.

I wrote the measurements down as I went along, but Watson, the jerk the cat, decided to play with the paper, and now it is lost. Here are the measurements as far as I can remember:

2 pieces (the front and the back) 15″ * 24″

2 pieces (2 pockets) 18″ * 6″

1 piece (biggest pocket) 18″ * 8″

I strip (bottom strap) 39″ * 3″

1 strip (top strap) 30″ by 3″

3 strips (for folding over the top of the pocket strips) 18″ * 1.5″

Next, I interfaced the three pocket strips and the strip for the top strap.  I also interfaced the piece for the front of the caddy.  My rationale was that I wanted the pockets to have a bit more strength, and I didn’t want the pockets to pull and pucker the fabric that they were attached to.  Also, I wanted the strap at the top to be extra strong since I didn’t know how much weight the caddy would hold in the end.

After interfacing, I sewed the tiny strips to the top of the pockets.  The blog that I got the basic instructions from called for a contrasting color of bias tape.  Since I am too cheap  thrifty, I decided to just use the same fabric to create some dimension to the pockets.  

I started with sewing the strip to the front (right side) of the pocket.  Then, I folded the strip over and sewed it to the back (wrong side).

That was a bad idea, as it gave me this result: 

Since this caddy is just for me, I left it, and then fixed my approach for the other pockets (attach first to back, then fold over, and sew to the front).  Next, I attached the bottom pocket to the front flap.  I created two pleats at the bottom, facing in, so that there was some dimension.  I was overwhelmed by the pink, and I wanted to break up the surface of the fabric, even a tiny bit.  I sewed the pocket along the bottom and a straight line down the center of the pocket, between the two pleats.

Then, I pleated the second pocket and attached it to the front strap above the bottom pocket.

And, now for the third pocket, the top strap, and the bottom strap.  Each was sewn to the front (right side) of the front panel.

Then, I placed the back panel to the front panel, right sides together, and sewed along the two sides and the top.  After that, I pulled the fabric right-side out, tucked the bottom edge in, and sewed along the bottom.  Ta-Dah!  (Lemon is nosing in the picture).

And, here it is from a different angle (hi, Lemon!):

I wanted two large pockets for trash bags and for the travel chess set Ross gave me.  I wanted a pocket for my travel game books, and a pocket for granola bars.  I also knew I wanted a pocket for hand lotion (upper left) and a notepad.  That leaves one pocket left, so I think I will place my cell charger in it.   There is still some mess in the car, as you can see, but that is for another day.

Changes I would make after having finished the project:

I think a contrasting color for bias tape would help break up the pink, which is a bit overwhelming.  I would also not cut the top strap so long.  I think perhaps 10 to 12″ would have been sufficient.  Pleats are also not necessary, and I could have saved some fabric by eliminating those, but I do like pleats (I guess I am torn with that one).

Overall, I am pretty happy with the results.  Total price of project: $7.59 plus tax.  Not too shabby!   Mom and Shalyn, you will be getting yours soon.