Blend Fabric and HeatnBond It’s a Circus Diaper Bag Set

A new baby means excitement for the mom, dad, grandparents, extended family, and friends. From the moment of the announced pending birth, there’s usually a rush to buy or sew tiny pink or blue baby items. It is so fun to look at all those tiny clothes, but hard to imagine anything that small wearing them! Then there’s the much-needed diapers and something to carry them in when mom or dad leave the house. In the “olden days” diaper bags were boxy looking and not very cute, but now they are stylish and some look more like a designer purse than something to hold diapers, wipes, and bottles.

It’s A Circus Diaper Bag Set and Accessories, by Carol Swift of Just Let Me Quilt

Supplies used for It’s A Circus diaper bag:

Blend Fabric’s Caliope

Simplicity Pattern #2924

HeatnBond® Fleece Fusible High Loft

HeatnBond® Fusible Interfacing

StitchnSew™ Non-Woven Craft Sew-In Extra Firm

PeelnStick Fabric Fuse

Therm O Web Fabric Fuse™ Liquid Adhesive

Therm O Web SpraynBond Basting Adhesive

Aurifil Thread, white 2024, 50 wt

Oliso Purple Iron (it doesn’t have to be purple, but I love that color!)

It’s A Circus Diaper Bag Set

I came across a Simplicity pattern that had everything I was looking for to use Blend Fabric’s adorable designs by Maude Asbury’s, Caliope. Oh my gosh, the fabrics are all so adorable with elephants, lions, and unicorns! I chose five different Caliope designs for my project and Simplicity Pattern #2924. The pattern was very easy to follow and using Therm O Web products made it even easier.

The pattern called for regular interfacing, but using Heat n Bond Fleece Fusible High Loft for the outer bag gave it some fullness and added extra padding. Not too much padding, not too little padding, just right.

The outside and inside pockets didn’t need padding, but they needed extra support and firmness. Using the Heat n Bond Fusible Interfacing was perfect and was just what pockets need to keep their shape.

A pressing cloth is needed when you iron on Heat n Bond Fusible Interfacing and Heat n Bond Fleece Fusible High Loft to the wrong side of the fabric. Using a beautiful Oliso iron makes it a fun task!

Sewing the bag together was easy using Aurifil white thread, 50 wt. It’s so smooth and great for seams and topstitching. The lion in the Caliope fabric design is so sweet with that hat!

The bottom of the bag needed a little extra firmness to help keep it’s shape and to support items inside the bag. The bottom section was sewn together to allow the Stitch n Sew Non-Woven Craft Sew-In Extra Firm to slide right in the pocket it created.

It worked great and the Caliope banner fabric design looked so cute down there in the bottom.

Adding embellishments like ribbon are easy using Peel n Stick Fabric Fuse. No ironing needed. Just peel off one protective paper, press onto fabric, peel off the second protective paper, and press embellishment in place.

Tip: To help keep the ribbon in a straight line, use your ruler and run the tape along the side of it. Press in place, remove protective cover, and press the ribbon in place.

Hook and loop fasteners can be tricky to keep in the exact spot it needs to be sewn, but they make opening and closing the flap on the bag so worth the effort. Add a few dabs of Therm O Web Fabric Fuse Liquid Adhesive to the back of it, set it in place, let it dry, and then sew in place. No more wrong placement!

Another use for Therm O Web Fabric Fuse Liquid Adhesive on this bag was to hold the flower and button in place until it was sewn with thread.

The Simplicity pattern included a burp cloth and a changing pad. Using ThermOWeb Iron-on Vinyl, Gloss on one side of the changing pad made it waterproof. Such a great way to keep things dry!

It’s really easy to apply. Peel off the protective paper, smooth in place on right side of fabric, and use the protective paper on top to iron in place following the directions on the package.

Therm O Web Spray n Bond Basting Adhesive lightly sprayed between the fleece and the back of the changing pad holds it in place while binding is added. Waterproof on one side, soft on the other…sweet!

The finished bag has a pocket on the back, pockets on the sides, and lots of pockets inside to hold diapers, wipes, bibs, and changing pad.

Sewing this diaper bag with all the right products made it fun and easy!