Shopping Cart Handel Cover Tutorial {or my child likes to lick shopping carts}

Hi All! Well we are a big mess of ear infections, colds that will not go away, and a migrane for good measure around these parts. I'm hoping next week I'll get back to posting my weekly menu and random thoughts. Until then, please enjoy this post I shared last week over at The Ribbon Retreat.

Today, I'll be sharing a Shopping Cart Handel Cover tutorial with you all. As a shower gift, I was given an amazing shopping cart cover that covered the entire area where my little miss sits. It was amazing when she was smaller. It helped her sit up. Now that she's sitting independently, I wanted something a little more compact {ie fits in my diaper bag so I don't forget to bring it in with me!}.

All the tutorials out there only covered the part of the shopping cart where I put my hands to push. My little miss like's licking the part of the cart right in front of her. So, I set out to make something that kept her from licking the cart! This cart cover also includes ribbon loops to hook toys onto as well as a sippy cup leash.

Here's what you'll need to make your own:

1/2 yd of fabric {Pink Ice Cream from the Fly a Kite line by October Afternoon for Riley Blake}

1 1/2 yds of 1/2 inch elastic

30 inches of ribbon {Saddle Stich in Kimberly Pink}

12 inches of  3/4 inch Velcro

Thread {So Fine! in Antique Rose}

Basic sewing supplies {such as ruler, rotary cutter and/or scissors, pins, iron, sewing machine}

First, a note about my measurements. I used a Costco shopping cart for measurement purposes. I've found this to be the largest cart out there. Using these measurements will allow you to use this on the more standard sized carts as well as the club store sized carts. You can always measure the cart you use most frequently if you're worried about fit.

You'll start by cutting a rectangle measuring 37 inches by 13 inches. Then, you'll cut an inch square out of all the corners. This will make it easier to make the casing for the elastic later on.

For the toy loops and sippy cup leash, you'll need to cut three 4 inch strips of ribbon and then one 18 inch piece of ribbon. Two and a half inches from the bottom of the fabric is where you'll place your loops. Pin the center of one strip of ribbon at 9 inches from the left, another at 16.5 inches from the left, and another at 24 inches from the left. 

To sew on the ribbon loop, fold 1/2 inch of the ribbon under itself and then stitch. You'll want to make and X and stitch down the sides to reinforce the stitches and make it so your little one doesn't yank the loops off pulling on her toys. Go ahead and repeat this for each side of your three loops.

Next, you'll assembly your sippy cup leash. To figure out how much elastic you'll need, measure around your little one's most used sippy cup. I cut an 7 inch piece of elastic.

Zig-zag stitch the ends of your elastic together multiple times to get a strong stitch. That will give you a loop to slip your sippy cup in. Next, slip the end of the elastic into a loop of the end of your ribbon. Then, sew the ribbon to your elastic.

To attach your sippy cup leash to your cover, slipp the end of your leash {the one that doesn't have the elastic} around one of the ribbon loops. Then, sew the end of the ribbon loop to the ribbon itself.

Now you need to attach your velcro. The velcro will be used to help secure the cover to the shopping cart. It will help prevent your little one's curious fingers from pulling the cover off. 

First, cut your velcro into two 6 inch pieces. Measure 8 inches from the left and 1 1/2 inches from the bottom and pin the rough side of your velcro facing down. Now, 1 1/2 inches from the top and 8 inches from the left pin the soft side of your velcro up. Check out the above picture to make sure you've got the velcro positioned right.

You'll repeat this processes one more time. Measure 8 inches from the right and 1 1/2 inches from the bottom and pin the rough side of the velcro facing down. Then, measure 8 inches from the right and 1 1/2 inches from the top and pin the soft side facing up.

Tack down the velcro by sewing a square. Make sure you're mindful of where the sippy cup leash is so you don't accidentally sew it to your velcro {not that I did that!}.

Ok, now you've got all your add ons sewn on and its time to get to making the elastic casing. The above picture shows what your cover should look like at this point.

Before you get to ironing, pin the velcro out of the way. 

To make the casing, turn and iron 1/4 inch towards the wrong side of the fabric and then fold and iron 1/2 inch pinning as you go. when you get to the corner, you'll fold the height of the fabric under the width of the fabric and pin the open edge that's left along the width.

Tack down this open edge as close to the edge as you can get. Don't forget to backstitch! This will keep your elastic from popping out.

After finishing off all four corners, you'll go ahead and sew your elastic casing. Make sure you leave an inch gap to thread your elastic through. I remind myself by putting a double pin where I need to stop.

Next, cut your elastic to 41 inches. Run your elastic through your casing. {Here's a tutorial if you need one.}

Overlap your elastic by one inch and zig-zag multiple times. I like to do it in two places to make sure that my elastic won't come apart on me.

Pull your elastic in and finish off your casing seam and you're all set to go shopping.

My little miss is such a ham these days. Despite the goofy face, she loved her new shopping cart handel cover!

Thanks for the kind feature!

Come party with me!

C.R.A.F.T, Mommy By Day, Crafter By Night, Tip Junkie, Southern Lovely, Uncommon Designs, Somewhat Simple, Yesterday on Tuesday, House of Hempworths, 52 Mantels, The CSI Project, Link text, Serenity Now, Tatertots and Jello, Family Ever After, The Grant Life, Positively Splendid, I {Heart} Nap Time, It's Overflowing