Car Organizer

Don’t leave home without this handy car organizer.

8 Fat Quarters
one piece of thin batting 26″ x 22″
a water soluble pen

Take 2 fat quarters: one for the front and one for the back of the organizer. You want your largest fat quarter for the back of your organizer. Sandwich them with the batting. Make sure that the fat quarters are lined up and straight.

Pin your pieces together. Use lots of pins to be sure that the fabrics don’t slip around.

Hand baste your pieces together using long stitches. These will be pulled out once your project is finished.

Cutting your pockets: You have 2 large (brown) and 2 smaller (a blue and a green) pockets and 1 extra long pocket (orange). Take 4 fat quarters (2 brown, 1 blue and 1 green) and cut a 12″ x 14″ rectangle from each.

Here are your 4 pockets ready to be assembled.

Take your blue and green rectangle and fold them with the rights sides together. You now have a folded rectangle that measures 12″ x 7″.

Sew along the short side (7″) using a 1/4″ seam. Sew both 7″ sides on the blue rectangle and on the green rectangle.

Both sides are sewn.

Turn right side out and press.

Take your brown 12″ x 14″ rectangles and fold them the long way, so you have rectangles measuring 14″ x 6″.

Sew the 6″ edges using 1/4″ seam. Do this to both brown rectangles.

Both edges are sewn.

Turn them right side are out. Press both pieces.

Cut your orange fat quarter 12″ x 21″. Fold in half lengthwise. It should measure 21″ x 6″. Sew both short edges using a 1/4″ seam. Turn right side out and press.

Measure to find the center of the pocket. Mark with a pin at the top edge and at the bottom raw edge. Make about 1″ tucks in the four spots shown. The finished length should be 14″.

With your water soluble pen, draw a line on your background piece that is 1 1/4″ from the bottom edge.

Center your orange pocket on your background piece. You should have 2″ on either side of your pocket. Line up the bottom of the pocket raw edge with the drawn line. Pin in place.

Stitch 1/4″ from raw edge. Back stitch at the beginning and end.

Fold pocket back onto background (this hides your seam). Use a ruler to line up your center pins and draw a straight line down the center of the orange pocket. Pin in place.

Sew on the drawn line. Make sure to backstitch when you begin and end. Remove pins.

Sew 1/8″ from your edges on both sides. Your pocket is now finished.

Take one of the brown pieces for the pockets. Make about a 1″ tuck on the raw edge. Pin the tuck in place. Do the same to the other side. Your brown pocket should measure 9″ wide.

On the green piece for the pocket, make your 1″ tucks on the raw edge. Pin in place. Do tucks on both sides. The green pocket should measure 6″ wide once you have the tucks pinned.

Draw a line all the way across the front, 7 1/2″ from the bottom raw edge of the organizer front with your water soluble pen.

Place your pockets as shown. Line up the raw edge of the pockets on the drawn line. Place the pockets so they are approximately 1 1/4″ from side organizer edges and about 1″ apart. Pin in place.

Sew in place using a 1/4″ seam. Back stitching at the beginning and end.

Fold the pockets back onto the background as shown. This hides your raw edge seams.

Sew down the side edges on both green and brown pockets an 1/8″ from the edge.

Make tucks in the blue pocket same as the green pocket. The finished width should measure 6″. Make tucks in the brown pocket same as the other one with the finished width being 9″.

NOTE: the bottom edges of the blue and brown pockets are at different levels.

With your ruler and water soluble pen, draw a straight line 7 1/2″ from the top edge of the organizer. Line up the raw edges of the blue pocket, pin in place.

Draw a line 6 1/2″ from the top organizer edge. This is for the brown pocket. Pin the brown pocket in place lining up the raw edge of the pocket to the drawn line. Leaving an 1″ in between the pockets and 1 1/4″ on the sides.

Sew the pockets in place using 1/4″ seam. Backstitch at the beginning and end.

Flip the pockets back onto the background and pin in place. Measure to be sure that the edges of the pockets are straight. Leave 1 1/4″ from the side of the organizer.

Sew down the edges with an 1/8″ allowance.

Your pockets are all done. You are now ready to bind your organizer.

From the last brown fat quarter, cut 4 – 2 1/4″ strips. Prepare you binding.

Sew your binding in place using a 1/4″ seam.

Your binding is all sewn on. Remove your basting stitches at this point. Remove all pins.

Trim the excess batting from the edges. Be careful not to cut into the binding.

Hand or machine stitch your binding in place.

From the remaining brown fat quarter, cut 2 – 3″ strips. These are for your ties.

Fold in half as shown. Lightly press.

Sew down the one short edge and the long side using 1/4″ seam. Leave one end open so you can turn your tie right side out.

Turn your ties right side out and press.

Sew the ties raw edge in place at an angle as shown on the top corner of the organizer, .

Fold the tie back and stitch 1/4″ from the folded edge. This covers your raw edge and gives more stability to your tie. Repeat on the other side.

Tie your organizer to the back of the driver or passenger’s seat. Fill with items for your child and you are ready to go.

Another option is to use the organizer pockets to hold baby products next to your baby’s changing table. Or, hang it near your child’s bed so they can keep their books and personal items nearby.