travel changing pad :: diy + tutorial

Years ago, when I was expecting my first baby, a girlfriend of mine gave me the most practical baby shower gift I had ever received. A homemade travel changing pad. At the time, I didn’t know it, but that changing pad would be the single item I used the most for my first three babies. It was perfect! This changing pad was stored for years in our living room, in a basket with with diapers and wipes. Rarely did our changing station in our nursery get used.

This changing pad was great, because it was sturdy, a bit larger than most store bought changing pads, it could be easily wiped down, it folded up to be quite compact, and it was cute! It is still around somewhere, but it was made with a baby boy in mind, and since I’m expecting a girl, we are rolling with all things girl in our house. It was time to make a new one of these fabulous changing pads, and of course, I saw a DIY tutorial, and had to snap a few photos along the way! Enjoy!

Supplies

• hand towel
• fabric
• ric rac, or ribbon
• Heat & Bond fusable vinyl
• coordinating thread
• tape measure
• sewing machine
• fabric scissors
• iron

The how to…

• Measure your towel. Cut your fabric to fit just inside the trim of your towel. Set aside.
• On the back side of your towel, sew ric rac or ribbon. Be sure to wrap the ric rac or ribbon around to the front side of the towel, so it is extra secure.

• Apply fusable vinyl to your fabric, per instructions on Heat & Bond packaging.
• Sew laminated fabric to inside of the towel, using a zig zag stitch.
• Measure 1/3 the length of your changing pad, and using a ruler or other straight edge, draw a line across the towel. Repeat this at 2/3 the length of your changing pad. Using a straight stitch, sew on top of these two guide lines. This will help affix your laminated fabric to the towel, and will help when folding up your changing pad.

• At this point, you may find that your towel was a little wonky in size to begin with, like mine. Consider adding ribbon or ric rac to cover up any awkward areas.

• Ta-da! You now have a super cute changing pad to use on the go or in to stash in a quick change basket in your home.

What baby gear item gets the most use in your house?