DIY Sunday Bags

 For Christmas (over a year ago...) I wanted to make quilted bags for the girls for Sunday, for Sacrament meeting, so that they could pack and carry their OWN stuff :) We've been using a bag for both of them, but with more than one child, with coloring books, books, snacks, and water bottles... the bag we used to use was bulging.

I got the fabric at Fabricland on sale for $5 :) Before Christmas of 2012... and then I got pregnant and didn't get beyond making my pattern. So this year, I decided they needed to get finished. Peach for Gabby, Purple for Lydia.

Because I bought the fabric before I made the pattern, I ended up buying way WAY more than I needed. I also made matching binder covers, complete with interior pockets for crayons/colored pencils, back pockets, and a button closure. Next year, the girls will get matching aprons out of this stuff.

I went with buttons because these are for church - zippers and velcro are pretty loud, and I figured buttons are a good fine motor skill to practice. Buttons, buttons everywhere.

Here is the front of the bag with the flap open, and 2 big pockets on the front.

 And I made the straps adjustable, with more buttons :)

I put clear vinyl pockets for pictures on the back. I saw the idea on somebody else's Sunday bags :) I made the pockets a little bigger than the 4x6 pictures they hold, to make it easier for little hands to pull pictures in and out, and also so that we could fit STACKS of pictures for more entertainment. I included family pictures, Temple pictures, First Presidency pictures, and Jesus pictures.

And a pocket on the inside (to hold their BOM's that they've been begging to take to church) - I had to hand-stitch these pockets so that I wouldn't end up wrecking any of the pockets on the outside. Having these quilted added a whole 'nother layer of logistics to these! 

The binders are padded, and I made it so that they are just cheap-o binder covers, so if the binder rings in one of the binders goes (I HATE when the rings stop lining up or clamping properly) then we can just pull it out easily and replace it. 

Another button:

Inside the front of the binder - I went with Twistables, they seemed like the cleanest, quietest option :) 

The back pocket inside the binder:

And, the finished set :) 

Christmas morning, the girls LOVED these :)

We printed off a bunch of Christmas pictures (thanks Paul!) to have already in the binders, coloring pictures of different characters from the nativity, and there was a pause in present-opening to play with these. I LOVE moments like this.

Lydia is pretty pleased to be such a big girl with her own copy of the Book of Mormon. 

And of course, pictures of family are ALWAYS a big hit. 

 Here's to quieter Sacrament meetings where Mommy and Daddy can actually listen! :)