We are looking forward to being able to travel again in the near future. Let’s start getting ready by sewing a nice DIY car organizer. This type of travel storage is so practical and is ideal for holding toys, snacks, drinks, books, tissues and anything else you might need a long car journey. It could even be used as a toiletry bag!
We will show you how to make a custom car organizer in this tutorial. So grab some fabric and let’s get started.
Feel free to choose the size and shape that suits your needs best.
You will need the following for a DIY car organizer measuring 40 cm x 50 cm:
- Fabric –½ m for the main piece and ½ m for the pockets (you can either use identical or different fabrics).
- Interfacing - we used Vlieseline H250, but you can use any sturdy non-woven fabric.
- 1.5 m elastic, 5 mm wide
- 2 m strap, 2 cm wide
- 2 snap buckles, 2 cm wide
- 2 sliders, 2 cm wide
- Printed labels with your own design
Just follow the steps in the Car Seat Organizer Tutorial below!
First, cut your fabrics to size. You will need two 42 x 52 cm rectangle for the main part, two 26,5 x 52 cm pieces for the pockets and one 30 x 52 cm piece. Cut two 10 cm pieces, one 1.5 m piece and one 65 cm piece from the strap.
We start with the pockets. Place the two small pieces with the long sides right sides together and sew them together with a seam allowance of 0.75 cm. Turn the pockets through one end and iron them so that the seam is all the way at the bottom. Fold and iron the large piece of fabric in the middle. You should now have two 12.5 x 52 cm pieces and one 15 x 52 cm piece.
Topstitch the folded fabric close to the edge. Then topstitch a second seam 0.75 cm above the first to create a drawstring. Cut three 42 cm pieces of elastic and thread one piece through each drawstring using a safety pin. Topstitch the ends into place.
Now pull the bottoms of the pockets together until they are the right length. Sew two seams with maximum stitch length close to the edge. Then pull on the two bottom threads carefully so that the fabric is drawn together. Keep measuring until the length is right and then distribute the folds evenly. Once the pockets are sewn on, you can remove these seams.
Next sew the pockets onto one of the main pieces. The larger piece goes at the bottom and is stitched close to the edge on the left, right and bottom. Sew the two smaller pieces on top - leave 2.5 cm between each pocket and sew them close to the edge on the left, right and bottom.
You can arrange the bags however you like. Decide beforehand what should go where and divide your compartments accordingly. We decided on one 12 cm pocket and two 15 cm pockets.
Sew on the strap next. Thread the two short pieces through one of the large buckle pieces and stitch the ends together. If you want to mount your DIY car organizer behind the driver, sew one piece on the top left and one piece on the bottom left - if you want the storage behind the front passenger, sew them on the right side instead. Either way, the pieces are attached 7.5 cm away from the corner.
Now prepare the long pieces as shown in the picture: wrap them around the middle part of the slider, through the other clasp part, and through the slider again. Then sew the short ends tightly, preferably with a rectangle as shown in the picture. Then sew the strap opposite the shorter pieces - the short strap goes on top and the long strap on the bottom.
Almost done! Now take the other piece of the main fabric and place it right sides together on your organiser. Sew the two layers together with a 0.75cm seam allowance. Leave a turnaround opening of 8-10cm at the bottom - and lock your stitches before and after the turnaround opening. Trim the seam allowance at the corners and turn your car organiser through the turning opening. Iron well, making sure the seam allowance is facing inwards at the turnaround opening.
You can then sew on your personalised printed label.
Topstitch your DIY car organizer all around and close the turnaround opening.
Your new travel companion is ready!
<style type="text/css"><!--td {border: 1px solid #ccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}--></style>Don't miss these blog posts from Wunderlabel:
Sewing Tutorial: Toy Storage Bag
Free Tutorial: DIY Foldable Shopping Bag
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