Car Craft Caddy

Car Craft Caddy
By Andrea DeHart

What better way to celebrate summer then to hit the open road. If you’re a constant crafter, such as myself, you look for every opportunity to take your projects on the go. On our last road trip, I was constantly fishing scissors and balls of yarn out from under my seat as they rolled off my lap. Hence, I came up with this Car Craft Caddy pattern. Feel free to customize the pattern to fit your crafting needs and supply requirements. I would recommend sitting in the car with a large piece of paper, pencil, and measuring tape. This way you can figure out the exact dimensions of your caddy.

Materials

Basic sewing supplies
4 fabric quarters or at least 13″×17″ fabric swatches
¼ yard clear vinyl
¼ yard heavyweight interfacing
13″×3″ sheet of plastic an old plastic notebook cover works just as well
1/4″-wide elastic
8″ zipper
½”-wide ribbon
1½”-wide ribbon
Download Car Craft Caddy pattern (tiled version)
Download Car Craft Caddy pattern (full-scale version)
Note: For cars with side impact air bags, please make sure your craft caddy isn’t covering the air bag area.

Directions

Step 1: Sew or fuse interfacing to the backside of the caddy base for stability.

Step 2: Trace pocket and pouch placements, using chalk, directly onto the caddy base for easy reference. Cut out all the caddy pocket pieces.

Step 3: Use a basting stitch to gather the base of the yarn pouch. Press under ½” at the top edge, and sew the elastic strip to the backside using a zigzag stitch. Press under a ½” seam allowance on sides. With right sides facing each other, sew the base of the pouch to the caddy.

Step 4: Flip the pouch upwards and topstitch along the pouch sides. Don’t forget to add the ½” wide ribbon into the right side seam to hold your scissors.

Step 5: For the zipper pocket, press under a ½” seam allowance around all sides. Topstitch the top edge of the pocket to one side of the zipper. Align the pocket according to your chalk placement on the caddy and topstitch around all 4 sides.

Step 6: Sew the clear vinyl hook and needle holders to the front of the caddy. Adjust the size of the scissor holder according to the size of your scissors, and sew into place.
Tip: To prevent pulling when sewing with vinyl, insert a piece of tissue paper between the presser foot and vinyl. When you are finished, just tear away the tissue layer.

Step 7: Cut two 4″ strips of the wider ribbon and pin to the front of the caddy base, ½” from each side. Line up the raw edges and baste into place. With right sides together, sew the back of the caddy base to the front, leaving the bottom edge open. Turn right-side out and press seams. Insert a 12″×1″ piece of plastic or cardboard between the 2 layers. Push to the top of the caddy and topstitch through the front and back layers to hold the strip in place. This will give stability to the top edge of your caddy.
Step 8: Finish the bottom raw edge of the caddy with the wider ribbon trim, by folding in half lengthwise then stitching through all layers.

Step 9: Cut a 13″×2″ plastic strip. This piece will anchor between the window glass and the rubber edge. Line up the plastic strip with the caddy and mark where the ribbon lines up. Cut a slit in the plastic and thread the ribbon through it. Sew the ribbon back on itself to secure.

Step 10: Fill your finished caddy with all your crafting essentials. The yarn pouch can also house instruction sheets. Don’t forget to tie your scissors to the ribbon attached to the yarn pouch. Fill the zipper pocket with your crafting notions and accessories. It also doubles as a pincushion.
Alternate Pattern Suggestions
There are so many uses for a craft caddy so I am including some adjustments to this pattern to fit your creative needs. To make a craft caddy for the kids in the backseat, tie longer ribbon strips to the top edge and simply tie them around the back of the front seat headrests. Fill with paper, pencils, and crayons.
If you jet-set by airplane, add a sleeve to the backside of the top of the caddy to slip over the tray table in it’s closed position. The average tray table measures 16.5″ wide by 9.5″ deep.
If you prefer to have your caddy in front of you in the car, try adding an elastic strip that runs along the backside. This will allow you to attach your caddy to the door of your glove compartment.
About the Author:

Andrea DeHart is a self-proclaimed Craft-o-holic. She looks for every opportunity to use her crafty skills and wastes no supplies. With a toddler in tow and another on the way, she keeps herself busy behind the sewing machine. You can follow her crafty creations at www.craftybitch.com.