meet our friends’ adorable son, miles. miles loves cars.
only instead of “cars,” he calls them “bye byes.” we’re guessing it’s because you “go bye bye” in them?
miles just turned two. for his birthday, i made him a backpack full of bye byes.
the fabric is echino by etsuko furuya cars, with kona olive lining and straps (because it goes with everything!) and white store-bought piping. the pattern is rae’s toddler backpack. it was a straightforward sew and a great pattern (especially with the update to add lining), but shoot, it is definitely not the quickest project in the world. lots of steps on this bad boy. it turns out such a perfect little kid backpack, though, i think it’s totally worth the effort.
the only change i made was to interface the outside front panel and the bottom side panels with fusible interfacing. once done, it was still a bit floppy (the echino is sort of a heavier weight linen/cotton blend), so i’d probably also interface the outer back fabric and top panels next time, just for a bit more structure.
i did sort of a union jack type quilting on the bottom. it makes me happy for some reason.
we took a little walk…
and he did some stuff…
all wearing a cars backpack of his very own! little kids look so cute and “big” in backpacks, don’t they? O was wearing it around before they came over to visit and he was a huge fan of the “baapaaa” himself, so I might need to add another one of these to the list.
happy happy birthday, little guy!
skirt as top 
Too cute!!! I love it!! Perfect for a little guy!
That is so cute!! I can’t imagine how much a little car fan would love such a fun fabric and a big boy backpack!! You are such a sweet friend!
oh heavens, this is adorable! And I have to admire your willpower in finishing something so impossibly cute and then staying true to your intention of giving it away! Glad you have lots of pictures to document its cuteness:) Thanks for the interfacing tips. My daughter is starting preschool this fall and I was considering sewing her up a backpack, and now if I do so, I’ll have your tips to help out.
YES, giving it away was the hardest part. But a big reason I started my flickr page/blog was to document these things before I did give them away, so off it goes! 😉 If you do make one for your little gal, Rae gives instructions to size it up to fit larger books in, and you can easily add a pocket to the inside…enjoy!
Love the union jack quilting on the bottom…it’s unexpected and FUN! It’s a cute backpack.:)
The bye bye backpack rocks…as do you!
Thanks, girl! Hope that kid’s helping lug stuff around for you, now. 🙂
nice work! this is such perfect backpack fabric. no wonder he loves it! and he’s such a cutie!
smart kid! that is so funny that he calls cars bye byes!
i love that fabric, and the piping makes my knees weak! love it.
what a perfect gift for a toddler, or any little one for that matter! think of all the little cars he can stuff in there. very cute!
Little kids in backpacks are adorable!
And that is one cool looking backpack…such a perfect fabric choice!
I love that pattern. I think b needs one of her own and I need to make a bigger one for s. Great boy fabric you found.
very cool!! I love this bag! great job!
Love little kid backpacks and this one is absolutely perfect! That said, GRR! “Bye Bye Birdie” has been stuck in my head all day. 🙂
Hahaha, sorry about that!
Darling backpack! I really should try to overcome my fear of zippers and make one of these. I know Ansley would love it!!!
So cute. The perfect gift for a car loving little boy.
Oh yeah. The bottom makes me happy too. How cute is he??
So cute Kristin!
oh LOVE!!!
The “union jack” quilting on the bottom is the best. Love that idea!!
Love it! So funny that Miles calls cars “bye byes.” The fabric is awesome. Will you make Yuki one? She’s turning two soon! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Haha, um…I would LOVE to see your version for Yuki! Good thing you can sew! 😉
Well, “bye byes” makes sense when you think about the dialogue that occurs around cars – “let’s go bye bye,” and “bye bye car!,” and “bye bye friends!” I think it’s quite sensible. My three year persists in calling cars “toys” which makes a lot less sense, especially now that he also calls toys “toys.” I’m a lawyer, so naturally I have tried to point out to him that his usage is really susceptible to ambiguity and I would prefer we stick to defined terms, but no dice. 😉
The backpack is AWESOME. I’ve also been considering this pattern for Joe as he starts up preschool this September.
Omigosh I love this comment. “Joe, your usage is susceptible to ambiguity, please specify the noun you are referring to rather than generalizing when you speak to me.” 😉
And thanks! It is a great pattern to have in the arsenal, for sure.
Kristin, you are so AWESOME! Miles is coming to visit this weekend, and I sure hope he’s packing his new back pack, I have a feeling he will be! Also, the union jack quilting makes me happy too!
Aw thanks, Alyssa! Say Hi to Miles (and his parents too) for me! 😉 Hope he has it loaded it up with all sorts of goodies.
So freaking amazing!! That looks like so much work. I am way too selfish to spend that long on something and give it away;)
Darling as always!!
thanks girl! i know, i’m not a very good selfish seamstress…i need to get better at sewing just for me. there are lots of reasons i don’t, the biggest being i’m such a perfectionist i get annoyed at every mistake…but i also have trouble buying things when i could just make them! it’s a problem. 😉
What a cute little guy and he loves his cool backpack. 5 kids later and I still have yet to make one!