I Spy Bags

Have you made these bags??? Yup, probably. (In case you don't know what they are, it's where you put all sorts of little trinkets in a bag with a little window and then your child has to find certain objects......or just look and explore. The pictures will explain it better.) But I thought it would be fun to make shapes out of them. Might keep the kiddos entertained for like 5 more minutes than normal. Worth it.

Cut a shape out of paper (my dimensions are 6 inches wide by 4 inches tall) and then two of that shape out of fleece.



Cut a hole out of the center of the front piece, where you'll soon see all the innards of your bag.



Cut a piece of vinyl big enough to cover the hole.........



............and sew into place, really close to the edge. (Sew with the vinyl on the bottom, otherwise it will "stick" to your presser foot.) But don't look too closely. Mine's not perfect. Whoops. Elli (our little lady) will never notice.



Sew the front and back together. Fleece doesn't fray so there is no need to sew it right sides together and then turn right side out. Nope, skip that step and just leave the ends out and free.

Leave a spot open that's big enough to stuff your trinkets and poly fill beads(thanks for your extras Brittany!).




Don't stuff your creature/shape up completely full or it will be hard to sew closed AND it will be hard for your little one to mush all of the beads around, in search for the hidden trinkets. Sew it closed.

Done.



I decided to cut out some shapes to make a crab too. It's not much bigger than the fish. Maybe 7 inches by 4 inches. They fit better in little hands this way.

I cut out a front and back piece for the main body, a front and back piece for both pinchers (is that what they're called??), and two little eyes.



Cut out a hole in the front main body piece and then attach some vinyl the same way. Then sew up all sides of each pincher, except for the bottom.



Add some of the beads to the pincher to give it some shape and then sew it closed.



Then pin your pinchers and your eyes to the front piece of the body, keeping all of the loose ends on the inside so you won't see it after sewing it all together. Sew all the way around the whole bodice, securing all parts into place. Make sure to leave an opening for the beads and trinkets.

Done with number two.



Let 'em at it.