Toddler Adventure Pack

My husband wanted me to make Fidget her very own knapsack for when they go on "adventures" (walks in the woods) together. It was a tall order; kind of boxy with a flap that would be easy for Fidget to open and close, at least one outside pocket, and it had to be made (mostly) from one of his old USMC Combat Uniform shirts. Definitely a challenge!

I found an awesome tutorial from Hart & Sew for a Back to School Backpack to start with. Since Fidget is smaller than the average tot her age, I scaled down the pack a bit from Stacy's measurements; instead of cutting the main backpack pattern pieces 13" x 16", I went with 12" x 14" - and then adjusted the measurements of the flap accordingly. Instead of using the pockets from the tutorial, I cut and re-used some of the pockets from the uniform. It fits Fidget pretty good, and there is still a little room for her to grow into it.

One of the smaller shirt pockets became the outside flap,  the perfect place for kleenex and a small pack of hand wipes.

Open the flap and there is a bigger pocket sewn to the front of the pack, perfect for stashing little treasures like acorns, walnuts, and the occasional rock. (What is it with toddlers and rocks. anyway?) I re-sewed the name tag to the top edge of the pack so there's no mistaking who's adventure pack this is! The inside is nice and roomy to hold snacks, a juice, and a notebook and pencil.

I used hook and loop tape to close the pack, it's just enough to keep it closed but easy enough for Fidget to get into. It straps right on her back and thanks to Stacy's sweet design the straps are adjustable so the pack can grow a little with Fidget. And the best part - she loves it!