With 4 of us in the
van, maximizing storage is a must. The kids, 14 & 12, will mostly be
manning the back bench seat, and will need a place to store their stuff,
including water bottles. I decided to make some saddlebag style organizers that
hang over the edge of the kick plate and have storage both inside and outside.
This tutorial has
three steps:
1. Construction of 4
Covered Shoe Panels
2. Construction of
Basic Saddlebag
3. Optional Extra
Pocket Panel
NOTE:
Since this fabric
looks pretty identical on both sides, I've colored in the "wrong"
side red to help distinguish the two.
For information on
materials, check out:
Construction of 4 Covered Shoe Panels:
These covered shoe panels will not only
have the 4 mini shoe pockets, but also serve as the front of a larger pocket
(which can easily be sewn into smaller pockets, as I have done in the next
step).
I bought a cheap
shoe organizer here in Chile for 2000 pesos($4). It has 5 rows of pockets and
is made out of that papery fabric that is on airline pillows, but a little
thicker. This was the only type available here, though I would have preferred
one out of “real” fabric, which would probably be more durable.
Cut the shoe organizer under the row of sewn pockets. (The nice thing
about this type of fabric is that it doesn't fray!)
Cut a piece of fabric large enough to enclose all edges of the
shoe organizer piece. I gave myself ~1 inch extra on the 3 bottom sides, and 2½
inches on the top so I could make a thicker band for a deeper pocket.
Using an iron, I
made a folded edge on the bottom part. NOTE: I didn't keep the shoe organizer in the
fabric when I ironed since the shoe organizer would have melted from the heat.
For the sides, I put
the shoe organizer in place, noted the position, removed the shoe organizer, and then pressed the rolled edge. I
made the top edge wider so the pocket panel was about 9 inches tall, which
would hold my daughter’s large sketchbook.
I positioned the
organizer back into the prepared fabric, pinned, and then sewed with a straight stitch (the favorite stitch of my “trusty”
sewing machine, La Fea).
NOTE:
My shoe organizer
came with 5 rows of pockets, so I saved the 5th for use in my passenger seat
cover. It is made the almost the same as these, except sized to fit across the
back of the seat.
Check out my tutorial for Custom Front Seat Covers for more info.
Construction of Basic Saddlebag:
Measure your kick
board. You need the measurements of the front, the width of the board, and
inside the box.
My measurements were
different on either side of the bench because of some parts that are attached
to the inside floor of the box. The left side measured 14” in front + a ½ inch
width + 12" inside = 26½ inches. The right side of the box had nothing
attached to the floor, so the measurements were 14” in front + a ½ inch width +
14” inside = 28½ inches. My covered shoe panels from the previous step measured
12” wide.
In order to make two saddlebags, I cut two large
rectangles: one 26½ x 13 inches, and one 28½ x 13 inches. These measurements
allow for folded edges all around, as well as keep the saddlebags from touching
the ground. (You will use these panels in order to make the "Optional Extra Pocket Panel.")
Fold and stitch the
edges of your rectangle, making sure that the finished width is as wide as your covered shoe panel.
Stitch the sides and
bottom of the covered shoe panels to the rectangle (as shown by the red lines), keeping the top edge open to form a
pocket. I pinned them in place and stitched with a zigzag stitch.
I used a straight stitch along one of the seams of the shoe pocket
to separate the big pocket into two. My shoe pocket had 4 mini pockets, so I
stitched a seam after the first mini pocket on the front panel in order to
create a pocket large enough to hold a large sketchbook snugly. In the back panel I
stitched a seam in the middle to create two equal pockets. (Examples are indicated by the red lines in the photo.) You can also
just leave it as a single large pocket; it’s up to you.
Optional Extra Pocket Panel:
This step will
require four pieces:
-2 covered shoe
panels
-1* medium rectangle
to create the extra pocket (about 2x the size of the covered shoe panel).
-1 large rectangle
for the back piece (the same rectangle from the above step).
*Note: This tutorial only makes one extra pocket, but you can make extra pockets on each side of the saddlebag.
*Note: This tutorial only makes one extra pocket, but you can make extra pockets on each side of the saddlebag.
Making the Extra Pocket Panel:
In order to make an
extra pocket behind the covered shoe panel, you’ll need to cut and attach a
medium rectangle to the back. This piece should be a little more than twice the
size of a covered shoe panel. Since the covered shoe panel is 12” x 9”, I cut
my medium rectangle to 13” x 19”. This will add enough fabric to make a rolled
edge as well as give the pocket it’s own lip (as you can see in the final photo
of this tutorial).
Sew the bottom three
sides of the covered shoe panel to the medium rectangle, leaving the top open to
make the pocket.
This is also now the
time to add dividing seam(s) in the pocket, if you wish. I made mine to fit my
daughter’s sketchbook.
(Obviously my fabric
sizes are a little wonky...oh well, it all still worked out fine.)
Putting it Together:
Cut and finish a large
rectangle (as described in the “Construction of Basic Saddlebag” step above).
My large rectangle, before finishing with rolled edges, was 26½ x 13 inches.
With the “Extra
Pocket Panel” upside down, pin the “top” side to the large rectangle (attach
"A" to "1" and "B" to "2"). As
shown by the red line, I sewed the sides and bottom together with a zigzag
stitch, leaving the top open to form a pocket when it is folded over.
To finish, all you
have to do is add your final covered shoe panel to the saddlebag.
You can just drape
the saddlebags over the edge of the box under the bench seat, but they kinda
scrunch up if you do that. I found that two or three of those large binder
clips on each holds them in place nicely, while keeping them easily
removable. You can also tack them down with some screws and washers inside the
box.
Let me know if you have any questions, I'll be sure to answer them (when we're in a place with internet)! Also, feel free to send in photos of your version of these organizers.
Best!
Best!
Cana
