Do-It-Yourself Stroller Canopy

Add a handmade canopy to provide shade from the sun.

Small, fold-up strollers often do not come with a sun-shielding canopy top. This makes hot days out in the sun more difficult or uncomfortable for young babies and toddlers. You can make your own canopy at home from a sturdy, coordinating fabric and attach the canopy with hook and loop fasteners so you can remove the canopy when it is not needed. When you have completed the canopy, add your own unique embellishments to personalize the accessory, such as a ribbon trim or iron-on gemstones.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Sturdy fabric
• Clear plastic
• Sewing machine (or sewing needle)
• Thread
• Floral wire
• Hook and loop fastener
• Straight pins

Instructions

1. Measure the distance from one handlebar on the stroller to the other. Add 10 inches to the measurement.

2. Cut a rectangle from your choice of fabric that measures 14 1/2 inches wide by the measurement obtained in the previous step.

3. Find the center of the rectangle and cut out a smaller rectangle that measures about 4 inches by 5 inches. Cut a piece of clear plastic to measure 4 1/2 inches by 5 1/2 inches. Lay the plastic over top of the rectangular hole, on the wrong side of the fabric, and sew the plastic to the fabric with a running stitch.

4. Fold over 1/2-inch of fabric down one long side and the two short sides of the fabric. Sew a running stitch as far away from the fold as possible. Measure the length of the three sides combined and cut a piece of floral wire to this length. Thread the wire through the channel created by the fold in the fabric.

5. Sew the fabric closed at either short end of the wire to keep it from poking out.

6. Cut two pieces of hook fastener and two pieces of the loop fastener. Make each piece about 5 inches long. You can trim the fasteners later if they are too long.

7. Pin one piece of the hook fastener to the right side of the unwired edge. Pin the other piece to the left side of the unwired edge. Sew the center of each piece to the canopy fabric.

8. Spread glue on the back of the loop fasteners and wrap them around the handlebars. Cut off any excess, leaving 1/2 inch of extra fabric. Sew the ends of one piece of fastener together and then sew the ends of the other fastener together.

9. Wrap the hook fasteners on the canopy around the loop fasteners on the handlebars to keep the canopy in place firmly.

References

• "DIY Baby! Do It Yourself Baby!: Your Essential Pregnancy Handbook"; Shelley Binkley; 2008