How to draft a pram liner pattern

As promised here is a new How To on drafting a pram liner pattern and sewing the liner. I have used a Maclaren Quest for this, but made liners for lots of different prams in this way. My previously posted Mountain Buggy & Baby Jogger City Mini liners are made in this same way.

 Materials
.5 meter Easy Trace or Kwik Trace (available from Spotlight)
a ball point pen
.5 meter of fabric for each side.*
.4 meter of 1cm thick foam (available from Clark Rubber)

* if you choose a pattern which is one directional you may need to increase this accordingly.

It is usually much easier to get a good fit for your liner by removing the seat of the pram, (this also gives you a great opportunity to give it a good wash. ) Once off lay it out as flat as possible, fold any folds outwards. Lay the Easy trace over and pin it down, by pushing pins into the seams, this will avoid doing any damage to your pram fabrics. 

Then using a ball point pen (which won't bleed through) trace the seam lines,  buttonholes for straps and any important folds, by top stitching them on your liner will seat much neater. Be sure to minimize movement so it is as even as possible. 

When complete put your pram fabrics aside, neaten the lines and add a 15mm selvage around the edge.

Once you've traced the seat it is time to neaten it all up. It is important that it is symmetrical and that it matches the seat. Fold it in half (and hopefully!) it should be close.

Clean up the lines, straightening them, adjust the button holes etc. Referring back to the seat as much as needed. When it's done cut out your pattern and your ready to sew!

Cut the foam and each fabric piece out. Take care that the fabric is in the right direction.











Lay the foam on the bottom and both pieces of fabric right sides together on top.

Sew around the edges leaving a 5" gap, ideally at the top as this section is usually covered by the hood.

Turn the liner the right way again, check the edge seams to make sure they are neat and even. Press.

Hand stitch close the opening.

Sew around the liner 5mm from the edge to give a neat look and structure.

Refer back to your pattern and mark the button holes and fold lines for the seat back etc with pins.

Before you sew anything be sure to use a ruler to check they are evenly spaced, or the liner will slant and also hold it against the (reassembled) pram to make sure the holes will line up.

Then sew your buttonholes and top stictching.

And Voila!!! You are done!

Another BJCM liner

I made a friend another BJCM liner and matching nappy clutch, it doesn't look as nice on my blue, but I think it will look lovely on her Sand BJCM.





UPDATE

I was recently asked for the measurements of this liner, so thought I'd also post them here:

From the bottom of seat back to the top of seat back: 20"
From back of seat base to front of seat base: 10"
From front of seat base to bottom of footwell: 8.5"

Width at top of seat base: 14"
Width at bottom of seat back/back of seat base: 11"
Width at front of seat base: 13"

Shoulder straps are 4.5" apart & buttonholes 1.5" wide.
Shoulder straps are: 8.5", 9.75", 11.25" & 12.5" above the bottom of the seat back.

Side straps are 1.25" wide, they are 6.25" apart and 2" above the bottom of the seat back.

The fold strap buttonholes are 1.5" wide, 6.75" apart & 1" forward from the back of the seat base back.

The crotch strap is 2.5" wide and 3.5" forward from the seat base back.

Baby Jogger City Mini Liner

Since deciding to take my Baby Jogger City Mini to Sydney in May I thought it was finally time to make the liner I have been promising it since it joined the family. I have a whole new love of the Baby Jogger City Mini again now, as does Finn who keeps pointing at things on the liner.

I will post a tutorial for making a liner soon, I have changed my method slightly and like it much more. The BJCM one is slightly different because of the fold strap, but it was pretty simple really, the strap can unscrew on side and can be unthreaded, (which allows you to wash the seat also) then you just need 2 button holes to allow the strap to go through.

When I was done and fitting it back on, and congratulating myself on how well the fabric suited a holiday when I realized we're going in May and it will be cold so I made it a footmuff based on the zips and buttons. This is my first footmuff and I love it.

Pram Liners are done!!

Ages ago I posted a pattern I drafted for the Phil & Teds' Sport, it took me all this time to get around to making it up, and now I finally can share the finished project:

To construct it I:

Cut backrest and square seat, of each from the fabric, ripstop nylon, wadding and 2 types of padded interfacing; one super stiff and one fluffy (trying to recreate some stuff called Timtex which has been discontinued here). (You only need .3 of a meter for each layer)

Then for the backrest part I layered the Fabric with the right side facing the Nylon and stacked that on top of the interfacing's & wadding and over-locked 3 sides.

I used the open edge to turn the fabric right side out (over the padding so it looks like the finished product), then repeated this for the seat part.Then I over-locked the 2 parts (backrest & seat) together by pinning the fabric (right sides together), wadding and interfacing together and stitching (leaving the nylon free) on the open end and then hand stitched together the nylon to make a smooth seam on the back. I pretty much stuck to the measurements I posted last time, but I did end up shortening the seat a little.

Finally I used my sewing machine to add the button holes for the straps, the slits each all have to be at least 3cm wide to fit the buckles through (found that out the hard way). I measured up the heights as I went so it sat flat, for the backrest the depths were all 1.5" from the edge, and 1.5" wide. The center hole on the seat is 2" wide and completely centered. And that was it, hope that helps!

(Sorry for the imperial measurements, the pram seems to conform more to imperial than metric, which is weird for a NZ pram.. they are metric aren't they?)

Now I have to get myself in gear and make the weekender up as a nappy bag in the matching fabric!

Cheers,
Jocelyn.

A pram of ones own

We have a pram, I have been lusting after the Phil & Teds Sport for some time and have found one at quite a bargain.

I am very enthusiastic about pram liners, I have been trying to find instructions for them to no avail. I am yet to make them but this afternoon drafted a pattern for them. I can't wait to get started on them!

Happy sewing, 

Jocelyn