Car Seat Cooler Tutorial

About a month ago I saw this Pin floating around on Pinterest...

Car Seat Cooler

It took me to a blog that explained using ice blocks to cool a child's car seat while you are out and your car is sitting in the sun.  I thought it was a fabulous idea for Maddox!!  

At the time her blog did not have a tutorial so I had to figure it out myself from the picture and explanation.  This took me several attempts before I figured out the most efficient way to sew it and also to find a way to minimize the condensation as much as possible.  You will see that mine looks a little less fancy than hers so if you want fancy go with her tutorial.  But I think this way is a little easier because you don't have to worry about bias tape.  Either way a car seat cooler is awesome!  Especially here in Texas :)

WARNING: This is only to be used while the child is out of the seat.  (For example, while the car is parked in a hot parking lot for a long period of time.)  Do NOT place the child in the seat while the cooler is in it.  

   First you need to gather your materials:

 You will only need two pieces of fabric, both cut to 28"X17".  Choose one decorative knit and another solid that is a light fleece or cozy flannel.  You will not see the solid color and the flannel/fleece is just there to soak up some of the condensation from the ice blocks.

You will also need to purchase 5 ice blocks.  I bought these at Target.  The measurements in this tutorial are made for the Igloo medium size ice blocks, but you could just change the measurements if you choose to get another size block.

You will also need a sewing machine and coordinating thread. Now you are ready to start!

1) Place the decorative knit flat with the wrong side facing up.  Then place your flannel/fleece on top of the knit wrong side down (if there is a wrong side).  Then fold up the long edges 1/2 inch and pin.

Sew a 1/4" seam on each side and remove the pins.  Iron the seams that you just sewed.

 2) Now you will fold the piece in half hot dog style so that the right sides are touching.

Now pin the top edges together so that you can get it folded as exact as possible.  You might be able to see from the picture above that I started pinning in the middle.

3) Once the fold is secured you can begin sewing the ends together.  Sew 1/2" from the edge.  (Do as I say, not as I do.  This picture shows me sewing 1" from the edge.  This is because I measured wrong when I made mine.  I was able to make it work, but I am giving you correct measurements.)

Once you sew down use your reverse button and sew back through to ensure the seem is sturdy.  If you are not comfortable with sewing in reverse just take it out and sew the same line again.

You're still not done with this edge.  Trim the excess off getting close to the sew line.  Then go back one more time and sew a zig-zag edge.

Now repeat the same side with  the opposite edge.

4)  Now you can pull the fabric out and iron the giant pocket that you just created.

5) Now it is time to mark your lines for the ice block pockets.  I used a wooden ruler and a piece of chalk to measure out my lines.  Start at one end of the giant pocket and measure 3 lines 5" from the previous.  (Start measuring at the edge.)  Then go to the other side and measure 2 lines 5" from the previous.  (Start measuring at the opposite edge.)  You will be left with approx. 2" in between the lines you just drew.  That is what you want.  That part will remain empty, but will allow the cooler to bend in the middle so that you can place it in the seat.  I could not get any good pictures because the chalk does not show up on the dark fabric that well.  Here is a little sketch of how it should look.

Here is one of the chalk lines that I got a semi-decent picture of.  

6) Now you can go through and sew each of those lines through.  After you trim your strings you are done!  It is time to stuff those pockets with ice blocks.

Remember, I did not measure correctly when I made mine so you should have more space in between the top and bottom of your cooler.  Mine works fine, but if I were to do it again I would do it the way I told you.

Your cooler should roll up like mine does here...

Mine even fits nicely in one of the shelves in my freezer.

After you let it freeze overnight you can put it to use in your car seat.   

WARNING: This is only to be used while the child is out of the seat.  (For example, while the car is parked in a hot parking lot for a long period of time.)  Do NOT place the child in the seat while the cooler is in it.  

It is a good idea to tuck the straps of the car seat under the cooler to keep those cool as well.

I hope this is helpful to someone.  I think this is about the 5th or 6th one I made and I am finally satisfied with it!