Fix the factory!

How often do you come home with something factory-made and it falls apart within days? 

Things just aren't made as well as they used to be.  Things used to be made to last.  Not anymore.  The sooner it breaks, the sooner you'll buy another.

Well, we got this doll stroller second hand from a friend who was throwing it away.  My daughter had a lot of fun with it.  I knew it was breaking, so I used a hairband to fix the handle strap and we made do.  Once we moved I pulled it out of a moving box and found a huge nasty yellow stain on the seat... I don't remember that being there before.  I'll call it juice.

Anyway, it was too thrashed to justify a washing.

Here's where we fix the factory-made stuff!

I wish so badly that I could have made a tutorial out of this, but the truth is, I had no idea what I was doing.

I used some surplus fabric I had lying around, some mismatching vintage bias tape, and more mismatching thread.

I took the following steps:

I studied how the original seat was made.  I drew a sketch of it and wrote little numbers next to parts so I knew what order to go in.  For example, I had to sew the handle straps and lap straps first.  Next I had to sew the bias tape around the back piece.  Then I folded the front of the seat under and attached the seat to the back.  Lastly I sewed bias around the seat.

I know that didn't make sense... it was just an example.

But here is the finished product!

Good enough for kiddos, sturdier than the factory settings,

and good enough for me :)

(This is how we pose when both kids refuse to let go.)