Dora Backpack Tutorial
Materials: Cut from Fleece:
1/3-1/2 yard purple no-pill fleece 2 body pattern pieces
10" of 1 1/2" wide elastic 2 flap pieces
thread 1 star pattern piece
scrap lining 1 map pocket piece
red, orange, yellow craft foam 1 4"x27" gusset piece
red, black, white iron-on vinyl or fabric 2 3.5"x12" strap pieces
paint 2 3.5"x6" strap pieces
star-shaped metal cookie cutter
mallet Cut from Lining:
2 sheets of iron-on transfer paper 1 map pocket piece
1 8x11 sheet of cream or white craft felt
Dora Backpack Tutorial Page 1
Instructions:
1. Pre-wash all fabric and press.
2. Cut out your pieces. For optimum fabric usage, use this layout:
3. Pin the lining to the map pocket piece and sew a 1/4" seam along the sides and bottom leaving the
top open. Clip the curves and turn the pocket right-side out. Fold the top over 1/2" to create a
finished edge and stitch in place.
4. Pin the map pocket (right side out) and the star to the 4"x27" gusset piece at desired locations - I
pinned my map pocket 1 1/2" from one end and the star 3" from the other end. Make sure to
position both such that you will have at least a 1" border on either side - this may require some
manipulating of the fabric. Remember that you want to create a pocket, so try to bring the
sides of the map pocket directly up from the bottom instead of letting them spread out.
5. Top stitch around the edge of the map pocket staying as close to the pocket edge as you can.
6. For the star pocket, start at the tip of the left-hand arm of the star and top-stitch around the
bottom to the tip of the right-hand arm of the star.
7. For the straps of the bag, begin with the smaller 3.5"x6" pieces. Fold these pieces in half length-
wise and stitch along the long side. Turn the strap and slide 5" of 1 1/2" elastic into the strap. With
the strap right-side out and the elastic on the inside, stay stitch the elastic to one end of the
casing. Pull the top of the fleece down so that it is even with the elastic and stay stitch the
elastic along the top edge of the strap. Repeat with other small strap piece.
8. Now, take the longer strap strips and fold these in half as well. Sew along the long side. Insert
the shorter strap piece into one end of the longer strap and stitch a 1/2" seam along the edge.
Turn the long strap piece right-side out and top-stitch where the short piece connects to the
longer piece for added strength. Repeat with other strap piece.
9. Pin the straps into place on one of the body pieces placing the elastic casing ends of the straps in
the bottom corners of the body and the other ends of the straps 1/2" - 3/4" to either side of the
top middle. Now, pin the 4"x27" gusset piece around the edge of the body piece - toward the
straps. Sew a 1/2" seam around the pinned edges. Pin the front piece of the backpack to the
gusset making sure that the straps are between the front and back pieces. Sew a 1/2" seam
around the pinned edges.
Dora Backpack Tutorial Page 2
10. Now you are going to gusset the gusset! Find the middle of one side of the gusset and mark with
a straight pin. Find the midway point between the middle and the edges and mark with a straight
pin. Pull the side pins toward the middle pin allowing the extra fabric to fold to the back. Flatten
this fabric evenly. The result should look similar to this:
Right-side (which is currently on the inside)
Wrong-side of fabric (currently on the outside)
Pin the fabric in place and stitch 1" from the edge of the fabric.
11. Now, turn and pin the top edge of the fabric down 1/2" toward the outside (or "wrong side" of the
fabric). Stitch 3/16" from the folded edge. Turn the back right-side out.
12. Sew your flap by pinning the two flap pieces together and sewing around the curved side leaving
the straight edge open. Turn the flap right-side out.
13. Align the straight edge of the flap with the top edge of the backpack with the flap covering the
back straps and pin in place. Sew along the edge you just pinned. Your bag is now nearly
complete.
14. Using the face template, either paint on the mouth and eyes, or use a Silhouette or similar vinyl
cutter to cut iron-on vinyl to create your face.
15. For the stars, place a sheet of craft foam on the wooden cutting board. Place a metal star-
shaped cookie cutter in desired location and take your frustrations out on the cutter with the
mallet being careful to avoid your fingers least you get a horrible blood blister (words of
experience). Alternately, cut the stars out of the foam with scissors. I found the cookie cutter
mallet method to be much, much faster though each star required 15 swings of the mallet - 3 for
each arm.
16. For the map, print the map image onto an iron-on transfer sheet. Iron this onto a sheet of white
or cream felt. Print the map face onto another sheet of transfer paper. Caution - when you iron
the face onto the map, make sure to leave your transfer paper on the other side of the map!
Otherwise, you will iron off the map you just ironed onto the other side - again, experience talking.
17. Roll your map up and insert into the pocket. Place your stars in the star pocket and tada! Mission
complete!
Dora Backpack Tutorial Page 3
Match Stars
to piece pattern
together
Match Stars
to piece pattern
together
Lining cut line
Map Pocket
Cut 1
Cut 1
