Nature Pack

This little nature pack is probably my favorite thing I've made in a long time. I would bet that I had as much fun making it as April has using it. The idea for it came from several places including the Handmade Home and Growing Up Sew Liberated. The results are pretty awesome if I do say so myself.

The bag itself is made from a 100% wool blanket I found at the thrift store. It was a nice choice for a sturdy fabric that could stand up to some of our west coast wet weather. Also it made a great medium on which to needle-felt the little wool squirrel. I lined the bag with just a simple cotton quilting fabric. I didn't use a pattern so there were a couple flaws (like I had hoped for a slightly narrower bag) but honestly you can't even tell.

I filled the bag with a bird identification book, kid-friendly binoculars, a little magnifying glass and a beautifully illustrated nature scavenger hunt. My friend is an incredibly talented artists so I was very blessed  that she helped me by illustrating these cards. They would not have been as beautiful if it was left to me.

We took the whole pack out for a try this weekend and I have to admit Jon and I had just as much fun with the scavenger hunt as April did. She was also completely enamored with the binoculars and identifying every bird we came across. Encouraging curiosity was definitely the goal with the new nature pack so I feel pretty confident in declaring this project a success.