Beat the Heat with a Water Bottle Sling {DIY}

It's August. That means lots of things, but to Mother Nature in the Northern Hemisphere it means "crank up the heat!" We still have a week of summer camp and a week of vacation before the kids go back to school, but even after school starts, there's still plenty of summer weather left to enjoy.

Despite the heat, my kids to love to be outside. And I love it when they're outside because that means there's less mess and noise inside (where I am)! But I still worry about them staying hydrated, so I want to make that as easy as possible. We have a collection of Thermos water bottles (affiliate link) that I love because they make carrying water around easy, while still being Earth-friendly. The thing I don't love is carrying those water bottles. Somehow I always end up toting them all!

I've been wanting to make this project for quite some time, so when I saw that the August Blog With Friends theme was "Beat the Heat" I knew I had my motivation! I know I let you all off the hook last month with a no-sew project, but I promise this sewing project is super easy, and you could even do it by hand if you don't have a machine. Please note, I made two of these in about two hours a week or so ago. I wanted to video the whole thing, but it didn't turn out well, so you'll see pictures from both projects mixed up. Hope that doesn't confuse you!

You will need two pieces of fabric 9 inches by 6. You'll probably want a heavy weight fabric like canvas or upholstery fabric. For the handle, you have two options: find a coordinating ribbon that's about 2-3 inches wide and 40-50 inches long or a piece of the same fabric that is 5-6 inches wide and 40-50 inches wide.

First lay out your two body pieces, right sides together and cut a 1-inch square out of two adjacent corners of the short side. This short side is now the bottom of your project. Pin the two long sides and the bottom and sew around them using a 1/4-inch seam.

Next pinch open your cut-outs and match the side seam to the bottom seam. Place one seam in one direction, and the other the other way. Pin the seams and sew with a 1/4-inch seam. I know that sounds confusing, but I made a video to explain it, if you get lost.

Once you've gotten the body put together, turn down the top twice (to hide the raw edge) and sew it down. You are now finished with the body of the bag!

(If you are using a ribbon to make the strap, you can skip this next part.)

Now take your fabric for the handle and fold it in half, right sides together. Sew a 1/4 inch seam down both long sides, attach a safety pin to the short side, and turn it right side out.

Whichever strap you decide to make, fold the short end down twice (again to hide the raw edge) and pin the wrong sides together near the side seam of the body. Repeat on the other side, making sure that the strap is not twisted along the way. Sew the strap on near the top of the body and along the top hem. Sewing it on in two places will make it sturdier.

Turn everything the right way out and voila! You've made a fun sling to carry your water bottle. Now go make some more so your kids can carry their own! Or you can sign up for my newsletter and be entered for a chance to win one! I pick one winner from all subscribers on August 15, 2015.

Now check out some more ways to beat the heat!



Karen at Baking in a Tornado has a delicious looking lemon lime poke cake.
Lydia at Cluttered Genius has a collection of ways to stay cool.
Sarah at Momisodes has some ways to take the heat off your wallet during back to school shopping.
Eileen's Perpetually Busy can help you keep cool while outside doing yard work.
Melissa at Home on Deranged has some amazing drink ideas to quench your thirst.
Jenn at Sparkly Poetic Weirdo can help keep your pet cool during the dog days of summer.