The day to honor fathers is around the corner, and it might be a hard task for some of us to find the perfect gift for Dad. Most dads don't want for much and, in reality, it's not that hard to make them happy. Why not make Dad a handy tool carrier?

It can house the grill tools for tailgating season or for the grill on the boat, or it can consolidate some car tools to keep in the trunk. It can take the place of the nondescript plastic container that now serves this purpose. Make the carrier with large and small pockets and Dad will be able to load up his spices and grill tools at a moment's notice and he will have everything organized in one place for the trip to the park. He will take his grill mastery up a level and impress everyone with his organizational skills.

Although it may be a little challenging for children to sew this project, you can still get them in on the action by letting them write messages to Dad on the carrier with fabric markers. You even can create custom fabric: Have the child draw something on paper, scan it into your computer, print the image on inkjet iron-on transfers and transfer the image to a solid-color fabric by ironing it on per manufacturer's instructions. Voilà! Instant, one-of-a-kind fabric, and Dad also gets to show off his child's artwork while tailgating in the fall.

Another option is to have the child "draw" something on their computer's art program and print it out on the inkjet transfer paper.

An extra bonus for this project is to protect the inside of the carrier with iron-on vinyl. I found this at JoAnn Fabric, and it's a great way to make your fabric stain-resistant to grease and other messes. Just iron the vinyl onto the fabric, and the fabric then can just be wiped off easily. Let's face it, if this carrier is going to store greasy grill tools, it will need some kind of protective layer.

For this project, you will need a yard of home decorating-weight fabric, a sewing machine, scissors, matching thread, iron-on vinyl, an iron and fabric markers (if you wish to embellish the carrier.)

Begin by measuring out six pieces of fabric: 2 pieces that measure 16 by 14 inches; 2 pieces that are 11 by 16 inches; and 2 that are 5 by 16 inches. Apply the iron-on vinyl to one of the 16-by-14-inch pieces and one of the 11-by-16-inch pieces.

Put the two 16-by-14 inch pieces off to the side for later. Pair off the four remaining matching pieces together with right sides in. Sew around the edge, leaving a small space to turn the pieces right side out. Turn the pieces right sides out, sew the hole shut and press the edges with an iron from the back. Don't try to iron the vinyl sides of these pieces or the vinyl will melt to the iron. Trust me.

Lay the large piece attached to the iron-on vinyl face up on the table. Take the 11-by-16-inch piece that you just sewed and place it on top of the large piece, vinyl side out, matching up the 16-inch ends. On top of that, place the 5-by-16 inch piece that was sewn together. You should now have layers of fabric that create long pockets. Place the remaining 16-by-14-inch piece face down on top of these layers and pin around the edge to secure all of the layers together. Sew around the edge of all of the layers, joining them together but leaving a space to turn it right side out.

Turn the whole piece right side out, sew the hole shut and press from the back of the carrier. Sew a running stitch along the length of the carrier every 3 to 4 inches to create smaller pockets.

If you wish, you can add a ribbon to the middle of the back of the carrier so you can roll it up and tie it for easy storage.

cesbenshade@lnpnews.com