Hey y’all, I’m glad to be back on the Riley Blake blog today, sharing this Little Camper Water Bottle Holder. It’s hard to believe, but this guy now camps at the same camp I worked at every summer through college and beyond.
So one thing I remember from working outdoors in the Central Texas heat and humidity every day was how important it is to drink lots of water. We counselors took our kids by the water fountains constantly, but one of the suggested things to bring to camp is a water bottle. And I know my son – if it’s not attached to him, he’s going to forget it. Heck, even with this holder I’m only giving his water bottle a 50/50 chance of making it home on day 1 of camp. But I’m hoping the Speedster fabric that he likes will help him remember. Want to make your own? It’s pretty easy. You’ll need:
- Two rectangles for the straps. I used 33″ x 3″ wide rectangles; for a taller kid you’ll want to make these longer.
- Fusible fleece for the strap, the same length as the strap but one inch narrower
- Two rectangle pieces that are the circumference of the water bottle + 1 1/2 inch wide by the height of the water bottle minus 1/2 inch tall. My pieces for this water bottle ended up being 7 1/2 inches wide by 6 1/2 inches tall
- Two circles that are the same as the bottom of the water bottle plus seam allowance
- Interfacing for the circle pieces
Tip – if you hold a kids washable marker against your bottle to trace the circles, you’ll automatically add a seam allowance. 
Start by fusing the fleece down the middle of the wrong side of one strap, and the interfacing to the backs of the circles. 
Fold your side pieces right sides together, lining up the ends. Place your strap pieces right sides together. Sew down the side and strap pieces as shown using a 1/2″ seam allowance. 
Turn the strap right side out. Press. 
Sew a few straight lines down the strap to keep the fleece from shifting. 
Pin your circles to the bottom of the tubes you made out of the side pieces. Stitch. 
Clip around the seam to the stitching line about every 1/2 inch or so. 
Turn one of the tubes right side out. On both tubes turn the raw edge of fabric 1/2″ to the wrong side and press. 
Place one tube inside the other, wrong sides together and matching up the seam. Sandwich the strap between the two tubes, then sew around the top to secure the strap and enclose all raw edges. 
And then let your camper go crazy! This is perfect for hiking (so you don’t have to carry the water bottle) 
And they don’t even need to take it out of the holder to drink. 
You can even share with your little brother. 
Thanks for having me here!