Disneyland Magic Key Holder Tote Bag: DIY Upgrade

I upgraded my 2023 Disneyland Magic Key holder tote bag with a bit of sewing: (1) added interfacing for structure, (2) added a lining, (3) boxed the corners, and (4) added a zipper. Now it can stand up on its own, and I feel safer knowing that the zipper will prevent stuff from accidentally falling out! Plus, I think it looks better than the original!

In 2022 and 2023 during the holidays, one of the perks that Disneyland gave to their Magic Key Holders (a.k.a. annual pass holders) was giving out Magic Key Holder exclusive tote bags.

In 2022, it was a reusable plastic shopping bag.

In 2023, it was a smaller fabric tote bag. But being fabric, it was already nicer and much appreciated.

However after receiving it, I realized how thin and flimsy the fabric was, and how it didn’t really feel nice when carrying stuff in it. I wanted to be able to carry it around like a purse. So with a bit of sewing, I upgraded it. Here’s how I did it: 

1. I unpicked the folded top seam and detached the bag handles. From this point onward, I will refer to the original bag as the shell. 
2. I measured the height and width of the shell.  Then I cut out two pieces of felt and two pieces of lining fabric in those same dimensions.
3. I sewed the lining pieces right side together on 3 side, leaving the top open. 
4. I repeated Step 3 on the felt pieces.
5. With right sides facing each other, I marked a 2-inch square at each bottom corner of the lining, and then boxed the corners.
6. I repeated step 5 on the felt layer and the shell.
7. Turned the shell right side out. Turned the felt layer and lining wrong sides out.
8. Inserted the felt layer (which will serve as interfacing) inside the shell.
9. Inserted the lining inside the felt layer.
10. Folded the top hem of shell down. 
11. Tucked both edges of a16-inch zipper underneath the folded shell hem. Pin in place.
12. Pin the handle straps into place onto the shell, making sure to tuck the strap ends underneath the folded shell hem.
13. Sew along the top and bottom edges of the folded hem.

Voilà! 

FREE PATTERN: DIY Toy Story Aliens Fish Extender for a Disney Cruise

A good friend of mine will be sailing on her first Disney Cruise and she’ll be participating in the FE gift exchange too. She asked me to make her a Fish Extender. So when I was brainstorming designs for her FE, I remembered that she loves the aliens from Toy Story, aka. the Little Green Men, or “LGM” as she calls them. And that’s how I was inspired to make an LGM fish extender.

First I designed a 2D mockup of the fish extender to figure out the proportions. This is what I came up with.

I used the same pattern that I used for my DCL Ship-inspired Fish Extender but I modified it to make the pockets shorter to keep the proportions of the LGM uniform. Below is the modified pattern that I created & used.

• Pieces A & B form the back of the pocket. Make 2 of each.
• Pieces C & G are the pocket lid and bottom respectively. Make 2 of each.
• Pieces D, E, & F when stitched together are the front of the pocket. Make 2 of each.

I used felt, 16-inch zippers, paracord, and a chopstick (the hanging rod) that I already had in my crafting supplies. I stitched everything together using a 0.5” seam allowance.

ASSEMBLY:

1. Cut facial features out of felt. Appliqué the felt facial features to both A pieces. Make sure to keep clear of the 0.5” seam allowance. 
2. Mark the center of F. Mark the center of the arch of G. Pin F to the curved edge of G, right sides together, making sure that the centers are aligned. Sew together.
3. Mark the center of D and zipper. Align centers and sew right sides together.
4. Mark the center of the arch of C. Pin zipper from Step 2 to the curved edge of C, right sides together, making sure that the centers are aligned. Sew together.
5. Pin G to B right sides together, with straight edge of G aligned to bottom of B.  Sew together.
6. Place wrong side of C facing right side of B, with straight edge of C aligned with top edge of B. Align bottom of A to straight edge of C with right side facing. Sew all 3 layers together.
7. Repeat Steps 2-4 with the second pieces. 
8. Place right side of the 2nd piece of G facing right side of A, with straight edge of G aligned with top edge of A. Align bottom of 2nd piece of B to straight edge of G with right side of B facing wrong side of G. Sew all 3 layers together.
9. Place wrong side of 2nd piece of C facing right side of B, with straight edge of C aligned with top edge of B. Align bottom of A to straight edge of C with right side facing. Sew all 3 layers together.
10. Cut out felt planet badge and appliqué to both E pieces.
11. With wrong sides facing, sew bottom of D to top of E.  Repeat with second piece of E to the second piece of D.
12. With wrong sides facing, sew top of F to bottom of E.  Repeat with second piece of E to the second piece of F.
13. Fold the right edge of the pocket front as if to make a hem, and sew that folded hem to the right edge of B. Repeat on left edge of pocket.
14. Repeat Step 13 for the 2nd pocket.
15. Sew a 2 inch strip of fabric to the back top edge of the hanger. This will be the channel for the hanging rod.  Cut two 0.5” squares from that rod channel about 1 inch from the side edges of the fish extender hanger.
16. Insert wooden rod or chopstick into the hanging rod channel. Feed paracord thru one of the 0.5” squares and tie it around the wooden rod.  Feed the other end of the paracord thru the 0.5” squares and tie it around the wooden rod.
17. Sew the right and left edges of the channel shut to prevent the rod from slipping out.

The completed pockets are a semi-circle basket so that they can hold more stuff. They also have a zipped lid for added security. 

The LGM MagicBand+ fits with lots of room to spare.

The planet patches can also be customized with interchangeable name buttons (not shown) for each person.  And then when my friend isn’t on a cruise, she can remove the buttons and use this in her home as a hanging organizer.

Disney Cruise Inspired Cricut Beverage Stencils: DIY Fish Extender Gift for Adults

I’ve been searching the Internet, Pinterest, and Facebook trying to find inspiration for a DIY adult fish extender gift for a Disney cruise. And then I stumbled upon two photos. The first photo reminded me that Cove Cafe onboard the Disney Cruise ships places fun images on your beverages. The other photo showed me a thin plastic beverage stencil.

It’s brilliant! A Cricut could be used to cut a 4-inch diameter stencil from a plastic sheet, like a thin cutting board or placemat from the dollar store. 

Then I would have several gifting options:

1. Gift a package of 3-4 different character stencils in the same package (e.g. Mickey, Castle, Winnie the Pooh, DCL logo, etc)

2. Gift one stencil with an empty shaker for the powdered condiment

3. Gift one stencil with a mug.

Since the stencil can be used to decorate more than just coffee, I came up with this instruction sheet that names ALL of the Disney Cruise Line ships, including the names of 2 out of the 3 ships that haven’t yet been launched (as of the time of this blog post). {UPDATE: Disney Cruise line revealed on 3/20/2024 that the name of their 3rd triton class ship is the Disney Destiny which will set sail in 2025, so I’ve edited the text below to include its name.}

Culinary ADVENTURE is out there! It’s your DESTINY to bring home the WONDER of Disney Cruise Line's Cove Cafe and add MAGIC to any beverage/food item with this stencil. Use this stencil to decorate smoothies, milkshakes, coffee, hot cocoa, sugar cookies, cupcakes, pancakes, omelettes, or whatever you can DREAM up! Just hover the stencil above the item & sprinkle whatever powdered spice you WISH: sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, paprika, etc. Voila! It's a pixie-dusted FANTASY that any home cook would TREASURE. Hand wash only.

Perhaps it would be fun to package it with an instruction sheet that looks like the Cove Cafe menu.

I haven’t decided yet for sure if I’m going to give this as a FE gift or not. But I’m definitely saving this idea for the future.

FREE PATTERN: DIY Lounge Chair Towel Holders for a Disney Cruise

 

When we sailed on Disney Cruise Lines with some friends in September 2022, I made these personalized lounge chair towel holders/chair toppers/chair covers for us.  It made it so easy to find our chairs amongst a sea of lounge chairs!

How did this all start? Well, after watching the “Life Well Cruised” YouTube Channel, I discovered that towel bands were the solution to the problems of beach towels (1) blowing away in the wind and (2) slipping off the top of a lounge chair.  So I bought some towel bands on Amazon in June 2022.  They were VERY useful & I could see why the vlogger said they were one of the top 10 things to bring on a cruise. 

Later that same summer, while I was in the midst of making some personalized matching shirts for our families, it hit me.  I could also make personalized lounge chair towel holders!  My only complaint with the towel bands that I purchased is that they are too narrow to personalize. So I made these chair toppers/chair covers instead.

These are the matching polo shirts that I made.
I drew the family name logos myself by hand (I did NOT use a font)
and digitized them to use with my Cricut.

I purchased a yard of blue and a yard of red swimsuit fabric, also known as “Performance Nylon & Spandex Fabric” from JoAnn Fabrics.  I cut each yard of fabric according to the schematic below:

This yielded 6 rectangles for each color.

I used a “stretch twin machine needle” with a straight stitch on my sewing machine (I don’t own a serger) to sew it all up with a 0.5” seam allowance.

1. For each individual rectangle, I folded them in half to make a 9”x19” rectangle as shown by the dotted lines in the schematic.
2. I sewed the short edges shut, and then boxed the top corners about 0.25” deep.
3. I then folded & hemmed the bottom edges.

The finished dimensions are about 18” wide x 8.5” tall.

I mixed acrylic paint mixed with “fabric medium” to make my own DIY fabric paint. Then I used the fabric paint with the “freezer paper stencil” technique to apply the image that I had previously designed for our personalized shirts.  I prefer to use fabric paint instead of heat transfer vinyl (HTV) on all of my Cricut projects because: (1) Fabric paint can withstand many wash-and-machine-dry cycles without peeling off. (2) Instead of peeling, the fabric paint stretches and cracks in the same manner as vintage T-shirts. In contrast, HTV has limited stretch. (3) I don’t have to worry about an iron melting synthetic fabrics to apply the HTV image to the fabric. This was especially important because the fabric that I used to make the towel holders is synthetic.

To use the towel holders, we folded the beach towel over the top of the lounge chair, and then slipped a towel holder over the top of the chair to prevent the towel from blowing away or falling down. Even though these were made for a Disney Cruise vacation, we can use them for other future vacations or anytime when we’re at a pool or beach! Plus, whenever we use them, it will bring back fond memories of good times with friends!

UPDATE: These would make great Disney Fish Extender FE gifts.  Except I wouldn’t personalize them. It took way too long to design each family name to look like the cruise ship logos. If you want to make these yourself for FE gifts, here’s a FREE PRINTABLE sheet that has 6 name tags.

For links to other crafts that I made for a Disney Cruise, check out:

• Fish Extender
• Pixie Dust Hanging Holder

FREE KNITTING PATTERN: “Willow” Disney+ TV Series Green Hooded Wrapped Shawl Scarf

Elora Danan’s Green Hooded Wrapped Shawl Scarf from the “Willow” Disney+ TV Series: FREE KNITTING PATTERN

by CraftyRunnerMom

(Please note: This pattern is a fan recreation based off of prop photos taken of the original costume that was on display at the D23 Expo. That original costume was designed by Sarah Young. I am in no way affiliated with the Disney Company, Disney+, or the Willow series production staff. This pattern is for personal recreational purposes only.)

The moment I saw the first episode of the “Willow” TV Series on Disney+, I was struck by how interesting Elora Danan’s (a.k.a. Dove, Brunhilde) quest outfit was, particularly her hooded wrapped shawl. So I decided to embark on my own quest to make a replica. 

Abbreviations

st = stitch
sts = stitches
BO = bind off
CO = cast on
M1K = make 1 stitch knit-wise
M1P = make 1 stitch purl-wise
PM = place marker
K2tog = knit 2 stitches together decrease
P2tog = purl 2 stitches together decrease

MATERIALS:

Knitting needles (US Size 8, 5.0 mm) 

Worsted weight yarn (about 1719.8 yards or 1572.6 meters***)

*** Your individual yardage may vary depending on your scarf length and torso size.  You can use this Yardage Calculator and the gauge below to calculate your estimated yardage.

GAUGE:

18 rows = 10 cm fabric 

24 sts of 1:1 rib = 10 cm fabric = 68.5 cm yarn 

26 sts of 2:2 rib = 10 cm fabric = 75 cm yarn 

38 sts of 1:1 rib = 16 cm fabric = scarf section width

76 sts in 2:2 rib = 26.25 cm fabric = torso section width

MEASUREMENTS GUIDE: 

To make this a custom fitted piece, you need to take a few measurements of your body:

• Distance between shoulder to ankle (or wherever you want the scarf to end). Subtract 30 cm from that distance to equal the SCARF LENGTH.  (NOTE: 30 cm is the length of the transition section where the 1:1 rib increases into 2:2 rib).
• Circumference of upper arm from armpit to shoulder. That circumference will be used to calculate two numbers.  ARM HOLE TOP LENGTH = 1/3 x circumference.  ARM HOLE BOTTOM LENGTH = 2/3 x circumference. 
• Circumference around torso underneath breasts.  (If you want your garment to fit tighter, subtract a few inches/cm to provide negative ease.)  Divide this circumference in half to equal the TORSO FRONT LENGTH.  
• TORSO BACK LENGTH = TORSO FRONT LENGTH minus ARM HOLE BOTTOM LENGTH.
• Distance from outer corner of left shoulder to top of head to outer corner of right shoulder. This is the HOOD LENGTH.  (Depending upon how much drape you want the hood opening to have, you can make this longer or shorter).

UPDATED 2/25/2023:

I really wanted this pattern to be size inclusive, so that’s why it’s been challenging to come up with a “one size fits all” formula. 

If you find that the above formulas make the torso back section too short, here are a few alterations to the pattern that you can make: 

1. The garment arm hole has a lot of stretch, so make sure that when you measure your arm circumference you pull the measuring tape snug. If this doesn’t work, you can try any or all the following 3 alteration options.
2. Multiply your real arm circumference by 0.75 and use that new number as the new arm circumference. This will create negative ease.
3. Switch to the following new formulas to calculate the arm hole top and bottom lengths: ARM HOLE TOP LENGTH = 2/5 x arm circumference.
   ARM HOLE BOTTOM LENGTH = 3/5 x arm circumference. The downside to this alteration is that the shoulders may be more droopy.
4. Use the following new formula to calculate the torso back: TORSO BACK LENGTH = 1/2 x TORSO FRONT LENGTH. This is probably the easiest alteration. The only downside is that the ends of the scarf section may hang a little longer on the finished garment.

The garment is knit in two pieces, and seamed together at the neck. The main section is knit side-to-side, starts with a 1:1 rib that transitions to 2:2 rib, and uses short-rows to make armholes. Below is a schematic of how the garment is constructed.

PATTERN:

1. FIRST SHOULDER SCARF: CO 38 sts in 1:1 rib pattern, turn.
2. * K1 P1, repeat from * until end of row, turn.
3. Repeat Step 2 until reach SCARF LENGTH (see measurements guide above).
4. INCREASE ROW: (K1 P1 K1 P1 K1 P1 M1K) x 3 times, K1 P1, (M1K K1 P1 K1 P1 K1 P1) x 3 times, turn.
5. (K1 P1 K1 P1 K1 P2) x 3 times, K1, (P2 K1 P1 K1 P1 K1) x 3 times, P1, turn.
6. K1, (P1 K1 P1 K1 P1 K2) x 3 times, P1, (K2 P1 K1 P1 K1 P1) x 3 times, turn.
7. Repeat Steps 5-6 for the next 6 rows.
8. INCREASE ROW: (K1 P1 K1 P1 K1 M1K P2) x 3 times, K1, (P2 M1K K1 P1 K1 P1 K1) x 3 times, P1, turn.
9. K1, (P1 K1 P1 K1 P2 K2) x 3 times, P1, (K2 P2 K1 P1 K1 P1) x 3 times, turn.
10. (K1 P1 K1 P1 K2 P2) x 3 times, K1, (P2 K2 P1 K1 P1 K1) x 3 times, P1, turn.
11. Repeat Steps 9-10 for the next 6 rows.
12. INCREASE ROW: K1, (M1P P1 K1 P1 K1 P2 K2) x 3 times, M1P P1, (K2 P2 K1 P1 K1 M1P P1) x 3 times, turn.
13. (K2 P1 K1 P1 K2 P2 ) x 3 times, K2, (P2 K2 P1 K1 P1 K2) x 3 times, P1, turn.
14. K1, (P2 K1 P1 K1 P2 K2) x 3 times, P2, (K2 P2 K1 P1 K1 P2) x 3 times, turn.
15. Repeat Steps 13-14 for the next 6 rows.
16. INCREASE ROW: (K2 P1 M1P K1 P1 K2 P2) x 3 times, K2, (P2 K2 P1 K1 M1P P1 K2) x 3 times, P1, turn.
17. K1, (P2 K2 P1 K1 P2 K2) x 3 times, P2, (K2 P2 K1 P1 K2 P2) x 3 times, turn.
18. (K2 P2 K1 P1 K2 P2) x 3 times, K2, (P2 K2 P1 K1 P2 K2) x 3 times, P1, turn.
19. Repeat Steps 17-18 for the next 6 rows.
20. INCREASE ROW: K1 M1K, (P2 K2 P1 M1K K1 P2 K2) x 3 times, P2, (K2 P2 K1 M1K P1 K2 P2) x 3 times, turn.
21. (K2 P2 K1 P2 K2 P2) x 3 times, K2, (P2 K2 P2 K1 P2 K2) x 3 times, P2, turn.
22. K2, (P2 K2 P1 K2 P2 K2) x 3 times, P2, (K2 P2 K2 P1 K2 P2) x 3 times, turn.
23. Repeat Steps 21-22 for the next 6 rows.
24. INCREASE ROW: (K2 P2 K1 M1K P2 K2 P2) x 3 times, K2, (P2 K2 P2 M1K K1 P2 K2) x 3 times, P2, turn.
25. FIRST TORSO FRONT: * K2 P2, repeat from * until end of row, turn.
26. Repeat Step 25 until reach TORSO FRONT LENGTH. PM on the final st to indicate that this edge is the “neck border” of the fabric.
27. FIRST ARM HOLE: K2 P2 rib for 28 sts, PM on 29th st and place that st and the remaining sts of the row on hold, turn. There should be 48 sts on hold. 
28. TOP SECTION OF ARM HOLE: K2 P2 rib for 28 sts, turn.
29. Repeat Step 28 until reach ARM HOLE TOP LENGTH. Make note of how many rows were needed. Then place these 28 sts on hold.
30. BOTTOM SECTION OF ARM HOLE: Using a new strand of yarn & beginning with the marked hold st from Step 27: K2 P2 rib for 48 sts, turn.
31. Repeat K2 P2 rib rows until reach the ARM HOLE BOTTOM LENGTH, turn.
32. REJOINING ROW: K2 P2 rib for 76 sts, thus closing the arm hole. Turn.
33. TORSO BACK: If the final st of Step 32 is on the “neck border” of the fabric (as marked in Step 26), K2 P2 rib for 76 sts, turn. If the final st of Step 32 is on the opposite border of the “neck border” of the fabric, SKIP to Step 34.
34. SHORT ROW: K2 P2 rib for 58 sts, place the remaining 18 sts on hold, turn.
35. Slip 1st st purlwise, P1, K2 P2 rib to end of row, turn.
36. For the next 4 rows: K2 P2 rib for 76 sts, turn.
37. SHORT ROW: K2 P2 rib for 64 sts, place the remaining 12 sts on hold, turn.
38. Slip 1st st knitwise, K1, P2, then K2 P2 rib to end of row, turn.
39. For the next 4 rows: K2 P2 rib for 76 sts, turn.
40. Repeat Steps 34-39 until the “waist border” reaches the length that’s the TORSO BACK LENGTH.  Because of the short rows in Steps 34 & 37, the “neck border” will be shorter than the “waist border”. 
41. If the final st of Step 40 is on the “neck border” of the fabric (as marked in Step 26), SKIP to Step 42. If the final st is either in the middle of the fabric or on the “waist border” of the fabric, K2 P2 rib to the end of the row until the final st is on the “neck border, turn.
42. SECOND ARM HOLE: Repeat Steps 27-32 to make the SECOND ARM HOLE.
43. SECOND TORSO FRONT: * K2 P2, repeat from * until end of row, turn.
44. Repeat Step 43 until reach same number of rows as Step 26.
45. SECOND SHOULDER SCARF: DECREASE ROW: (K2 P2 K2tog P2 K2 P2) x 3 times, K2, (P2 K2 P2 K2tog P2 K2) x 3 times, P2, turn.
46. K2, (P2 K2 P1 K2 P2 K2) x 3 times, P2, (K2 P2 K2 P1 K2 P2) x 3 times, turn.
47. (K2 P2 K1 P2 K2 P2) x 3 times, K2, (P2 K2 P2 K1 P2 K2) x 3 times, P2, turn.
48. Repeat Steps 46-47 for the next 6 rows.
49. DECREASE ROW: K2tog, (P2 K2 P1 K2tog P2 K2) x 3 times, P2, (K2 P2 K2tog P1 K2 P2) x 3 times, turn.
50. (K2 P2 K1 P1 K2 P2) x 3 times, K2, (P2 K2 P1 K1 P2 K2) x 3 times, P1, turn.
51. K1, (P2 K2 P1 K1 P2 K2) x 3 times, P2, (K2 P2 K1 P1 K2 P2) x 3 times, turn.
52. Repeat Steps 51-52 for the next 6 rows.
53. DECREASE ROW: (K2 P2tog K1 P1 K2 P2) x 3 times, K2, (P2 K2 P1 K1 P2tog K2) x 3 times, P1, turn.
54. K1, (P2 K1 P1 K1 P2 K2) x 3 times, P2, (K2 P2 K1 P1 K1 P2) x 3 times, turn.
55. (K2 P1 K1 P1 K2 P2 ) x 3 times, K2, (P2 K2 P1 K1 P1 K2) x 3 times, P1, turn.
56. Repeat Steps 54-55 for the next 6 rows.
57. DECREASE ROW: K1, (P2tog K1 P1 K1 P2 K2) x 3 times, P2tog, (K2 P2 K1 P1 K1 P2tog) x 3 times, turn.
58. (K1 P1 K1 P1 K2 P2) x 3 times, K1, (P2 K2 P1 K1 P1 K1) x 3 times, P1, turn.
59. K1, (P1 K1 P1 K1 P2 K2) x 3 times, P1, (K2 P2 K1 P1 K1 P1) x 3 times, turn.
60. Repeat Steps 58-59 for the next 6 rows.
61. DECREASE ROW: (K1 P1 K1 P1 K2tog P2) x 3 times, K1, (P2 K2tog P1 K1 P1 K1) x 3 times, P1, turn.
62. K1, (P1 K1 P1 K1 P1 K2) x 3 times, P1, (K2 P1 K1 P1 K1 P1) x 3 times, turn.
63. (K1 P1 K1 P1 K1 P2) x 3 times, K1, (P2 K1 P1 K1 P1 K1) x 3 times, P1, turn.
64. Repeat Steps 62-63 for the next 6 rows.
65. DECREASE ROW: K1, (P1 K1 P1 K1 P1 K2tog) x 3 times, P1, (K2tog P1 K1 P1 K1 P1) x 3 times, turn.
66. * K1 P1, repeat from * until end of row, turn.
67. Repeat Step 66 until reach same number of rows as Step 3.
68. BO 38 sts in 1:1 rib pattern.
69. HOOD: CO 56 sts in 2:2 rib pattern. Turn.
70. * K2 P2, repeat from * until end of row, turn.
71. Repeat Step 70 until reach HOOD LENGTH.
72. BO 56 sts in 2:2 rib pattern.
73. Fold hood in half, then stitch together the back seam of hood.
74. ASSEMBLING THE GARMENT: PM on the center back of the neckline (see the illustrated schematic for reference). 
75. Align the center of the hood with center neckline.
76. Stitch hood to the back of the torso section.
77. Weave in yarn tails.

HOW TO WEAR THE GARMENT: 

1. Place both arms into the garment similar to putting on a sweater.
2. Wrap the left scarf section across the front of your torso, draped above your right shoulder (pull it snug so that the decrease row rests behind your right shoulder), and thru the armhole.
3. Then drape the right scarf portion over the front of your torso and over your left shoulder (pull it snug so that the decrease row rests behind your left shoulder).