Materials
I have made most of these sleeping bags from old doonas and sheets that we no longer needed. They provide large amounts of fabric, most of which is still good, and they are very soft from all of the washing. Old sheets make nice light sleeping bags for summer. I’ve made one from flannel fabric, which is a bit warmer for the colder months.
You’ll need approx 1.5m of bias binding (25mm/ 1″ wide, folded in half and ironed)
You’ll also need a long zip (I’ve found that 61cm/24″ Dress Zips are good, generally the same colour as the binding) and 4 snap fasteners (I really like the Birch Soft Touch Snap Fastener kit with the tool).
Pattern
I have based the shape on a toddler sleeping bag that we already had, but the design has morphed slightly with each iteration.
These photos show the shape I cut from a standard-width piece of flannel (approx 43″/110cm) that is 1 yard long (approx 38″/90cm).
Firstly, I attach the bias binding to around the curved neckline and arm holes of both pieces of fabric (using Dana’s awesome binding tutorial that I used previously).
Then I attach the zip to one piece, and then the other piece (using You Sew Girl‘s good zipper instructions I also used previously).
Then I place the two pieces right-sides together and sew them together.
After turning inside-out, I then simply attach the 4 snap fasteners (2 at the top of each arm strap) to complete the sleeping bags.
Hints and tips
The “Loopies” from the previous project work extremely well with these sleeping bags, because they allow dummies to be attached easily.
I’ve personalised these sleeping bags too with simple big letters too (might make my next blog on that…)
Cosy Quarters 