a mama's real view: How to make a sleep sack

So Monroe has started rolling around and wedging himself sideways at the top of his crib sans covers.

So it is time for a sleep sack. All the ones I've seen have some issues for me such as:

1. kind of ugly
2. too small/short (a friend gave us one this week and he's been rocking it pink and all, but he's about to be too long for it)
3. Cute ones are $$$ and my mat leave is running out soon ( we only got 6 months due to some backwards government ideals)

So I had some fabric on hand, I own a sewing machine and I had some thread and a big bag of buttons from your local walmart for $3 to make this for Monroe. (I think it total this cost me around $4 to make, because I had the fabric on hand)

If you want to make one here is a tutorial coming atcha.

Things you'll need:
-sewing machine
-thread
-straight pins
-fabric scissors, (you can use good old kitchen scissors, but they will not cut as nicely as ones solely used for fabric)
-sewing needle (if you want to hand stitch the button holes closed)
-heavier fabric (I used two fabric, a sweatshirt type fabric and another one I had kicking around and lined mine, but you don't have to if you don't feel like it!)
-2 small buttons if you're doing some type of applique (I did an owl, this adds a lot of time to this project about an hour more for this applique)
-2 BIG buttons, for strapping your little one in
-and an iron & ironing board (or do what I did and use a hair straightener, it is the modern day iron)
-measuring tape if needed ( I just eye balled it, then measured after)
-a little common sense

Steps:
Fold 4 layers of fabric in half each piece measuring a minimum of 28" long and 22" wide.
Layer and pin with straight pins together and then draw on your outline. (measurements in photo below, shown unfolded, when cutting fold in half to make sure each side is equal so across the arm holes the measurement should be approx. 8.5" and across the bottom it should be approx. 11" )

Example of the first 2 layers, add in your lining layer of fabric ( 2 more layers folded in half), if you're doing one

Approximate measurements (and a spelling mistake! Click on the picture to see the measurements in a bigger size)

All 4 layers cut and pinned together

Make sure the good side of the outer fabric is against the good side of the inner fabric lining

Sew 1 layer of the outside and 1 layer of the lining together from the bottom of one armhole across the arm straps, neck hole and to the other armhole DO NOT sew the whole thing together or all the way around, just from one armhole across the top to the other

Repeat with your other two layers

Make sure you sew both layers!

Turn it inside out, and press flat with your iron

I wanted a little fun in our sleep sack so I made an owl appliqué, it total this took around 45 minutes-hour to make

OPTIONAL:

Owl Applique

Draw a large circle on the bottom, and a smaller one on top, two big circles for eyes and a little beak, feet and ears and little wings off the sides of your bigger bottom circle

wings and back of eyes cut out

cut of wings to pin and cut out on a different colored fabric, then pin the body on your main fabric

Body cut out

Wings and beak pinned onto body, sew them on slowly using your sewing machine or by hand if you have more patience.

I cut out some white to make the eyes pop and layered this behind the red eye cut out, then hand-stitched two different sized button eyes on

I then cut out a big white fabric circle (used my lining remnants) just a bit bigger then my owl and stitched the main body of my owl on, leaving the wings and the little feet unsewn to the circle, but attached to the body. (I just freehanded the feet)

I safety pinned the two sewn layers at the top of the arm straps to check sizing on monroe

he's confused, but it fits

decker trying to calm him down a little

appliqué sewn onto the good side of one of the layers of outside fabric and lining ( I sewed it to the red layer, not the white)

Now pin all 4 layers together with the two good outside (red) layers facing each other and your lining out on both sides

I left my safety pins in the top, while I straight pinned all around the sides and bottom of the bag

ironed sewn top and rough side pieces being pinned together

Sew from the bottom of the armhole all the way down the side, around the bottom to the other armhole and the trim your excess. make sure you're getting all 4 layers when sewing it together!