Kiwi sleeping bag for Jiniret
It’s been snowing here and Jiniret was getting cold - so I made him a little sleeping bag. It can be made for any Skzoo (this fits the original size Skzoo) but this one was kiwi themed to celebrate Hyunjin’s golden kiwi buzzcut.
This sleeping bag is made of 4 pieces of fabric and zip. I’ve put it together in an order that hides all the seams, for the neatest finish;
Sleeping bag with zipped front
Outside made with cuddle plush fabric for a soft kiwi feel
Inside decorated with a kiwi pattern
Kiwi sticker decoration to copy Hyunjin’s photo
Difficulty level: Intermediate
Making time: 1 hour
Supplies / materials you’ll need
40 x 30cm - brown cuddle fleece fabric (for the outside) Cuddle Fleece in Camel
40 x 30cm - green cotton fabric (for the inside) Cotton Poplin in Chartreuse
1 x 15cm zip - green or brown (can be longer, as will be cut) Dress Zips
Optional for decoration - Cotton Tape / felt / embroidery thread / custom printed fabric
PLUS you’ll need basic sewing supplies
see supplies post for more info
scissors & pins & needle & thread
Instructions
Step 1 - cut your fabric
Print the sleeping bag pattern - (template & images button)
Trace the pattern onto one of the green pieces of fabric
(I like to use the stabiliser method)Cut all 4 pieces of fabric into the oval shape from the pattern.
2 brown for the outside
2 green for the inside
TIP: Fluffy fabric can often have a nap (it lays flatter and feels smoother in one direction - like on Han Quokka’s face!!!), so make sure you have it in the direction you want
Step 2 - stitch the hole
Pin one piece of the green and brown piece of fabric together (right sides facing) and stitch the outer green circle
I'm using a sewing machine, but you can do this by hand using a backstitch
Step 3 - cut the front
Cut along the purple cut lines - up the centre and around the inner purple circle
Snip the cut lines into the stitched circle (be careful not to cut into your stitches!) - this will help the circle turn through the right way easier
Step 4 - add tape and zip to side 1
Lift the green fabric up out of the way
Pin the zip on the brown fabric - the zip should be right side facing down
If you want white ties on your sleeping bag - add them above the zip
Place the green fabric back and pin together - you’ll end up with a sandwich - brown fabric / zip / green fabric
Stitch the 3 layers together along the green line
Step 5 - add tape and zip to side 2
Lift the green fabric and place tape as before
Place the zip like shown
The zip will be twisted and look odd, but it will be good once you turn it through to the right side
Pin the sandwich and stitch together as in step 4
Step 6 - finish the front
Turn the sleeping bag through to see the right sides of the fabric
You should have all the lines you stitched hidden and the zip will be inside the sandwich
Pull the pieces of fabric tight to make a neat circle and pin
You can add a top stitch along the zip and around circle to help keep it in place
Step 7 - sew the outsides together
Pin the 2 pieces of brown fabric together (right sides facing)
Clip the green fabric out of the way in the centre, so you can sew the brown fabric together easier
Sew both pieces of brown fabric together with a 1/4” seam
Sew from one side of the zip around to the other (starting where the tip of the scissors are shown)
Make sure you don’t sew any of the green fabric together
Stretchy and velvety fabric can sometimes move whilst sewing, so use lots of pins and go slow
Step 8 - decorate the inside of the kiwi
To make the sleeping bag more kiwi, you can have fun by adding a design on the remaining piece of green fabric
I’ve used an embroidery machine for this make, but there are lots of options (there is a kiwi design in the template & images printout for reference)
hand embroidery
custom printed fabric
felt
fabric painting
Step 9 - sew the inside together
Pin the 2 pieces of green fabric together
Clip the brown fabric out of the way in the centre, so you can sew the green fabric together easier
Sew both pieces of green fabric together with a 1/4” seam
Sew from one side of the zip around to the other (there will be a small unsewn gap - which you will fix in step 11)
Make sure you don’t sew any of the brown fabric together
Step 10 - turning through
Turn the sleeping bag through, so the green fabric is on the outside
You should have a sleeping bag with all sewing edges hidden
If you have a longer zip, so can now trim it - just leave a few cms showing
Step 11 - closing the gap
Tuck in the zip and the raw edges of the green fabric inward and pin well
Stitch the seam closed using a running stitch
Make sure to stitch close to the zip - especially if you have trimmed it
This seam doesn’t have to be too neat, as it will be inside the sleeping bag and not seen!
Step 12 - sleeping bag complete
Turn the whole sleeping bag through so the brown is on the outside and you have a completed sleeping bag
All messy edges and the zip end should be hidden, and the green kiwi showing through the hole
If you want to add a finishing touch you can add a kiwi sticker to the outside of the sleeping bag (there is a sticker design in the template & image printout for reference)
Step 13 - adding a kiwi sticker
You can design a kiwi sticker lots of different ways - embroidery, felt, paper printout, etc.
I used custom printed fabric to print out the sticker design, then stitched into onto the sleeping bag using a blanket stitch
Happy sewing! Please share your finished makes - so we can inspire other Stays.
Variations
What else you could do, different colours, patterns.
Whatever you decide, please share your makes with us #skzoomakes, so we can share them on Your Makes!
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It’s been snowing here and Jiniret was getting cold - so I made him a little sleeping bag. It can be made for any Skzoo’s (this fits the original size Skzoo) but this one was kiwi themed to celebrate Hyunjin’s golden kiwi buzzcut.