See this pretty little snuggly? It’s 28+ years old! It’s well loved but still in great shape, a testament to the quality that comes with hand craftsmanship. When my baby cousins (who are now in kindergarten) were born, I was just getting in to sewing and recreated this a few times over. It quickly became my go-to baby shower gift and is always a hit. Expectant parents are always touched by something made personally with love for their future munchkin.
For this project you will need:
- 1.5 Yards Cotton Fleece
- 1.5 Yards Cotton Solid
- 3/4 Yard Quilt Batting
- 3 Yards Eyelet Trim
- 2 Yards 3/4 Inch or Wider Satin Ribbon
- 3+ yards drawstring or 1 pair extra long shoelaces
You can buy a ‘small/crib’ size batting if it’s packaged, but if they sell it by the yard it’s more economical. The piece I have laid out is 3/4 yard, at about 1/2 inch loft.
Take 2.75-3 yards of trim (3 pictured below) and outline the shape of your snuggly. Cut around the perimeter.
Voila! This is your pattern going forward.
Lay it on your fleece and cotton backing and cut out one of each letting the batting be your guide.
Cut your ribbon (that will be the guides for your ties) and your drawstring into 4 equal pieces each.
With your remaining fleece, cut 4 rectangles about 12″x20″ and sew together each pair, finishing on only three sides so you can turn them face out with finished seams.
(The measurements are merely a guideline, I won’t pretend that I measure anymore.)
Iron down one edge of each ribbon.
And stitch on the machine for a finished edge.
Trim those thread tails off as you go to save time later.
Line up the finished edge of two pieces of ribbon with the finished edge of your fleece snuggly sides.
Stitch two sides of the ribbon to create a drawstring portal for your ties. You can always feed the ties thru after the fact.
Or you can save yourself 30 minutes of hating everything about this project and sew around them so they’ll be nicely placed from the start.
Of course it’s totally your call.
Create a mirror image with the other pieces.
Laying out your pieces in the right order will make or break this project. It might just be me, but nothing about the order or alignment feels natural or intuitive. I usually manage to get it right by completely ignoring my instincts.
Start with your batting on the bottom. Lay your cotton solid backing down as layer two. If you have a dominant or pattern side, it should be facing up.
Place your eyelet around the edge, with the finished edge facing OUT and the ruffle facing IN.
Place your sides about 1/3rd of the way down, ribbon side down, with the raw edge out and the ties facing in.
And make sure the ties are facing each other so the sides mirror.
Top with the fleece, face down.
Securely pin all 4 layers (5 when you count the side pieces) together to keep aligned while seaming the perimeter.
Pay attention or lose 10 minutes to a stabbed finger.
Let this be a warning.
When you’ve bandaged up the finger, return to pinning until you have everything locked into one piece.
Stitch it all together, starting at one end and connecting in one continuous seam to the other side, leaving the bottom unfinished and open. The whole way you should be feeling the placement of the trim, sides, layers, etc to keep as aligned as possible.
Cross fingers.
Say a little prayer.
Turn inside out.
If everything has been aligned correctly, your cotton solid will be the back, the eyelet trim will line the outer edge, and the ties will face out to be able to cinch up a little bundle of joy into the snuggly.
By the way, does the bottom of your project look like this?
Yeah… so does mine. Every. Single. Time.
Just cut it off straight. Really. Just do it. It’s amazingly liberating to be able to fix your problems with scissors.
Turn in the top and bottom fabric edges together and seam down. You might go ahead and iron it down to get a crisper edge if you’re a perfectionist. (I do.)
And just in case it isn’t obvious what your built-with-love masterpiece is meant to be, may I suggest gifting it with an adorable dragon puppet from IKEA?
