Or should I call it ‘Koala’ Sleep Sack?
It’s always a really exciting time when there’s a new baby expected in the family. No, not my own (I’m still the proud mum of 2 fur babies), but I now have a new niece to adore. It also means I have an excuse to make a Bunny Sleep Sack – or maybe that should be Koala?
The Bunny Sleep Sack is a free pattern from Spotlight. I’ve been collecting their free patterns for a while but this is the first one I’ve made. Mainly because I find the patterns a little bit intimidating. They all have written instructions only – no pictures or diagrams to help.
One thing I found is the instructions can be a little bit vague when it comes to details. For example the length of the velcro is mentioned but not the width. And there are no specifications on where to place the velcro. Maybe I’m just expecting too much from a free pattern?
The Bunny Sleep Sack pattern is labeled ‘Easy’. But I wouldn’t recommend it to beginners. Other than the instructions and lack of pictures – it doesn’t come with a pattern to print. Instead it requires you to draft your own based on a diagram with a few measurements.
It turns out that I’m not very good at drafting my own patterns – at least based on the information supplied. I did attempt it but after several tries I gave up. Instead I found a free baby sleep sack pattern by The DIY Mommy. It looks exactly the same so I used that pattern and just followed the Spotlight instructions.
In the end I found the Bunny Sleep Sack quite similar to sewing a bag. It has an exterior and lining fabric and turns through exactly the same way as a bag. I even decided to topstitch along the neckline and armholes even though it wasn’t in the instructions. This also eliminated the need to hand stitch the gap (used for turning) closed.
The other thing I changed was the position of the gap (for turning). The instructions direct you to leave a gap along the curved neckline. But I think this makes closing the gap unnecessarily awkward. So instead I left the gap on the straight section of one of the straps – making it easier.
In the end I’m really happy with how my ‘Koala’ Bunny Sleep Sack turned out. There were a few difficulties at the beginning with trying to draft my own pattern (definitely something to work on) but after that it was pretty straightforward. It’s also given me the confidence to try some of the other free patterns by Spotlight. I think my ‘Koala’ Sleep Sack is really cute – although not as cute as my niece Jemila. 🥰
looks great!! I never thought about sewing one!! I will try both patterns and keep your notes for advice, thanks!