Dear Sis,

All your recent visit have spurred a desire for me to make animal sleep sacks for Eve, Charlotte, and Grant like I did for William long ago (Owl Sleep Sack). Eve has been the floor sleeping kid, so I made her’s first:)

Materials

• 2 yards fleece (outer fabric)
• 5 1/2 yards broadcloth (lining and pillow sham)
• 1 1/2 yards quilting cotton (tail, fins, and eye)
• double sided fusible interfacing, such as WonderUnder
• 2 (24 inch) metal zippers (closure)
• tissue paper and clear tape (pattern making)

Assembly

• Draft your tail, fins, and eye patterns onto tissue or pattern paper. The pattern photos below are on a 1 inch grid to help you scale the pattern.

• Fold 1 1/2 yards printed quilting cotton in half and arrange tail (cut 2 on fold) and fins for cutting. Remember to add 1/2 inch seam allowance around curved portions of tail and fins. 
• Place tail panels right sides together and sew curved areas with a 1/2 inch seam allowance, leaving straight section at the base of the tail open. Clip curves as needed, turn and press. Repeat with fins.
• Cut 4 x 4 inch square from remnant printed quilting cotton and double sided fusible interfacing. Press with a hot iron to fuse both squares together. Trace eye pattern onto interfacing side and cut along the tracing line, no additional seam allowance is needed. 

• Trim bulky salvage edge from fleece. Fold lengthwise and cut on the fold to create a front and back panels. 
• Shaping top and bottom edges of fleece panels by centering tail at the bottom edge of the fleece panels. Chalk mark the flat space that is required at the bottom to attach the tail. Add curve to the top and bottom edge as desired with chalk and cut when pleased with the shape. Fold contoured bottom edge up until it meets the top edge of the fleece panels. Cut to match bottom shaping. Unfold. Working with just the top edge, chalk the opened mouth into the straight uncut area between the top and bottom curves. When pleased with the shape, cut the mouth opening.
• Remove the bolt fold from the broadcloth and fold in the other direction so that fabric is open to its full width. Lay fleece panels at the bottom from the folded edge upward and a standard pillowcase above it. Cut lining to match the fleece panels. Cut pillowcase panels with a 1/2 inch seam allowance around the three seamed edges and an additional 2 1/2 inches at open edge for a rolled hem.

• Lay a single layer of fleece out flat. Arrange and pin tail, fins, and eye in place. Sew on tail and fins using a 1/2 inch seam allowance. Note: the front pectoral fin is not along the edge, so it will need to folded downward and topstitched to finish the raw edge. 
• Fuse the eye in place with a hot iron. Using a dense zigzag stitch or the satin stitch, sew around the eye to finish the raw edge.
• Pin tail and fins away from the edges of the fleece folding as needed. Place second fleece panel right side down over the first panel. Leaving the first 24 inches open on both side seams, stitch around using a 1/2 inch seam allowance. Repeat with lining.
• With fleece layer right side out and lining inside out. Place fleece inside lining and sew around unfinished edges with a 1/2 inch seam allowance leaving an 8 inch opening for turning. Turn and get lining situation inside fleece layer. Top stitch around opening on the front and back as close to the edge as possible turning the open 8 inches inward and stitching it closed as well. 

• Switch to a zipper foot and install a zipper along the top and bottom curved edges.
• For pillowcase, place panels right sides together and stitch along three edges using a 1/2 inch seam allowance. Clip corners and turn right side out.
• On open side, fold raw edge under 1/2 inch and make a 2 inch rolled hem and secure with machine sewing.

Enjoy your creation!

Love,

b

P.S. Two more designs are in my sewing queue… a yellow cat for Charlotte and a pink pig for Grant.

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