I’ve got a decent stack of sewing-for-babies-and-kids books, with pages flagged.
And while I’d love to say I’ve made a least one of those flagged projects from each book, it just isn’t true. I’m working on it, though. I finally broke in Lotta Jansdotter’s Simple Sewing for Baby, a book I’ve had on my shelf for well over two years.
There are lots of great options in that book, but with a baby shower for twins coming up next weekend I went with the Snuggler, which is a velcro swaddle wrap.
Don’t worry. I wasn’t going to make those poor twins share – I made two, of course.
I needed something gender neutral, and my local Fabric Depot just got the Lotta Jansdotter Echo fabrics in, so I went with that. An obvious choice.
The only changes I made were using flannel inside rather than microfleece (I can’t seem to sew with Minky without it shifting all over the place), and topstitching the whole thing rather than slip stitching the turning opening. Otherwise I just followed the directions and had no problems at all. Simple sewing for baby indeed!
Here’s how they work:
And my neighbor was kind enough to loan me her super happy and cooperative three month old (recipient of the bonnet and booties I made back in August) to try them out – she was maybe a tad long for them already (and strong enough to eventually find her hands!), but she was the sweetest little model ever.
P.S. As I was looking at snuggler photos in the Simple Sewing for Baby flickr pool, I discovered that the pattern is also available here as a free download. If you’re so inclined, you can make a snuggler, too! UPDATE: I’ve been told the above link no longer works. Sorry! I don’t have access to the pdf.
hey thanks for the link. i usually can’t resist a baby book but didn’t get this one for some reason.
love that you made a Lotta pattern in a Lotta print:) I had a snuggly wrap, albeit not nearly as cute, for Lilah when she was a baby, and it was a lifesaver! I’m sure the new mom will be thrilled!
These are gorgeous! What a lovely baby present
A whole lotta CUTE is what those are! 😉 Great prints and your little model is so adorable! I don’t know if I’d seen one of those snugglers actually on a baby before, they look like they fit great!
looks great! and what an adorable baby 🙂
very sweet! My mom made one of these for my daughter (with Heather Ross’s man in the moon fabric) just after she was born, but she was already too big for it, alas. We kept it to try again for the next baby.
Lovely! Thanks for the free tutorial tip. Looking forward to seeing some more projects from this delightful stack of books you’ve got, but hey, no pressure 😉
Love the fabric choices and that baby is ridiculously cute!!
Beautiful sewing and such great photos. I am inspired to give it a try for my sister’s baby due in a few weeks.
These are stinkin’ cute and that baby – oh baby what a doll.
I also have that book & some of the others they r great books…. Those r adorable hope the twins enjoy them…. mommy too!
This is one of those projects that I WANT an excuse to make. But so far everyone who is pregnant doesn’t use this type of swaddler. Grr..
I’m dieing with baby-cuteness-overload! Such gorgeous little swaddles…and such a gorgeous little baby!
What an excellent gift, beautiful and practical! Thanks for posting a link to the free pattern too. I can’t wait to try it!
I hope someone I know or barely know has a baby soon so I can make a few of these. Too cute!
Oh my gosh I totally have to make baby gifts for twins. These are perfect!! Love the fabric you chose. I might just copy this whole darn thing!
Where do you buy the cool fabrics that you used to make these snugglers? I love them! I want to make a skirt out of them for my teenage daughter. 🙂
Love your blog, and fun projects.
thank you! i got the fabric locally at Fabric Depot, looks like they have some of the Echo line online, too: http://www.fabricdepot.com/index.php?page=CatalogPage&pageid=105
They are just beautiful, what a gorgeous gift.
This turned out gorgeous! I have this tagged to make too. I was actually thinking of running some elastic around the top so that it’s a bit more snug and a bit harder for the little one to get their hands out. Do you think this would work?
How on earth did you figure out how to put the pattern together from the link? I’ve printed it out and can’t match anything up. Or did you have the pattern in your book? Anybody had any success with the download?
I used the pattern in my book – I haven’t printed the one from the link. Hopefully someone else can give you some advice on piecing it together!
Thanks, I think I finally have it figured out. Like putting a puzzle together 😉
This is the perfect snuggler as it swaddles the arms. Just heard a snippet on the news that there could be issues with hip dysplasia in later life if legs are swaddled.
I’m in love with those fabric choices!
So cute! This would make an awesome gift.
Gail, You are an inspiration! I have made 4 of these and they were only my second sewing project ever! I hope my friends like them as much as I have, although now that I see yours again I feel mine are very begginer looking :S
I will keep at it I know I will be able to make some more and prettier 😉 Thank you soo much!
These turned out beautifully – and your model baby is absolutely adorable!!
What kind of fleece did you use? I’m always worried about it being too thick for little ones.
I just used flannel, which keeps it pretty thin.
Did you use Flannel on both the inside and the outside?
just flannel on the inside – the outside is quilting cotton. flannel on the outside would be fine though!
where can i get this pattern? it would be a perfect gift for my friend!!! 🙂
there’s a link at the bottom of this post where you can download the pattern for free!
How much fabric do you need to make this? And do you have a complete supply list?
Thanks!
It’s a yard for the outer and a yard for the lining. You can download the pattern (http://makezine.com/craft/craft_pattern_podcast_snuggler/) to get the supply list!
I just finished one of these little beauties up for a friend’s baby shower this weekend. I cannot wait for her to open it up. I did cotton (Joel Dewberry) on the outside and pink minky on the inside. I was pleasantly surprised that the minky wasn’t more finicky to work with. Thanks for the awesome tute! 🙂
Hi I totally love this snuggler and am about to make #3 of these! However, am hoping you might have a tip about sewing that tricky corner where the front pocket meets the back. Mine has turned out quite puckered despite making several adjustments, so was wondering if there was any advice/tips you could give?
Thanks,
Colleen
Hi Colleen, I remember that part being tricky too! I had varying degrees of success with each one I made. I don’t think I have any real advice besides trying to keep a really even seam allowance there – maybe even marking it before sewing? Sorry not to be more helpful!
Your swaddles look great and I totally LOVE the fabrics you used! Thanks so much for sharing the link to the pattern 🙂 Ness
Help! I’m a little confused about the velcro placement. on page 88, Step 1:D… it says marks labeled “A” and “B”, but i dont have those marks on the pattern. just the outline of velcro placement. In your pictures it almost looks as if you added the velcro after the swaddler was completed…any suggestions? im sooo excited to make these!!!
Yes – the velcro is added at the end, so just transfer the outline marks and place the velcro there after you sew the swaddler. Hope that helps!
can you tell me the measurements for this project. I printed the pattern off of craft.com and something (i think) is wrong. I think mine is too small. I would so much appreciate the measurements.
I’m sorry – I don’t have my pattern pieces or the finished snuggler to measure!
Thanks Gail. Do u remember if u printed the pieces in landscape. Cause I just noticed that and they r definitely BIGGER! So much so that now I’m afraid the swaddler will be too big. I wish it had finished project measurements!!!!
grace – i used the pattern in the book, so i didn’t print mine from the site. but i found my pattern! the main piece is 22 inches long and the front pocket piece is about 15.75 inches long. hope that helps!
Yippee! Muchas Gracias that is all I needed!
Could you say what the name of the fabric or who is the fabric designer? I looked at the 2 links for the fabric and couldn’t find it. Your snugglers are adorable. Thanks
Lotta Jansdotter designed the fabric, it’s from her Echo line. This link shows all the prints! http://blog.fabshophop.com/blog/index.php/2011/11/30/check-this-echo-by-lotta-jansdotter/
The link to the free pattern doesn’t work. Please, can you send me a link that works or a pdf? My granddaughter really needs this for when her sibling arrives in a few days. Thank you so much for this!
Sincerely,
Carolyn
I’m sorry, I don’t have the pdf – I made mine from the pattern in the book!