Webkinz sleeping bag tutorial

Start with 2 rectangles of coordinating fabric, right sides together. To figure the correct size, lay your Webkinz (or other pet) on the table in their normal sleeping position and measure their height & width… double the width measurement because the rectangle will ultimately be folded in half. (pardon me for getting so personal here, but Cheese needed a rectangle 9 inches tall and 18 inches wide) Sew all around the edge, leaving a space for turning:

Turn right side out and iron the seams so they’re nice and crisp. You do not have to sew the little gap shut… it will be taken care of when you do the next seam. Fold the rectangle in half so that the outside fabric is together and the lining fabric faces out:

Start at the folded edge and sew a seam on 2 sides, stopping a few inches from the top edge of bag:

Turn the bag right side out and fold down a cuff on one side of the sleeping bag. I didn’t press it down at first, but it kept flipping up onto Cheese’s head when he was trying to rest… I recommend pressing:

The sleeping bag part is done! Make a little pillow with leftover fabric:

All that’s left to do is see how your little buddy likes it:

I made two of these… one for Cheese (who slept like a log last night) and one to send to a friend of mine. They were pretty easy to make; I hope the tutorial is helpful.

I wound up taking a giant nap today (too much fun over the weekend?) and I apologize for the delay in updating my Etsy shop… I’ve a few special orders for threadholders to take care of before I can make more for the shop, but I promise I’ll get to them asap. Happy Tuesday, everyone!

 

make a little box

(never mind about the date! This is just my parking spot for the pictures)

OK first things first, gather up all of your materials: tacky glue, super sticky tape, a square of batting, beaded trim, scissors, a little paper mache box, and your stitching! (a snack of some kind isn’t a bad idea to have on hand, either…there are a few of those waiting-for-the-glue-to-dry moments involved)

Smear a bit of tacky glue on the box top and attach the batting first, then run a double line of the super sticky tape all around the edge. (If you have wider tape, probably a single line will do, but all I had on hand was the 1/8″ stuff.)

Next, with the batting side up, lay the stitching over the box top (making sure it’s centered) and press the edges onto the tape. Flip it over and trim away the excess fabric, leaving about a half inch or so depending on the depth of your box lid.

At this point, you need to finger press the fabric into neat corner points and fold over the edges, just like the doing the corners when wrapping a present. You’ll need the tacky glue to hold the points down; use cute clips to hold the fabric until the glue dries. Actually, I’m sure that not-so-cute clips would work fine too… I just happen to be addicted to fun office supplies.

After the corner folds are dry, run a line of the super sticky tape all around the inside of the box lid edge. Cut notches at each corner–doesn’t have to be precise, just enough to get the extra fabric out of the way so it will fold in nicely! Fold each of the 4 edges in, straight down, and press onto the tape.

Time for more tape! Run a double line all around the outside edge of the box lid. The box will need to be raised to work with the dangling beads, so use the box bottom turned sideways as a handy working base.

Press the beaded trim onto the tape, starting at the back. The bottom of the ribbon/trim should be just barely hanging over the bottom edge of the box lid. When you get around to where you started, cut the trim leaving just a smidge for overlapping. Glue that tiny tail down (time for the cute clips again) and let dry.

<>Aha! There it is all done… a neat little box for your desk! BTW, the trim used in this example was purchased at WalMart (as was the little box, actually) and the design used is from My Mark, “life’s mottos”.