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Kenji enjoyed this swaddle/snuggler that I sewed for him before he arrived. It is just one size and fits a newborn. However, my baby didn’t stay newborn-sized for long!
I used fabric scraps and leftovers to sew a baby swaddle, and Kenji loves it. The pattern, also called a Snuggler, is from Lotta Jansdotter‘s Simple Sewing for Baby. I used some flannel on the inside for warmth, and some cute cotton from Ikea for the outside. The flannel scraps I used were left over from when I sewed a bunch of pajama pants for our dad, Karlos, Ryan, and Donatello for Christmas one year. I used leftover cotton that I had used to sew a curtain in my first apartment. The pieces of velcro came from my stash.
Ryan and I didn’t know if our baby was going to be a boy or a girl, so I chose fabric that would be suitable for either.
Kenji was born in February, and our apartment can be chilly. So I thought that he would need to be warm when he slept, hence the flannel. To ensure safe sleep, we didn’t cover him in any blankets in bed. However, I sewed the snuggler before we realized he is a little heater! He also grew very fast, and within two months he no longer fit.
The pattern includes darts to shape the shoulders and foot bag of the snuggler. It also has a clever layout for the velcro closure, as our little baby is a Houdini escape artist! I did have some trouble following the instructions for sewing the two layers together. The pattern has you cut out the identical fabric pieces for both the inner and outer layer. However, when it came to sew them together, for some reason it went completely wonky and I had to unpick everything! Thankfully after some head scratching, I figured it out.
You can find the snuggler pattern available as a free pdf download here. Snugglers and swaddles make great gifts for anyone in your life who is having a baby!
Get Lotta Jansdotter’s Simple Sewing for Baby: 24 Easy Projects for Newborns to Toddlers here.
Check out some of the other projects that I made for Kenji:
- Knit Teddy Bear Sweater and Free Pattern by Marta Porcel
- Ginkgo Leaf Quilted Playmat for Minerva
- Knit Binic Pullover and Free Pattern by Solenn Couix-Loarer
- Knit Oliver Sweater by EweKnit Toronto
- A Simple Baby Pullover and Free Pattern by Erica Kempf Broughton
That is a lovely snuggler! My boys were all pretty warm blooded and got hot real easily too as babies and toddlers. It was hard for me to grasp too since I am always cold! LOL. Thank you for sharing with us at Encouraging Hearts and Home. Pinned.
Swaddles are such a great invention! Yours is adorable.
He is so precious! I really like the pattern choices for the snuggler. I bet he was a toasty little guy in there!
Shelbee
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[…] Snuggler Swaddle and Free Pattern by Lotta Jansdotter […]
im struggling with the wonkiness myself while I’m pinning it together. What did you do for your fix? (trying to save myself some ripping out time LOL)
I just took it apart and tried again while keeping in mind what should be facing out and what should be facing in. Nothing specific, justing fiddling around. Sorry I can’t help more!