Refashion Friday #2: Heirloom Sleeping Sack

Refashion Friday #2:  Heirloom Sleeping Sack

I can not believe that so many weeks have already gone by since my last Refashion Friday.  I guess I went MIA while I delved into the world of Ellee Days.  I do still have 2 left to complete on that project, but what you don't know is I do about 5 other projects in between each of Ellee days and I've been dying to share this one with the world since I got the privilege to take pictures of this beautiful baby a week back.  So, in order to get back on track with Refashion Fridays, let me introduce to you Ava Grace Marie...

This month I wanted to take pieces of clothing that have special meaning and remake them into something that can be a ready remembrance of the people we love.  This sweet little sleep sack for a baby was just the thing I needed to include a loved one into a special memory of the intwining of the past and the future.  For a grandma that couldn't be there on this special occasion, her love embraces her grandchild, warming her with her continuing love.  This special sleep sack is made from a sweater and adorned with special pieces of something borrowed.

It started with a precious grandmother's sweater.  The hardest thing was cutting into that fabric.  But there is something healing about making that first cut.  Something about knowing that something that was no longer used was going to be used again pushed me forward.  The memories were not being forgotten, they were being rewritten for the legacy of a great woman to go forward and bless a new generation with her love.

I cut one side of the leftover bodice and this became my main piece of the sleep sack.

 I found some garnishment pieces that created a feeling of nostalgia.  The lace piece wasn't quite wide enough to be seen when the sweater band was attached, so I found a small scrap piece of fabric that I cut the same length and sewed on to the lace piece, making it wide enough to be seen.  I attached it to one side of the right side of fabric (of the bodice piece).  I pinned this down in place.

lace with extra fabric to make it wider

attaching lace to one edge of sleep sack
placing it face up on the right side.

Next, I cut the waist band to fit the top of the sleep sack, across the lace piece.  I flipped the fabric bodice over and pinned the RIGHT SIDE of the waist band to the BACK SIDE OF THE BODICE.  Sew across the width of waist band, sleep sack, and lace piece.

cut to be same width as sleep sack

RIGHT SIDE of waist band matched with WRONG SIDE
of sleep sack.

sew a stitch across the width of sleep sack

when waist band is flipped over, it should look like this,
with lace edge protruding beyond edge of waist band.

Next, I needed to create the cap.  I used the sleeves for this part.  Once they were opened up, the finished edge was perfect for the edge of the cap.  I put the two sleeves right sides together and sewed in the shape of a baby's head.  I had to play with it a bit, but came up with a shape that worked.  I then took some scrap fabric and made the same size and sewed it the same way.  I then placed this inside the cap and fitted it to cover the inside of the cap, covering the seam on the cap.

leftover sleeves

sleeves cut open and put on top of each other

Use the bottom half of the sleeve
as the front of cap, cut to fit around
baby's head

cut out a lining the same shape as cap

cap sewn together

                                                 

                                                          inside of cap lining

Sewing the lining into the cap being careful to sew only to the
edge of the band. 

Ready to sew cap to body of sleep bag.

Next, I pinned OUTSIDE OF the cap to the RIGHT SIDE of the other end of the sleep sack.  Then I cut another length of waist band to cover the other end of the sleep sack.  I pinned this waist band RIGHT SIDE to the INSIDE OF THE CAP.  I sewed the whole width of the top of the sleep sack.  When waist band is folded down, it will show a finished seam.

With waist bands folded down in place, match the sides of the sleep sack.  Sew a straight seam on both sides with the bands folded down in place.  Put on garnishments to the front in any way you'd like.