The Three Bears' Sleeping Bag PDF Pattern

I'm so delighted that my Three Bears' Sleeping Bag PDF pattern is finally ready to share with you. I first started making sleeping bags for childrens' toys a few years ago at the request of a friend and we've since given them countless times for other childrens' birthdays as well as making them for the many bears and creatures that my own children have in their rooms. For younger children they're the perfect thing to appeal to their love of taking care of things and playing at being a mummy or daddy, while for older children, tucking their bear up safely in bed before they go off to school seems to be something that they'll habitually do until an older age than you might think.

From a sewing perspective what's nice about making these sleeping bags is that for someone who is interested in trying quilting, it's a bite-sized, unintimidating first project and for seasoned quilters it's an opportunity to create something really intricate if that's what you enjoy. It can be as simple or as complex as you choose to make it and it's a great pattern for using up offcuts of material - you could even use your child's favourite outgrown dresses. The pattern covers everything you need to know, including making your own binding.

And although it's called the Three Bears' sleeping bag pattern, there's no need to confine yourself to bears. The sleeping bag will provide a comfy bed for a multitude of creatures, from sheep to rabbits, as well as dolls.

The pattern comes in three sizes:

Baby Bear - which will accommodate bears up to 8" tall
Mummy Bear - with a maximum bear height of 10½" tall
Daddy Bear - catering for bears up to 13½" high.

If you have a super-sized bear that doesn't fit into any of these sizes then it's a pattern that is easily increased further on a copier at the local library or print shop.

While it's easy to set a recommended maximum bear height for each sleeping bag size, because bears vary in width so drastically, as well as this measurement often having a squashy malleability to it, it isn't possible to give a set maximum circumference - for this reason I've put together a guide where many of my children's bears model the various bed sizes to give an indication as to what kind of bed fits more oddly shaped animals - but generally, just laying your bear on a pattern piece should give a fairly obvious indication.

So here's all the information you might need about the pattern:

• The pattern costs £8.50 (which is around $10.50US dollars or just under €9.60 Euros)
• It has full instructions and step-by-step photographs (small, to be easy on the printer ink)
• The pattern comes in three sizes to accommodate different bear sizes
• The pattern pieces are easily increased on a copier if your bear is bigger than any of the sizes available.
• The pattern will use up scraps and offcuts of material, but if you want to buy new fabrics then full quantities are given. Essentially though, three fat quarters of co-ordinating fabrics will be plenty.
• Small businesses and independent online shops are welcome to sell any sleeping bags that they make from this pattern.
• You can download the pattern and print it out at home straight away.
• Payment is completely secure through PayPal. As ever, you don't need a PayPal account to pay for this pattern - PayPal accepts credit and debit cards. Once you've paid, PayPal will take you to a page where you can download the pattern instantly, by clicking on the link provided. You will also receive an email containing the same link. 

Buy the Pattern!

As well as the aforementioned sizing post, I've also put together an inspiration post about the different ways in which you can have fun designing a more intricate quilt cover for the sleeping bag, as well as sharing some of the photos that my utterly wonderful pattern tester has put together of her finished sets of sleeping bags.

If you make a sleeping bag from this pattern yourself, then I'd love it if you wanted to email me a photo of the finished bag or you can drop it into the Flickr pool here.

Florence x