Kaylin got invited to a birthday party that is an American Girl doll party. We have tried to make the presents for many of the birthday parties the girls go to as it is much cheaper for us to make them than to buy them (unless we get a super-duper deal), and the girls seem to really like them.
For inspiration, Kaylin and I went to her pinterest board where she has pinned stuff that she likes. One day, she had pinned a lot of DIY patterns and ideas for 18″ dolls like the American Girl dolls or the Our Generation dolls. My girls do have Our Generation dolls, and they love to dress them up and do their hair.
On the board she had pinned a sleeping bag that someone had made for her daughter’s doll, but no instructions. Now, I know that instructions really don’t have to be given–if I can figure it out, basically anybody can as I am not a great sewer; however, I will share with you what Kaylin and I did. If nothing else, this is a great beginning sewing project for a young girl–mainly a rectangle with straight lines!
I had some fleece that I was left over from some winter scarves that I had made as Christmas gifts, but not enough of one piece for a whole sleeping bag, so we used strips of three different pieces. If you were to use just one piece of material, you would need a 11 3/4″ wide by 36″ long piece of material. Sew down the top and bottom edge using 1/2″ seam allowance. Then you would fold it in half with the right sides together, and sew down the sides, leaving the top open. You also might want to leave the top 5″ of the sides not sewn together. (Look at picture above to see how the top 5 inches are not sewn together on the sides.)
Here is how I did it with the strips of material:
- I had 2 strips of 3 1/2″ wide x 18″ long pink and green material
- I had 2 strips of 5 3/4″ wide x 18″ long purple material
- I trimmed up the sides to make them even.
- We laid it out to see how it would look.
- We laid the doll on the material to make sure it was long enough.
I sewed 3 strips together for one side (purple in the middle) and 3 strips for the other side.
- Pinning the right sides of the first two strips together.
- Kaylin sewing the strips.
- The first side is done!
I evened off the top edge of both sides and folded it down 1/2 inch and sewed it.
- Evening off the top edge
- We pinned down the top edge 1/2 and sewed it.

Put right sides together.
I put the right sides together, pinned all the way around starting 4 1/2″ down on one side. I sewed all the way around, stopping 4 1/2″ from the top on the last side.
On those edges that had not been sewn (the 4 1/2″ on both sides), I turned down the edge 1/2″ sewed it.

I folded down the sides that had not been sewn together 1/2″ and sewed them down.
The sleeping bag was done!

The sleeping bag is done!
Then I made a pillow:
I took the little bit of material I had left of the purple and made a long and skinny pillow. You would not have to use the same dimensions that I did, but it was all I had. My material for the pillow was 10 1/2″ x 5″.

Pinning the ribbon on the inside of the pillow
I wanted to put ribbon on the sides, so that the sleeping bag could be rolled up and the pillow could tie the two together. So I put the fleece right sides together. Then I pinned the ribbon on the inside edge so that the ribbon was inside the two pieces of pillow material. I folded up the ribbon and pinned it in the middle so that it wouldn’t be sewn on the opposite side.
- I folded up the ribbons from both sides and pinned then in the middle.
- Right sides together with the ribbon between the sides.
Then I started on a short end about one inch from the corner and sewed all the way around the pillow coming back to the short edge I started from, stopping about one inch from the other corner on the same side. Make sure that you catch the ribbon that is on the inside as you sew those long sides! Now I could turn the pillow right side out through the hole that had not been sewn yet. I took a pin and pulled out the corners a little.
Next I cut up some old (but clean :)) nylons, and Kaylin stuffed them in the pillow. After it was all stuffed, I slip-stitched together the opening.
- I cut up nylons to stuff the pillow.
- Kaylin stuffing the pillow.
- Pillow is stuffed, the opening is ready to be slip-stitched closed.
Pillow is done!

Pillow is done!
The last thing I did was tie the pillow and the sleeping bag together to see how long the ribbon should be. I then took the pillow back to the sewing machine, turned up the bottom edges of the ribbon (I turned it up two times about 1/4″), and then sewed it so that the edges would not fray.
Both pillow and sleeping bag were done, so we tied them up, and they are awaiting the birthday party! And the best part of this gift is that we had all the materials already, so we didn’t have to go buy anything!

Pillow and sleeping bag tied up together.
Super cute idea! Looks like it would be pretty easy as well! Thank you for sharing this…I may have to make a sleeping bag and pillow for Ema’s dolls 🙂
It wasn’t hard at all–and it would be even easier if you used just one piece of material. My girls now want them for Christmas! (Love inexpensive but nice gifts!)
Great gift idea, I het the birthday girl loved it!
Thanks–we haven’t actually given it yet, but they don’t read my blog, so I think we are safe!
Awesome my oldest will love this.
Great! My girls thought it was pretty cool as well.
Cool! I’m always up for handmade gifts ideas.
Me too! (Obviously :))
Adorable – so nice that you’re teaching your daughter the skills too. I’m not all that crafty, so I’m a little envious that you can do it without instructions 😉
Well, I normally need instructions for every single thing I do, but this turned out! Thanks! I really like your dry erase book too!
Fabulous! Makes me wish I had a little granddaughter!
Aww–Maybe one day!
These are so cute! How nice of you to make it for the girls!
Thanks! I was pleased with how they turned out.
I made something similar to this for my nieces last Christmas. Thanks for the tutorial – so cute! 🙂
You’re welcome–I was thinking they would be great for my nieces sometime alas well.
So cute!! I need a little girl so I can play dolls!