When Henry was a little baby I made a few little burp cloths out of some of the softest organic terry cloth. He took a liking to them. In fact they quickly became his "security blankets". He still sleeps with them now draped across his pillow. It seems a bit silly, especially since he dubbed them his "nappies" (as in, he likes to take a nap with them, not as in, diapers) but to each his own, right?
Anyhow, once I realized how much he liked them...and when I was needing to give him some good sleeping vibes...I made him a little sleep angel. I made the head out of a tiny scrap of terry cloth that i had leftover and then used flannel and corduroy for the "body". He loved it. He squeezed and cuddled with his little sleep angel. Sometimes, it even helped him sleep as I had hoped it would.
Since then, I have given a few people my "sleep angels" for their own little babies hoping that it may help with some blessed sleep when it is most needed. The key for these angels is to use super soft materials.
Supplies:
small scrap of terry cloth (or soft flannel) for the head, template for the head found here --> Sleep angel head
fat quarter of flannel
fat quarter of fine wale corduroy
embroidery floss
Stuffing
To make:
Cut two head pieces from terry cloth. Lightly transfer the face onto the front of one piece. Embroider eyes, mouth and hair (I just used a backstitch). Stitch together your head pieces with right sides together leaving the bottom open. Flip right side out and stuff.
Cut flannel and corduroy to measure 12" x9"
Lay your front piece of fabric face up. Place the head in the center of one of the long sides.
Be sure to place the face side toward the fabric that is front facing (ie the corduroy in this instance)
Lay your flannel rectangle right side facing the right side of the corduroy. Sandwich the head between the two pieces and pin. Sew together using a 3/8" seam allowance, leaving a 3" opening at the bottom to turn. After rectangles are sewn together trim edges and snip corners. Turn right side out. Iron flat, turn in seam allowance from your opening and top stitch around the entire rectangle, being sure to catch your opening in the top stitch to close it.
After you topstich, lay angel on her back and fold in the top two corners so that they meet and overlap in the middle. Pin the overlap and sew angel wings down. Start from the top, "shoulders" of one wing and sew along the top stitching line to the center, around the curved edge, and all the way down to the bottom.
Repeat along the second wing and you are done. A sweet and simple baby gift.This is what it looks like on the back.
Super soft and ready for little hands to grab and snuggle. Here is Henry still playing with his.
Enjoy!
