Do you need a last minute gift for a little one? Why not make a super cute little crocheted sleeping bag for a tiny toy? It’s really quick and easy and sure to be a lot of fun to play with.

It’s time for another Sustainable Craft Challenge, where I join some of my blogging friends and we all create a craft with a sustainable twist. This month our theme is LAST MINUTE GIFTS, the perfect opportunity for me to show you just how easy it is to make a cute little sleeping bag for a little toy using really small amounts of yarn left over from other projects.

When I was little I loved small, cute things. Polly Pocket and Sylvanian Families were both a bit after my time which is a shame because I just know I would have loved them! I did have a few tiny toys though and one of my favourite things was making them little beds from scraps of fabric and empty margarine tubs. I like my toys to be cosy!

In my preparation for this Christmas I’ve made a couple of knitted toys for some little ones in our family and to go with them I thought I’d crochet them each a quick little sleeping bag. They are now extra cute and have added play value.

This is more of a crochet “recipe” rather than a proper pattern, you’ll want to make your toy sleeping bag the size to fit the toy you have so you may want to make it bigger or smaller than I have here. For that reason I’ve tried to write this in a way that is simple to adapt and size up or down as needed.

How to crochet a little sleeping bag for a tiny toy

To crochet a sleeping bag for a tiny toy you will need:

• Small amounts of left lover yarn

• A crochet hook

• A button

You can make these little toy sleeping bags from any yarn leftovers, it’s a great way to use up really small scraps. Your crochet hook size will depend on the yarn you are using, just pick one that you’d normally use for that yarn. It doesn’t matter too much, there is no tension size to worry about here, you just make your toy sleeping bag as big as you need it!

I used scraps of DK yarn, that’s equivalent to a light worsted, and I used a 4mm hook. These soft handled Clover hooks are my favourite.

Start by crocheting a granny square. I’m not going to show you detailed instructions on how to do that. Most people who can crochet will know how to crochet a basic granny square and if you don’t there are some great tutorials on line already.

Crochet your granny square in the normal way until it is big enough to wrap around your toy. The last round is where we are going to go a bit off piste so it forms into a cute little wrap around sleeping bag. You can see from my photos I worked 6 rounds of granny square, then I was ready for my final round.

I’m going to show you this final round twice, with instructions once in UK crochet terms, then repeated in US crochet terms. Pick the one you work with and then we’ll meet back up towards the end for the sewing up.

UK crochet terms

Starting in the middle of one side, work a final round by working a DC in each stitch from the previous round. Work 3 DC in each corner chain space and stop when you get to the middle of the 4th side. So you’re leaving one corner not done yet.

Work a HTC in each of the next 2 stitches and continue to the corner by working a TRB in each stitch from the row below. Use the photo above to see what I mean, I’ve marked the last DC with a white arrow, the 2 HTC in green and the first TRB is marked with a red arrow.

At the corner work 2 TRB in the chain space.

Now we are going to make a loop button fastening.

Chain 6 then slst in the first chain. Work 1 more TRB in the corner space and the continue working a TRB in every stitch until there are just 2 stitches left.

Work 2 HTB in the next 2 stitches then slst in the top of the first DC of the round to complete the round.

US crochet terms

Starting in the middle of one side, work a final round by working a SC in each stitch from the previous round. Work 3 SC in each corner chain space and stop when you get to the middle of the 4th side. So you’re leaving one corner not done yet.

Work a HDC in each of the next 2 stitches and continue to the corner by working a DC in each stitch from the row below. Use the photo above to see what I mean, I’ve marked the last SC with a white arrow, the 2 HDC in green and the first DC is marked with a red arrow.

At the corner work 2 DC in the chain space.

Now we are going to make a loop button fastening.

Chain 6 then slst in the first chain. Work 1 more DC in the corner space and the continue working a DC in every stitch until there are just 2 stitches left.

Work 2 HDC in the next 2 stitches then slst in the top of the first SC of the round to complete the round.

Sewing up the mini sleeping bag

Take a length of yarn and a tapestry needle (a non sharp needle with a large eye)

Lay your granny square down in front of you, right side down, with the “extended” corner to the left.

Fold the right corners in and the bottom corner up, sew them together where they meet.

Now repeat for the left side but only sew up about 2/3 of the way along the join. You should have a bit of an overlap where you’ve crocheted that extra bit.

Sew on a button and your mini sleeping bag is ready. Pop a little toy in and it’s ready to gift.

These little toy sleeping bags are so quick and easy to make and are perfect for using up yarn scraps. Once you’ve made one it’s hard to stop.

These little knitted foxes are similar to this cute little knitting pattern from French Lavender Home on Etsy. You can also find free patterns for this kind of knitted doll by Esther Braithwaite over on Ravelry. There are some free patterns like this around too, just google “Izzy dolls” and you’ll find some. I have some old books by Jean Greenhowe which have some lovely tiny knitted doll patterns in them too.

Now let’s checkout all the other last minute gift ideas in this month’s Sustainable Craft Challenge:

A Good Life | Unwind with Lavender Bath Salts

Christine’s Crafts | Easy DIY Leaf Brooch from Scrap Fabric

Sew Crafty Crochet| Crochet Christmas Holly Scarf

Purple Hues and Me | No Sew Ribbon Gift Bag

Old Rock Farmhouse | Christmas Berry Cordial Recipe