DIY Sleeping Bag for 18" Dolls.

Create a cozy sleeping bag for your favorite 18″ doll! Made with soft flannel, this sleeping bag rolls up and has a built-in pillow!

Hello! Today I’m excited to share a new tutorial for making flannel sleeping bags for 18″dolls. I recently shared my tutorial for making sleeping bags for 14.5″ dolls. This tutorial is almost identical but includes larger measurements so the bags will fit larger dolls. I used printed flannel which is so soft and cozy and perfect for this project. It comes in so many fun prints and is a bit thinner than fleece, making it easier to sew with when layering the fabrics.

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The sleeping bags have a built-in pillow and they roll up, staying closed with two built-in elastic loops. For my smaller sleeping bags, I used some of the cutest elastic by Babyville Boutique that I had purchased when my kids were babies. I ran out and ended up using plain white elastic to finish making these bags. Afterwards I did find similar foldover elastic on Amazon which would have been fun to use since it comes in so many different colors. Next time!

Below is the step-by-step picture tutorial for making the doll sleeping bag. This sleeping bag is designed for an 18″ doll but if you are looking to make one for smaller dolls, please check out my post, “DIY Sleeping Bag for 14.5″ Dolls“.

How to Make a Sleeping Bag for 18″ Dolls

Supplies Needed:

Free Pattern – Download the free pattern by filling out the purple form towards the bottom of this post.
Flannel
- Flannel print for the outside of the sleeping bag (half yard)
- Flannel print for the inside of the sleeping bag (half yard)
- I found my flannel at Joann Fabrics – with that no longer an option, you can check Michaels or Etsy
Fleece Interfacing (half yard) or regular fleece (read about the difference below)
20″ Elastic – I used Babyville Boutique Fold Over Elastic. This foldover elastic looks similar, but I have not tried it.
Poly-Fil stuffing
Sewing Notions: pins, clear ruler, point turner, and thread.

You can use fusible fleece interfacing or regular fleece between the layers of flannel for your sleeping bag. I tried both and preferred using a lightweight fleece interfacing as it was thinner than regular fleece.

The regular fleece makes the sleeping bags thicker, which is nice, but it is a little trickier to sew through all of the layers. When I used the fleece interfacing, I only lightly ironed it to the wrong side of the my inside flannel fabric – just enough to hold it in place. I did not fully adhere it since the sleeping bag is quilted to keep the layers together.

Below you can see two sleeping bags, the top one is made with fusible fleece interfacing and the bottom one is made with regular fleece. Both are nice!

Cutting the Fabric

Step One: Start by cutting your fabric! Use the free printable pattern to cut the pieces for the entire sleeping bag.

Making the Back of the Sleeping Bag

Step Two: Layer the 3 fabrics cut for the back of the sleeping bag together as shown below – printed flannel (hearts), inside flannel (blue stars), interfacing. The printed flannel should be placed upside down so the two flannel fabrics have right sides together.

Pin at 6″ from the top on the right side and pin at 11.5″ from the top on the left side.

Stitch from pin to pin with a 1/2″ seam allowance. Clip the corners and clip into the seam allowance at both the 6″ mark and 11.5″ mark. Clip carefully to the seam line but not through it.

Turn the sleeping bag right side out and press. Use a point turner to help poke out the corners.

Step Three: Create the pillow! The pillow is built into the back of the sleeping bag. Stitch a horizontal line at the notch created from the 6″ mark, making sure to leave a hole in the middle to stuff the pillow. Use a ruler to lightly draw a straight line to follow.

Stuff the pillow with Poly-fil stuffing and stitch the pillow closed. You can do this on your machine, just push the stuffing out of the way, or by hand using a backstitch.

Making the Front of the Sleeping Bag

Step Four: Switch to the front of the sleeping bag and layer the fabrics as you did with the back side (printed flannel, inside flannel, interfacing – making sure to place the printed flannel upside down so the two flannel fabrics have right sides together. Pin at 6″ from the top on the right side.

Step Five: Stitch across the top of the layers and down the right side to the marked pin with a 1/2″ seam allowance. Clip the corner and clip into the seam allowance at the 6″ spot where you stopped stitching.

Turn the front of the sleeping bag right side out and press. Use a point turner to help poke out the corners.

Quilting the Layers

Step Six: Both the front and back of the sleeping bag are “quilted” with horizontal lines of stitching. This keeps the layers together. Start by marking two horizontal lines on the front of the sleeping bag. I marked mine at 5.5″ and 10.75″ from the top. You can lightly draw pencil lines to help guide you. Stitch the layers of fabric together along the lines, starting with the line at the top and smoothing the fabric downward as you go.

Step Seven: Now it is time to add the same horizontal quilting lines to the bottom of the sleeping bag. Repeat the process by marking lines at 11″ and 16.25″ from the top and using a pencil to lightly draw the lines. Stitch the layers of fabric together along both lines, starting with the line at the top and smoothing the fabric downward as you go.

Sewing the Front and Back Together

Step Eight: It’s time to sew the front and back pieces of the sleeping bag together. First, add the elastic loops to the back of the sleeping bag along the bottom edge. Use two 12-13″ long loops of elastic and pin them along the bottom (on the printed flannel side) about 2″ in from the sides. Pin them so they are laying upwards, towards the pillow.

Step Nine: Lay the front of the sleeping bag on top of the back and pin in place matching the notches on the right side. Make sure right sides are together and the flannel meant for the inside of the sleeping bag is on the outside. The elastic will be sandwiched between the layers. Stitch the layers together starting at the notch. Make sure to backstitch well at the ends of your stitching.

Turn the sleeping bag right side out and press! The sleeping bag is finished!!

Open up the warm flannel layers and the doll will slide right in for a cozy night’s sleep! Roll up the sleeping bag starting at the end with the pillow and use the elastic loops to secure it closed.

This was such a fun craft and is beginner friendly with only straight stitching lines on the sewing machine. You can have a lot of fun mixing and matching the flannel fabrics to create different sleeping bags. Once I made one, I found it easy to make a few more. Now all of my daughter’s dolls have a sleeping bag which makes playtime extra fun!

If you enjoyed this craft, be sure to check out my other doll crafts:

There are some adorable doll camping accessories available to go along with these cute sleeping bags. Unfortunately, the exact tent and camp accessories we purchased from Target a few years ago are no longer available, but I rounded up some excellent options below!

Get the Free Sleeping Bag Pattern for 18″ Dolls

Fill out the purple form below with your first name and email address! The free file will be sent straight to your inbox! If you have already filled out the form below, don’t worry – you won’t be added to my list twice! This freebie is for personal use only. I hope you enjoy crafting something special. Please let me know if you have any questions :)

DIY Sleeping Bag for 18″ Dolls