Hand-made gifts, part one

Back in March of 2009, our local Walmart stores started clearing out all their fabric departments. When the markdowns began, I purchased some of this orange and white fleece with the University of Tennessee logos on it. I mean, who could resist, right? It is SOOOooo lovely! (not)

But being a student there, my DS is a Vols fan. He had actually asked me to make him a Snuggie a while back, and when I saw this fabric, I thought...How hard could it be? So I bought some and stashed it away for cooler weather.

The instructions I used were created by Welmoed Sisson, and I had stashed the printed instruction with the fabric. However, she still has the instructions for this SNUGLET on-line, if you wish to use them...look here.

There is only ONE correction I should warn you about. Her instructions have you cut 24" off one short end of the fleece to later use for the sleeves (that piece will be 24" long x 60" wide).

Then you are told to cut this piece in half, into two 24" x 30" pieces. All is well.

But then the instructions say to fold each piece in half to make a tube that is 12" x 30". That didn't work out for me...it made the sleeves too small (around) and puts the sleeve length on the cross-grain.

Instead, FOLD THE PIECES THE OTHER WAY, so that the tube is 24" x 15". That way, you have 24" long sleeves (instead of 30" long sleeves) and the width of the sleeve is 15" (which creates a circumference of 30" for the armhole). This keeps the lengthwise center of the sleeve piece aligned with the lengthwise grain of the fabric.


I had sewn the sleeves in (including serging!) as the directions instruct, but the armholes were constricting. I had DH try it on to tell me what he thought, and with no hints or prodding, he immediately said, "The armholes are too tight." After removing the sleeves and reinserting the other way, the sleeve actually seemed better suited to the size of the armhole opening cut in the fabric, so I gotta think Welmoed probably just 'halved' the wrong number when writing out the instructions.

To finish the outside edges, I just turned under a narrow(ish) hem and stitched.


This Snuggie is very long! When I showed it to my fiber arts group, I stood in a chair so it wouldn't drag on the floor. They said I looked like the Statue of Liberty!


DS was tickled to receive this for Christmas!


It wasn't too long at all for him. It wasn't too wide between the armholes, either, as it had been for little ole me!

This evening, I received a text from DS...saying, "Another successful Snuggie nap!" I think it is a hit!

Thanks for the instructions, Welmoed! DS is happy and it was a cinch to make!