Summer Bunting Bag DIY

Remember this nursery rhyme?

Bye, baby Bunting,
Father's gone a-hunting,
Mother's gone a-milking,
Sister's gone a-silking,
Brother's gone to buy a skin
To wrap the baby Bunting in.

Bunting bags ("bunting" is thought to derive from "buntin", a Scots word meaning "plump") are a popular way to keep babies warm in any weather, and here is a version designed specially for summertime. (And it's friendlier to animals than using their skins!)

Emmanuelle designed this bunting bag specially for her son Etienne when he refused to be covered to sleep (especially in summer!)

This summer bunting bag, sized for 2-year-olds (U.S. size 3T), is very light and only has one layer of fabric.

Supplies

Materials

• Patterned fabric
• Matching bias tape (to be made in this tutorial)
• 1 zipper, 60 cm (2 ft) long
• 2 snap buttons

Tools

• Basic sewing supplies

Instructions

Make the body

• Cut 2 shoulder pieces as shown in the pattern below.

• Cut 2 rectangles measuring 75 x 60 cm (30 x 24 inches) for the bottom part.

• Round the 2 bottom corners of each rectangle.

• Mark the following reference points in pencil:
  
  • along the top of the rectange at 15, 30, and 45cm (6, 12, and 18 inches).
  • along the bottom of the shoulder piece at 9, 18, and 27 cm (3-1/2, 7, and 10-1/2 inches).

• Line the 2 pieces up, wrong sides together, along the reference points.
  

• Pin at the reference points.


• Pin between the reference points, making small, regular pleats.

• Sew at 5 mm (1/16 inch) from the edge. Re-cut the edges at 3 mm (1/32 inch) from the seam.

• Turn inside out (the right sides will now be together). Pin along the fold and then sew at 5 mm (1/16 inch) from the edge to have a clean seam both inside and out.

• Do the same thing for 2 pieces of fabric that will form the other side of the bunting bag.

Final touches

• Position the zipper on one of the sides of the bunting bag, just underneath the existing seam. Sew it in place.
  

• Attach the other piece of fabric to the same zipper by the same method.
  NB: The 2 sides will then be joined by this closure.

• Place the 2 sides of the bunting bag together, right sides facing in. Sew at 5mm (1/8 inch) from the edge along the bottom part (only).
  NB: Sew with a zigzag stitch along the sides to avoid fraying.

• Make a matching bias tape (see the instruction page for making biases or Emmanuelle's tutorial).

• Position the bias tape along all the upper part.
  
  • Start with one tip of the bias tape against the zipper.
  • Sew little by little, never cutting the bias tape.
  • Finish against the opposite end of the zipper.

• Sew the snap buttons onto the shoulder straps, making sure to line the fabric if the snap buttons are very delicate.

Source: Et moi alors dans tout ça !

:laura: