How to Make A Shark Snuggle Sack

by Christy Lee Newell

3 Hours

Medium

My son has been asking me to make him a shark snuggle sack...so I got crafty and created my own pattern. You can too!

how to make a shark snuggle sack, crafts, how to, reupholster

What you need:

*approximately 1 yard of grey fleece

*less than .5 yard of white fleece (I grabbed a 0.75 yard bundle out of the scrap bin at JoAnn’s)

*red wide single fold bias tape (3 yards)

*black felt

*white thread

Directions:

In order to make your pattern you can lay your child on the floor and trace around his/her body. Make sure to add a few inches to the sides and length to make the snuggle sack roomy. If you don’t have the child handy, you will need the length of the child from floor armpit (just add a couple of inches for the seam and wiggle room). For the width take the largest measure of the child’s hips or chest and then add a few inches.

I used my daughter's mermaid tail and my son's body to help me decide the length and width for the shark. I laid the mermaid tail on top of the grey fleece (folded in half) and had my son lay next to it to determine how much to add to the length, then traced around the tail adding 1-2 inches on each side.

My first cut was forming the head of the shark. I found the center of the fleece and used a Sharpie to mark it (just a little dot). Then I marked where I wanted the mouth to end.

I continued to cut out the body (be sure to cut two pieces…that is why I folded the material).

For the tail I searched for different shark tails and chose to make it look similar to a Great White! I lined up the body to make sure the tail would be wide enough. Using a Sharpie I traced out the tail, then cut it out (make sure to cut two).

I faced the material fuzzy side in and stitched the tail around the edge, leaving the end that will be attached to the body of the shark open. Once sewn, I turned the tail right-side-out and did a top stitch.

I used the scraps from cutting the body to make two triangle side fins. Stitch the pieces right-side together, then flip and give it a top stitch.

Optional: You will want to make a dorsal fin that is slightly larger than the side fins. To attach, you will want to find the center of the body and fold the body over the dorsal fin. Stitch in a curved shape to attach the fin with as little puckering of the material as possible. This was by far the most challenging part of the entire project for me (because I actually added it after I sewed the two body pieces together).

Now onto the body. Pin the right sides of the body together. You will want to place the two side fins facing inside (see photo below) and sew the length on each side.

To attached the tail to the body you need to keep the body inside-out. Fold the tail so you can tuck it into the body (remember, your tail is right-side out).

Stitch the tail and the body together, then flip the body right-side-out and put a top stitch on the body.

The body and tail is finished…now you have to add the teeth!!!! I took a long strip of white fleece (approximately 4 inches wide by 56 inches long) and folded it in half. I pinned it every 2 fingers, then stitched it in a zig-zag twice with a small gap in between.

Once stitched, I cut the folded edge and carefully cut the two sets of teeth apart. Then I went over the stitching again to ensure that the teeth wouldn’t pull apart.

Now flip the fabric right-side-out. I used the bias tape to attach the teeth to the body. You will want to start near a seam. Fold the bias tape at the end, then open the bottom of the bias tap. You will pin along the edge. Continue all the way around the entire mouth. When you come back to where you started you will overlap the bias tape. Stitch on the “line” made by the fold in the bias tape.

More details are on my blog...

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1 question

San33582670 on Nov 02, 2023

Love your Shark blanket. Thank you for sharing it. I wondered how you did the eyes--it isn't mentioned in the directions. Also, is your blog still available? Your post says that there is more details on your blog but I couldn't access it. Looking forward to hearing from you.

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2 of 33 comments

Jsm5179467 on May 04, 2016
The picture of your little boy (laying down for pattern) put a huge smile on my face! LOVE the shark.

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Gail on May 27, 2017

So special for someone so special! Comfy too.

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