Tiny Stuff for Tiny Pets

My niece T is celebrating her birthday over the weekend, and I have had grand plans for her gift for months now! Like me, her mom collects tiny little stuffed animals. As for T, she has one specific pet that is special beyond any of the others: her pet cow she named Nostril.


Now. Nostril has all KINDS of creative adventures. Recently Nostril put on a tapdancing show for a bunch of little friends, who were all seated on tiny chairs. (The chairs are from the Jenga-like stacking game called "Chairs." The stage is a Littlest Pet Shop thing.) I also hear that Nostril enjoys wearing a little grass skirt, and a "night cap" borrowed from a Littlest Pet Shop. Nostril also enjoys going camping, sleeping in a sock sleeping bag.

Well, everyone knows I am a sucker for tiny things. So of course I had to make some little accessories for Nostril and pals! I started with some little sleeping bags -- no more sock sleeping bags necessary! -- and some party hats.

Then I raided my Barbies and picked out some glasses. They fit these little guys perfectly! Then I found some sparkly, ruffly sheer elastic trim stuff and created a tutu. Doesn't this ensemble look lovely on Ms. Hippo?


Teeny tiny! :o)

I had to get out some cocktail swords, which fit perfectly around the little pets' appendages. And then of course they needed eye patches! I simply folded tiny ovals of black felt over some small hair elastics and hand stiched them in place.


And then winter gear! Yeeeeeeeears ago, I bought a stripey lambswool scarf on clearance, not knowing what I would ever do with it. I never wore it; it just sat in the closet. A couple years ago I cut into it and made some hats and scarves for my freaky tall dolls, which was perfect. Well, it turns out that the scale of the stripes is just perfect for these little pets, too!

Last but not least -- T loves Red Riding Hood, and even dressed as Red for Halloween. What could be more perfect for Nostril than a tiny Red Riding Hood cape??

It was super simple to make -- I just whacked out a shape, sewed around it, added some ribbon trim and ties, and VOILA!

Oh, how I wish I could be there when T opens her package!

Tiny Party Hats!

Today's Dollar Store Craft just kills me! My kids and I are obsessed with collecting tiny little stuffed animals. We have a great time playing with them and making them do all sorts of fun things. One of our favorite things to play (besides camping) is that they are having a birthday party, so of course they needed some tiny little birthday party hats!

So tiny!

I simply used some leftover party hats, a tiny hole punch, some clear tape, and this pattern.


Trace your pattern on the back side of an opened party hat and cut it out. When you tape, don't overlap your ends -- butt them against each other and use one piece of clear tape on the inside and one on the inside. Punch holes and thread the original hat's elastic through. Tie on either end, creating the length you need. Done!

I got carried away and made a couple dozen for our stuffed animals!
And this size works great for Barbie, too!

Sleeping Bags for Tiny Critters -- TUTORIAL

This past weekend my husband took the boys on a final summer campout before school starts. They were so excited! In preparation, they wanted to play that some of our little critters were going camping. But what campout would be complete without itty bitty sleeping bags for their tiny stuffed friends to sleep in?

These little sleeping bags are finished at about 3" wide x 4 1/2" tall. They are fully lined -- but don't let that scare you! It's not as hard as you might think!

They are SO cute, and the perfect size for little stuffed pets (ours are Whimzy Pets -- they have lots of space inside the sleeping bags at their feet), GI Joes, Kelly dolls, or even Lil Bratz dolls (if anyone still has those kicking around!).


What you need:

Four 3.25"x5" rectangles (two for lining -- mine are green, two for shell -- mine are pink)
One 7" zipper

STEP ONE: Open your zipper, and lay one side right sides together with the long edge of one of your shell (outer!) rectangles. The teeth of the zipper should be toward the inside of your rectangle.

STEP TWO: Sew, using a scant 1/4" seam allowance. Gently curve your zipper around the bottom right corner of your rectangle, as shown. (I made three of these, and used the zipper foot on only one of them. You can do it without.)

STEP THREE: Carefully trim away the excess fabric from the corner. You will use this as a pattern for cutting your other rectangles, so be careful to keep it in one piece.

STEP FOUR: Layer your little leftover corner on top of your other rectangles and trim them to match.
NOTE: I used fabric that was the same on both sides. If you are using a fabric that is printed on one side, be sure to trim the correct corners so you end up with mirrored pieces!

STEP FIVE: Lay your other shell rectangle alongside the first, and line up the placement of the zipper to match the first side.

STEP SIX: Sew it on!

STEP SEVEN: Time to attach the lining. Don't be scared!
Lay your little sleeping bag zipper side up. Take one lining rectangle and layer it on top, so the zipper is sandwiched in between. (Pin if you are concerned about them staying lined up correctly -- although I admit I didn't bother.)

STEP EIGHT: FLIP IT OVER so that the shell side is on TOP. (This way you can follow your previous stitching line exactly.) Sew! Repeat for other side.

Here it is flipped right side out. Doesn't that zipper look perfect in there??

STEP NINE: Fold your sleeping bag together, and zip it an inch or so at the bottom, stopping a little before the curve. Pull the shell pieces out of the way. We are going to start by sewing the lining, right sides together.

Sew, using a 1/4" seam allowance. Stop about 1/4" before you hit the zipper tape.

STEP TEN: Flip your little sleeping bag around and layer the shell pieces right sides together. Sew, starting at the top edge. When you get down near the zipper, fold the zipper RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER and sew right over it, sewing backwards and forwards over it a few times for extra security. Then meet up with your previous stitching on the lining and backstitch.

STEP ELEVEN: All that's left is the top edge! Unzip your sleeping bag completely. Fold the top edge of the shell down about 3/8". Tuck the zipper ends inside as shown.

Fold the lining up inside to match the the shell. I folded my lining over the top of my little zipper ends as well, to hide them completely. Pin in place and topstitch a scant 1/4" from the folded edge.

Done!
So little and cute with its contrasting lining and zipper!


The little pets had a fantastic time on their campout. They went boating in their tiny boat, fished for tiny fish...

...had a tiny campfire, drank tiny hot cocoa (borrowed from my Barbies), and slept in their tiny tent!

Oh, and the boys had a grand time with Daddy on their campout, too!

EDIT: Check out an upsized version for an 18" doll HERE!