How to add internal leg sleeves to sleepsack? - Help with sewing

[auser]

Hi everyone, I recently got a cheap basic sleep sack (Picture 1). Had some fun with locking leather cuffs on ankles, elbows and wrists inside after padlocking the 2 way back entry zipper closed. This I have escaped from many times and began to want something more challenging 

I had a pair of old wetlook pants around so I cut the legs of and sewed one to each side inside making internal sleeves (Picture 2). This was a little challenging the first time because it was the 1st time doing anything internal sleeve. After a couple rounds this became easier than the leather cuffs and quickly got bored of that. Since the inner sleeves are made out of wetlook pant legs the upper leg is too wide to be restrictive and is easily escapable.

Today I made a sleeve smaller by sewing up some extra slack down the middle of the sleeve. (Picture 3) (The 3 parts circled in red are because I got a sewing machine today and wanted to practice pivoting material with the needle down - then afterwards I realized that may have added a bit more strength to it as well) Tried this out and that was much more difficult to get my arm out of. Getting there  😊

Headed back to the sewing machine and proceeded to do likewise to the other sleeve. Jumped in again and this time it took some serious effort to get my elbows past the top and out the sleeves. SUCCESS 😁
(What I consider to be serious effort is my definition of my experience with what I have sewn up. I'm sure people have tried harder in darlex and all that fancy material but for what I have done so far that was some serious effort compared to any other time I've gone in it)
When I did this the heat was blasting in my place so it got pretty warm inside and a nice bonus was it gets a little sweaty inside the sleeves so they tend to stick when I tried pulling my arms out.
I liked this challenge so I put my arms back in again. More serious effort to get out. Put my arms in again but this time I layed their couple hours and enjoyed the enclosed feeling and may have even fallen asleep for a bit with my arms in the sleeves. Woke up and got out for the 3rd time but this time realized my trick to getting out was stretching the attached hood and getting my shoulder up in the hood a bit. Stuck my arms back in 2 more times and escape was pretty easy. Not to mention this time around I had my knees, ankles and feet tied together with rope. Needless to say this setup is now useless.

I have not decided which one but in a bit I am going to head back to the sewing machine and either A) take in the shoulders a bit so I can't get my shoulder up into the hood or B) add some more material to the sleeve to take it up to armpit level as its about 3-4 inches short of that right now making it about midway between armpit and elbow. Not sure what I want to do yet.

*****Now there is also one more  modification I want to make to tighten things up a bit more and that is to make the leg area into "internal sleeves/pockets starting from the bottom and sewing up the middle all the way up to the crotch zipper. I am wondering what the best way to do this would be.
-Should I go down the outside or should I flip it inside out so the sleeves are visible and sew from that side?
-On the professional sacs does the middle sewing separation go right to the end or do "internal legs" just cover the leg and the foot pops back out into the bottom of the sack at the end of the internal leg and which way would be more effective at preventing "walking up" the sack?

I'm looking for that "oh shit maybe this time I'm stuck moment" until I have tried every single possible way to get out with the exception of breaking stitches or cutting it. When it was looser there were multiple ways to get out. The most recent when I had to slide my shoulder in to the hood, worked for both shoulders so thats 2 ways out and there probably would have been other ways which I didn't think of yet.
I don't want something totally inescapable because then I would have NO CHOICE but to cut it but cutting is obviously for worst case. I want to make it so its a serious challenge with making me THINK I have to cut it. That moment when your just about to cut the bag open and think "Hold on, I haven't tried this method yet". If I do have to cut it off then I will buy another and redo everything up until the last modification I did that made it that made me have to cut it.

*****So its down to heightening the sleeves or taking in the shoulders a bit as well as making internal leg sleeves.

[Like Ra]

Welcome aboard @Auser!

Had some fun with locking leather cuffs on ankles, elbows and wrists inside after padlocking the 2 way back entry zipper closed. This I have escaped from many times

Could you please elaborate? That sounds very interesting!

I've a got a shiny wetlook sack with internal sleeves, but I was never able to get my arms in.

The most recent when I had to slide my shoulder in to the hood, worked for both shoulders so thats 2 ways out

Aha, this is how you do it...

[auser]

Not much to it, I basically cuff one elbow tight and leave the other cuff loose enough to slide the other arm through once inside and zipped but tight enough that getting the elbow in is a bit of work. These cuffs have 1 snap ring holding them together. The elbow cuffs are not padlocked so they can be unstrapped in case the elbow cannot be worked back out. Getting in is easier than getting out 😊

Then a wrist cuff goes on wrist and is padlocked. 3 snap hooks are connected to the cuff rings in alternating order facing order so 2 are one way and the one in the middle is flipped/reversed. With 3 snap hooks in the rings it does not leave alot of room for maneuvering/working the rings and the snap rings can get "tangled & twisted" in each other which can make things fun.

Once the cuffs are ready, get in, zip it up, slide elbow though empty elbow cuff, do up the strap on the other wrist cuff and padlock it.

Because the snap rings can get jammed and since it was the 1st time playing with a sleep sack I had the wrist cuff padlock keys inside the bag but in the bottom foot area. But once your hands are free then you get your elbows out and undo the rest. Doing that stuff with the leather cuffs was really time consuming and a pain in the ass getting everything setup and putting everything away after and made a real mess with all the little parts involved which is why I want an internal sleeve one.

One thing to note though is the one I had the leather cuffs in was an XL with face holes.

The internal sleeve one that I am working on right now is smaller at size L. It is a solid hood with no holes. Sadly the hood is visible to see through without too much difficulty. (Idea comes for putting something over the eye area now.... Maybe a folded wash cloth or something.)......Or maybe I can just use a regular blindfold in the bag now because with my arms in the sleeves I can't reach into the hood area anymore to pull off the blind fold. The possibilities are endless 😁

As for sliding a shoulder into the hood to free an arm, it works for me the way I have mine setup now/so far. If I sew up the shoulders a bit that may not be possible anymore and will have to figure something else out. That may not be possible at all on a commercially built bag but IDK I've never been in a proper one. Just the one I am building.

*****Also to add to my questions in my 1st post, the shown picture is the options I have available and am wondering which the best setting would be for sleep sack work and adding internal leg sleeves. The setting I have been using so far is the blue option under the dot

[Like Ra]

Do you, by any chance, have photos of your elbow and wrist cuffs?

And this construction as well?

I had the wrist cuff padlock keys inside the bag but in the bottom foot area.

3 snap hooks are connected to the cuff rings in alternating order facing order so 2 are one way and the one in the middle is flipped/reversed.

You answered my next question 😉

[Like Ra]

Idea comes for putting something over the eye area now.... Maybe a folded wash cloth or something

Better not, because it might slide down and block breathing.

[auser]

If I did the blindfold cloth it would be sewn on similar to like    

Photo of the cuffs: the big ones were for elbows and the small ones were for wrists. On the small cuffs 3 snap rings were hooked in the D rings on the cuffs  and had to be maneuvered and manipulated.
   

[Like Ra]

If I did the blindfold cloth it would be sewn on similar to like  

That's an interesting hood.

Photo of the cuffs

Ah, OK, they are very similar to what I have.

[Anne]

That's an interesting hood.

I got a few like that, aliexpress has a few:

1
2
and a lot more

Just find the cheapest one with free shipping 😊

[ltxrob]

That's an interesting hood.

I got a few like that, aliexpress has a few:

1
2
and a lot more

Just find the cheapest one with free shipping 😊

Ha ha ha. The second one has the blindfold part sewn in upside down!!

[auser]

Well it's done.....or done as much as I am going to do to it.

I decided to take in the shoulders and make the leg sleeves.

It is extremely tight (At least I think its tight...I have never tried an actual one for comparison) and difficult to get into and out of now. 
I am contemplating adding more matertial on the sleeve to reach armpit height on ONE SIDE ONLY but a unsure yet as I popped a couple stitches getting in as it is now and had to resew. If I add more height to the sleeve it will only be sewn on the sides and not connected to the top of the current sleeve making its use optional. There will be a small slit between the new and old material essentially making this in an "armband" kind of deal. If it works great, if its too tight to get into then its there for if this thing turns from solo to dual play. Slide through the armband first then into the rest of the sleeve. If it doesn't work solo without breaking stitches then just bypass the armband and use the sleeve.

When the sleeves popped a couple stitches I resewed the stitches and sewed another row of thread further in which a) makes the sleeve smaller/tighter and b) If a stitch is gonna rip again it will have to rip these new stitches first before it can reach the outer one which is the one that ripped. The stitch that broke is one I did by hand before I got the sewing machine.

With the smaller sleeves and taken in shoulders, now when you get both arms in and down the sleeves the shoulders squeeze and hug making it really difficult to slide a shoulder into the head (My previous escape plan)...Even more so if its a sweaty session. My place tend to be on the hot side at times.

As for the leg sleeves I did a row down to the feet right to the end of the sack up to about 3-4 inches before the crotch zipper. Thats where the thread broke and I have not yet learned how to pick up where you left off on a sewing machine. I can only start from the outer edge and I didn't want to start the whole leg sleeve over so I just stopped right there.

I am glad I decided to stop as well and not continue because as I mentioned this thing is a hell of a lot tighter and restrictive now and with the leg sleeves, in order to manipulate the back zipper to the front you have to REALLY twist and contort. 
Actually have to have legs crossed bending at the knees (Think of a kid standing outside a locked bathroom waiting their turn holding in a piss because someone else is in there). If I had gone all the way up to the crotch zipper there would have been no way get the zipper to the front to close it unless it was someone else doing it from behind.

So at this point I think I am done modifications and anything more will just be damage repair.