Sewing for your nursery can be so much fun! This tutorial will show you how to make a crib sheet, and you will be amazed at just how easy it is. It seems like options at the store are so limited, especially when you have a certain color scheme in mind. When you look to fabric, your options seem endless! So for the price of fabric and a little bit of time, you can make a crib sheet that fits exactly what you envision for baby’s nursery. 2 yards of fabric (44-45″ wide)(I used Blue Floral from Kensington by Emily Taylor for Riley Blake)2 yards of 1/4″ elasticMatching threadFabric MarkerRulerRotary mat and cutterorScissorsPins and safety pinsIronThe first thing I suggest doing is washing your fabric. Because a crib sheet is something that will definitely be washed, you don’t want it to shrink after making it and then not fit the crib mattress. That would be a very sad thing. So wash and press for less stress later. 🙂Cut your fabric to 69″ in length. The width will be untouched at 44″-45″, whatever your fabric measures. T
ake your fabric and fold it in half length wise. We are going to cut out 8″ squares out of the corners, but first we need to mark the square. This is where you use your ruler and fabric marker. If you don’t have a fabric marker, a regular one will probably be just fine. After marking your 8″ square, cut it out with a rotary cutter or scissors. Do this to the top and bottom corners. When you are done, you will have four 8″ squares cut out of each corner. Now we are going to start sewing. We will sew together the edges of the corners and make french seams. These will enclose the raw edge.Take one square and put the edges WRONG sides together. Then stitch down the edge with 1/4″ seam. After it’s sewn, cut down the seam to 1/8″.Turn the corner so wrong sides are out (right sides touching) and press the seam.Stitch down the seam again using a 1/4″ seam, completely encasing the raw edge. It’s so beautiful! The french seams make my heart happy. 🙂Do this to all four of your corners.No
w we are going to make the casing for the elastic. Fold the edge of the fabric over 1/2″ and press all the way around. Then fold it 1/2″ and press again. Next is sewing the casing we just pressed. I put two pins in to mark where I want to begin and end. You want to leave an opening to thread the elastic through. Sew along the casing, pretty close to the edge giving plenty of room for the elastic. Cut 65″ of elastic. Attach a safety pin to each end. When I get to the end of my elastic, I pin it to the opening so I don’t have to pay attention to it and it doesn’t get lost as I am threading the beginning of the elastic around. Thread your elastic into the opening and pull the closed safety pin around until it comes out the other side. When you finish threading the elastic through, overlap the beginning and ends about 2-3″ and sew them together using a zig zag stitch. I went back and forth about 3 times to make sure it was super secure. Put it back into the casing and smooth it out.St
arting where you ended, stitch the casing closed.Yaur crib sheet is all finished and wasn’t that easy?! Take your crib sheet and pull the fabric around so it’s all nice and even. Then take it to your crib mattress and put it on and jump for joy at how perfect it fits your decor!I made my crib sheet in a set with this adorable Ruffled Crib Skirt. The Ribbon Retreat Blog has a tutorial just for you so make sure to check it out! It would be cute for a girl and boy!Thank you to The Ribbon Retreat for letting me show you just how easy a crib sheet is! If you are doing a whole theme around a certain fabric line, I suggest buying tons of it! If it’s super cute like this line, you may find other projects to use it for and when you go back to buy some it may be gone. That’s the hard thing about these cute designer fabrics. You can make curtains, pillows, art work, baskets, and so much more (I have a bow banner idea floating around!) :). So keep that in mind and have fun decorating your nursery!Th
ank you Shirley! I LOVE this crib sheet, and you are so right…when you are decorating your nursery, buy LOTS and LOTS of the fabrics you love! You can always create the most adorable matching room decor to make your nursery perfect for it’s new occupant. 🙂 Shirley is wonderfully talented and has shared some AMAZING tutorials with us in the past. For more fun projects by Shirley, click here.Are you inspired to decorate or makeover your nursery, or a room in your house? The Ribbon Retreat has the most gorgeous fabric for you to choose from, for ALL of your home decor needs! Are you ready to decorate for Halloween? We also have Spoooooooooky ribbon to decorate for all the upcoming Witches and Goblins. What is your favorite home decor project?Happy Creating & Happy Decorating!Edit ArticleHow to Choose a Baby Crib Mattress Selecting a baby's first mattress can seem like an overwhelming task. There are a number of options available on the market today that have a wide variety of materials, sizes, and firmness.
By understanding the differences and knowing what features are most important, you can determine how to choose a baby crib mattress that is right for your little one. Measure the width and length of your crib. Check the firmness of the mattress you are purchasing. Your new crib mattress needs to be very firm to reduce the risk of your baby suffocating due to sinking into a softer surface. There is an easy test that you can do to confirm that your baby's mattress is safely firm enough. Decide whether you prefer a foam or an innerspring mattress. Foam options tend to be less expensive, but you must make sure that the foam is firm and dense and doesn't allow the baby to sink into the mattress. Innerspring mattresses typically cost more but offer higher durability. If you choose innerspring, select a mattress that has between 135 to 150 coils with a gauge lower than 15.5. These numbers should be found on the packaging. These guidelines are set by Consumer Reports and will guarantee the mattress you choose is firm enough for your baby.
Consider purchasing a dual-sided mattress: usually one side is designed for babies and the other for toddlers, extending the mattress lifespan considerably[1]. Choose a mattress with a very thick cover, which is also known as ticking. Verify that the mattress has been certified. Inspect the mattress for vent holes. Consider an organic mattress if you are concerned with the human-made chemicals, such as flame retardants that are in standard mattresses. Another way to test a mattress's firmness is to stand it vertically and squeeze it on both sides, as if to hug it. If the mattress squeezes easily, it's likely not firm enough. To check firmness of the mattress, push the mattress's center and around the edges. If you can see your hand print, or if the mattress pushes in easily, it's too soft for your baby. The right mattress should bounce back right away. Never use an infant mattress that is too small for the crib. To determine if yours fits properly, slide your fingers between the mattress and the crib.