Monday, September 26, 2011

Tutorial: Crib Dust Ruffle

I couldn't believe how quickly I was able to make a dust ruffle for my soon-to-be baby's crib. Now I'm contemplating making one for my king size bed! Oh boy. 


Forgive me for not having step-by-step pictures, but really this is a VERY simple and straight-forward tutorial.

Supplies Needed:
2 yards of fabric for underneath the mattress
3 yards of fabric for your dust ruffle (about 3 times the length of your crib sides)
*These measurements are based on a standard size crib*


Steps:
1. Cut your fabric for underneath the mattress 28" x 50".

2. Cut your ruffle fabric 3 times the length of the side it will be sewn on to. I first cut strips of 12 1/2", then made them 150" long for the two sides. For the short side of the crib I did 12 1/2" x 84".

3. I hemmed each panel of my ruffle fabric by doing a rolled hem on my serger. I did this to the short sides and one long side to prevent any fraying. 

4. Ruffle the remaining long side.

5. Sew your ruffle fabric onto the other one (right sides together). I did a rolled hem again on my serger.  With each panel, leave an extra 3 inches on each side to sew to the next panel so you have extra coverage on your corners. 

Done! Enjoy your incredibly cute and custom-made dust ruffle! 

Monday, September 19, 2011

Tutorial: Crib Sheet

Pardon my absence of posts lately, I just moved and all sewing projects were on hold. It about killed me not to sew for this long - mostly because I am excited to make my own crib bedding for my new baby girl due this Christmas! 
First on my list was a crib sheet. It was SO easy! If you want a special fabric print or custom color, I would suggest making your own. If you just want a basic one color sheet, I hear Wal Mart has those for $4.00 which would be worth your money and time to get. 


Supplies Needed:
2 yards of fabric
2 pieces of 1/4" wide elastic - 23" long each

Steps:
1. Cut your fabric 40-45" x 69" (The 40-45" is open to whatever the width of your fabric is when you purchase it. Your sheet will fit as long as it is within those measurements)

2. Now remove (cut off) an 8"x8" square from each corner.

3. On each cut out corner, fold the cut edges together with the fabric right sides together. 

4. Now serge those together. 

Here is what it should look like (I did a rolled hem because really it doesn't matter to me!):
 *If you would like for your sheet to fit the mattress in a "more snug" fashion, sew a line from the bottom of where the diagonal starts (in the left side of this photo) up to your sewn edge with a more gradual incline. 

5. Place your sheet right side down. Go all around and fold your fabric edge in 3/4", 

then fold it again about a 1/2" and pin. This is to make sure no raw edges are showing so you don't have any fraying when washing your sheet. 

6. Before sewing, make a mark of an inch long 8 1/2" before one corner and 8 1/2" after the next corner on each short side of the sheet. You'll have four marks each and you'll leave these open to insert your elastic.

7. Sew around the perimeter of your folded edge. I only left about a centimeter of folded fabric to secure the fold down as well as leave enough room to thread my elastic through the inside. 


 
8. Insert your elastic into one opening and thread it through to the other opening. I pinned my elastic to a small safety pin to help thread it through. 

9. Once your elastic is threaded through, sew over it diagonally a couple of times and then sew that opening shut. 

You're done! Congratulations!