14 June 2012

Sheets & Changing Pad Covers

When my mom came to stay in May, our main projects were the sheets and changing pad covers for the nursery.  I think that she thought I was a bit crazy to sew things I could easily buy, but she was still a good sport.  Turns out, we are a great team...with most of the credit going to my mom, who did the dirty work (ironing seam allowances and feeding elastic through sewn seam allowances).  In less than half the time it would have taken me on my own, we finished the projects, and I think we're both pleased with the results.  I know that Baby Girl will love sleeping and pooping on them.

I was originally intending to do a tutorial on these projects, but, with my energy fading, you'll have to be satisfied with a mere fashion show...and links to the tutorials that helped us along the way (sheets, changing pad cover).

Fitted Sheets
Sewing fitted crib sheets is not necessarily less expensive than buying them already made, but it does allow for selection of some pretty fun patterns for the sheets.  Current SIDS safety recommendations suggest that a crib only contain a tightly fitted sheet (no quilts, bumpers, stuffed animals, or other cute items that could turn deadly), so it seems worth it to make the sheets extra special.

Here's what our baby will be sleeping on:

Polka dots!

Sharks, rays, and cleaner fish...from New Zealand.

Happy fish!

This is probably my favorite fabric because the pattern mimics the pattern of the rug under the crib.

See? Virtually the same pattern as the fabric.


Changing Pad Covers
I'm not really sure about the cost effectiveness of the changing pad covers because I haven't priced the standard mass-produced variety.  The general construction of the covers is much the same as the fitted sheet, but you need slightly more fabric to wrap around the edges and don't have to worry about the fit being so tight.  I have a hunch that I'll be making a fourth one of these babies during nap time in the near-ish future because rumor has it that nappy/diaper changing time is not always pristine.

Here is what we have at present:

Love this fabric from Ikea. I used it to cover a lumbar pillow, too.

Polka dots again!

Combo of the baby quilt binding fabric and sharks, rays, and cleaner fish.

What's the verdict?  Worth a bit of work to have unique nursery linens?

3 comments:

Janie said...

Yep!

Kendra G. said...

I found my way back to this post from your update today! I am debating making changing pad covers this time around, but I'm not sure where to start. Did you follow a tutorial? Or just wing it? -- Kendra

ALKS said...

Kendra,

Sheets and changing pad covers are both really simple (rectangle piece of fabric with 8" squares cut out of the corners, a few straight lines of stitching, and a bit of elastic). For tutorials, I more or less followed the ones linked at the beginning of the blog post, but I seem to remember having to adjust the size of the original fabric for my changing pad. I'd recommend doing one as a trial and checking out the fit after sewing the corners but before doing the hem and elastic, just to make sure that it's coming together the way you want. I think it's worth it and know you'll come up with great fabric combos!