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Personalize baby’s nursery with a DIY crib sheet
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Whether you want to make a standard baby crib sheet, mini crib sheet or bassinet sheet – this tutorial is for you. Want the perfect fabric to go with the nursery or looking for something special to sew for baby for a baby shower gift or new baby gift? DIY crib sheets are so much easier than you might think – let’s get started!
JUMP TO THE VIDEO TUTORIAL | JUMP TO THE WRITTEN DIRECTIONS
I used my Golf Days fabric from Riley Blake Designs for this tutorial. The video shows a mini crib sheet but the process is (almost) the same for any of the three sizes. You MUST have at least 44″ wide fabric, after pre-washing, to make a standard size crib sheet. When I pre-washed this fabric it measured 42″ wide so I made a mini crib sheet instead. More about measurements in a minute.
SUPPLIES:
- fabric – see chart for requirements below
- 1/4″ braided elastic – see chart for requirements below
- Large safety pin or elastic threaders
- Thread
- Sewing Machine
- Iron (I used this one) & Ironing Board
- OPTIONAL ITEMS USED IN VIDEO
In this video you will shocked to learn how it is
to make a baby crib sheet
This is a great sewing for beginners project, gift to sew or things to sew and sell.
🎯 SHORTCUTS TO SPECIFIC TOPICS:
00:00 introduction
00:49 Why you MUST pre-wash your fabric
01:15 Prepare your Fabric
01:36 Table of different sheet sizes
01:58 Cut out corners of fabric
03:36 Pin fabric to make sheet corners
04:14 Sew crib sheet corners
04:37 Sewing guide tip for beginners
05:02 Straight then zigzag stitch option for corners
05:51 Overlock stitch option for corners
06:28 Stitch option comparison
06:50 Press fabric for elastic casing
07:22 Standard Size Crib Sheet tip
08:14 Sew elastic casing
08:30 Insert elastic
10:00 What to do if your pin won’t go through the casing
10:55 Sew elastic together
11:36 Adjust elastic in the casing
12:57 Free golf themed printable tag
Crib Sheet Sewing Tutorial
PRE-WASH YOUR FABRIC
I’ll admit there are times when I don’t pre-wash my fabric, either because I’m in a hurry to get it done or don’t expect to wash the finished item often, if at all. A crib sheet is a different story so DON’T SKIP THIS IMPORTANT STEP!
Once you have pre-washed and dried your fabric, iron flat.
Cut to size desired based on the sizing chart.
If you are making a standard crib sheet and can, cut your fabric to 68 1/2″ x 44 1/2″ so you can press raw edges under by 1/4″ all the way around and then create the elastic channel. If you can only cut to 68″ x 44″, zigzag stitch all around to prevent fraying.
SEW THE CORNERS
Fold in half, matching the short ends of the fabric and again in half in the opposite direction so that all 4 corners are together.
Mark an 8″ square from the corner and cut all 4 layers. (fig. 1)
The fabric now looks like figure 2.
Open the fabric and do the following in each corner:
Right sides together, match the 8″ cuts you just made and pin or clip. (fig. 3)
Sew with a zigzag stitch and 1/4″ seam allowance. (Make sure the left side of the zigzag is 1/4″ from the raw edge of the fabric.) Alternately, you can sew a regular 1/4″ seam and then zigzag or overlock stitch the raw edges, to the right of the seam.
Repeat until all 4 corners are sewn together. This is what they look like when you turn them right side out. (fig. 4)
figure 1
figure 2
figure 3
figure 4
CREATE CHANNEL FOR THE ELASTIC
The next step is to create the pocket all the way around the sheet for the elastic.
Fold fabric over 1/4″ all the way around and press. IMPORTANT: If you are making a standard crib sheet and can only cut to 68″ x 44″, zigzag stitch all around to prevent fraying instead of folding over 1/4″.
Fold the fabric over 5/8″ and press ˆ fold over 5/8″ as you sew all the way around the crib sheet, sewing as close to the fold as possible and leaving a 1″ open for inserting the elastic. (fig. 5)
INSERT THE ELASTIC
This part is great to do while watching tv. Attach the end of your elastic to a safety pin or an elastic threader like this and thread it through the pocket you just created. (fig. 6)
Make sure you keep one end of the elastic outside of the fabric or you will be threading forever!
Pin the elastic together and try the sheet on a crib mattress if possible. The crib sheet needs to be tight enough that it doesn’t pose a safety concern but also be able to get on and off the mattress. Depending on the elastic you use and your crib mattress, you might not need the full 71″ length, so adjust accordingly.
Overlap the elastic by 1″ and sew together with a zigzag stitch.
Evenly distribute the elastic around the crib sheet and sew the opening where you threaded the elastic closed.
It’s all done and ready for baby!
figure 5
figure 6
If you use my Golf Days fabric from Riley Blake Designs and are making this or anything else for baby as a gift, get the free printable gift tag.
Love this idea?
Leave a comment and let me know who you will be making crib sheets for and if you post on Instagram be sure to tag me (@artisttarareed) if you use this tutorial so I can see what fabric you used.
Follow my YouTube channel for new projects every week.
🧵 Tara Reed
P.S. Is there a sewing tutorial you’d love to see? Leave me a comment and I’ll add it to my idea list!
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