How to Sew Baby Sheet Sets
When creating a nursery, many will be amazed at the price of even a simple set of baby sheets. Perhaps your nursery theme is uncommon and you can't find it in a store. Or maybe you have heirloom furniture that is no longer standard-sized. Fortunately, it's easy to sew your own sheets for your baby, and by using the same basic principles, you can continue creating unique bedding for your child long after he outgrows his bassinet. Visit your local quilter's shop or fabric store to find fabric in the perfect textures, colors and patterns for your needs.
Things You'll Need
- 2 yards of washed, dried and ironed fabric
- Bassinet or crib
- Measuring tape
- Chalk
- Scissors
- 2 yards of 1/4-inch elastic
- Safety pins
- Straight pins
- Thread
- Sewing machine
Instructions
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How to Sew Baby Sheet Sets
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1
Take the length of the mattress, add a foot, and mark that on your fabric with chalk. Take the width of the mattress, add a foot, and mark that measurement on your fabric.
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2
Cut out your fabric, then cut out an 8-inch square from each of the four corners.
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3
Serge or pine-leaf stitch the edges of your fabric to keep them from fraying. If you do not have a serger or a pine-leaf stitch, you may roll your edges and stitch them.
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4
Take two adjacent corners, align right sides of the fabric together and stitch them together to form a pocket. Do this for each of the four corners of your sheet.
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5
Stitch one end of your elastic to the inside edge of the sheet so that the bottom edge of the elastic is an inch above the bottom edge of the sheet.
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6
Pull the elastic taut and use your safety pins to pin it in place as you use your straight pins to create a casing around it. The casing is the channel of fabric through which your elastic will move. Roll the edge of the fabric under itself, then fold the fabric over the elastic, securing it with straight pins.
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7
Stitch one end of the elastic to the other, trimming any excess. Stitch around the edge of the casing where you had pinned it in place, sewing it closed but still allowing the elastic to move freely inside.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Because the elastic is in a loop, these sheets fit oval-shaped mattresses as well as rectangular mattresses.
You may modify these instructions so that only the corners have elastic if you have a thicker mattress, such as for a crib or bed, but be sure to purchase extra fabric to account for the extra length.
Make more than one set of sheets. You'll need them.
Infants should only have a fitted sheet. They should not have a flat sheet or a blanket.
For extra safety, look for nonflammable or fire-retardant fabric.
