How to Make a Bassinet Sheet

For someone so small, that little bundle of joy requires a big list of supplies, such as bottles, clothes, gear and bed linens. Purchasing all those items can be costly. One way to save a little money is to make your own bassinet sheets. Bassinet mattresses are quite small and sheets can be sewn using very little fabric and time. Use cotton, flannel, or jersey knit to whip up several colorful bassinet sheets in about an hour.

Things You'll Need

• Fabric cut into a rectangle with rounded edges, 18 inches wide by 34 inches long
• 18-inch piece of ½-inch-wide elastic
• Scissors
• Straight pins
• 2 safety pins
• Sewing machine
• Thread
• Needle
• Tape measure

Instructions

1. Fold the edges of the 18-by-34-inch fabric rectangle under against the wrong side of the fabric, 1-inch, and pin with straight pins.

2. Sew with a straight stitch on a sewing machine, using a half-inch seam allowance. Remove pins as the sewing progresses.

3. Fold the edges of the rectangle over 2 inches and pin, leaving a 3-inch opening for the elastic to go through. This will be the elastic casing. A casing is a tunnel or gutter for the elastic to go through.

4. Sew along the edges with a straight stitch on a sewing machine, using a 1 ½-inch seam allowance. Be careful to sew a continuous channel as the elastic will feed through this section of the sheet. Remove pins as the sewing progresses.

5. Fasten a safety pin to each end of the elastic. Connect one safety pin to the fabric casing. This is so you won't lose the elastic inside the casing.

6. Feed the free safety pin and elastic through the casing until the safety pin emerges from the other casing end. Sew the ends of the elastic together and then to the casing either by hand or by using the sewing machine.

7. Turn the bassinet sheet right side out and slip the elastic edges over the bassinet mattress. Wash and dry according to the fabric's care instructions.

Tips & Warnings

• Bassinet sheets require such little material--less than a yard--that you can recycle fabric from many sources to sew them. Use a worn larger bed sheet or remnants purchased at a fabric store. One standard yard of fabric measures 44 inches wide by 36 inches long.

References

• Selecting a Baby Mattress
• Bassinet Mattress Photo