Easy to Make Crib Sheet
Sewing your own crib sheets is simple and inexpensive. Babies will need their crib sheets changed often, and owning several will make middle-of-the-night clean up easy and stress free. If you can't find the exact color of crib sheets you need to perfect your nursery's decor, you might find fabric that will coordinate well at the fabric store. Or, you may be looking to save money, in which case you can make the sheets from secondhand adult bed sheets or simple fabric that is on sale.
Things You'll Need
- Sharp scissors
- Sewing machine
- Measuring tape
- Straight pins
- Elastic
- 2 yards of fabric or old sheets
- 48 inches of thin elastic
- Thread
- Iron
Instructions
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1
Measure your crib mattress carefully. The standard mattress is 52 inches by 27.5 inches, although it can vary. The thickness can vary a lot, however, from 4 inches to 6.5 inches. These instructions are ideal for the thicker mattresses, but you may want to adjust slightly if your crib mattress is only 4 inches thick.
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2
Cut the fabric to 45 inches by 70 inches. Measure carefully before cutting so you don't make any mistakes.
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3
Hem the edges all the way around, by folding them under 1/4 inch, and then folding over by 1/4 inch again. Pin and then sew using a zigzag stitch.
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4
Cut an 8-inch by 8-inch square out of each corner. Again, measure carefully and cut precisely. If the cut squares vary, it will be noticeable on the side of the crib that faces out, since cribs do not have bedspreads that cover the sheets.
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5
Sew the two sides of each square that you cut in the corner together. With the wrong side of the fabric facing up, start in the corner made by the inside of the 90-degree angle of the cut-out square. Match the two sides together, and sew to one another until you reach the outer edge of the fabric. Repeat in all four corners.
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6
Cut the 48 inches of elastic into four 12-inch pieces.
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7
Pin the middle of one of the 12-inch pieces to the middle of the point you created by connecting the two sides of the square, pinning to the wrong side of the fabric. After you have pinned the middle, pin the elastic at every 1/4 inch until the elastic meets the outer edges of the sheet, creating gentle and even gathers as you pin. After pinning, sew the elastic to the wrong side of the fabric. Sew the elastic with a wide, long zigzag stitch. Repeat for all four corners.
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Sewing crib sheets will get easier with each one you complete. Iron the new sheet.
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Tips & Warnings
Wash the fabric in hot water at least once before you sew with it, to get any shrinkage out of the way before you sew.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Creatas/Getty Images Jupiterimages/Pixland/Getty Images
