Well, I posted my first ebay auction to benefit our little family. It's for a fitted crib sheet. They are sturdy... I still use the ones I made 5 years ago for my first child. Good thing they are blue, eh Wyatt? :)If you want a fitted crib sheet that fits, looks beautiful, and is easier to put on than the department store crib sheets, please consider clicking on this eBay link. They make great gifts too! I put as much care and attention in their creation as I do when I make them for Wyatt.
If you sew, here is the pattern I use. It is a combination of several patterns I've found on the web. I love making them and they are so easy to do!
Materials: 2 yards of cotton or cotton blend woven fabric. I like to use flannelet; it's so soft on a little baby's skin. One spool of good quality polyester thread in co-ordinating color. 2 yards of 1/4 inch elastic. A cutting mat, large quilting square ruler and 90 degree angle ruler are nice to have.
Directions:
Directions:
- Wash fabric and dry in dryer to pre-shrink it.
- Fold right sides together so the length is 2 yards by 22 1/2 inches approx. Iron or smooth with hands.
- Cut one end of the fabric to create a straight edge. Measure 70 inches along the folded edge, mark with a pencil and cut a straight edge. You now have a rectangle 70" x 45" approx.
- To form the mattress pockets, cut a 8 3/4 inch square from both the top left and right corners of the folded fabric. You will have 4 surplus pieces of fabric. CAUTION: Don't cut these on the folded edge!!!!
- With right sides together, match up the cut edge of each square cut from the fabric and sew with a straight stitch with a 3/4 inch seam allowance. This forms the mattress pocket. I then do a zigzag stitch along this edge to over lock the material, keeping it from fraying. Do this to all four corners of the sheet.
- Turn up the edge 1/4 inch all around the sheet and sew. I usually do a zigzag stitch here.
- Turn the sheet so the wrong side is facing you. On the shorter side of this rectangle, stay stitch the end of one elastic approx. 10 inches from the corner seam and about 1/4 inch from the edge. Stretch the elastic taunt and zigzag stitch it to fabric, making sure the needle catches the elastic. Sew all along the long side of the rectangle, around the corner and stop about 10 inches from that corner's seam. Stay stitch the end of the elastic and snip. Repeat this step along the other side of the sheet.
- Trim all long threads.
That's it! Try it on your crib and admire your handy work. I don't sew the elastic all the way around because I like to have some way to tell which edge is the long side and which is the short side. Plus they fold neater this way.
Have fun! :)
9 comments:
What size sheets does this end up making? My crib mattress is a little smaller than normal 24" x 46" what size would I cut to make these sheets?
Hi Katrianna,
These fit the "standard" crib mattress here in Canada. But you could make the sheets custom fit for your mattress.
Just measured Wyatt's mattress and it is 27.5 x 52.5 inches. It is 5.5 inches in height. Remember, the height is KEY in getting the snug fit. My key in this case was 8.75 inches... here is the math:
8.75 - 5.5 = 3.25 the material UNDER THE MATTRESS. Gotta stay put somehow!
3.25 - 0.75(seam allowance) = 2.5 inches ... The actual fabric on the underside of mattress.
Here is how I figured the overall sizing:
27.5 + 8.75 + 8.75 = 45 inches
52.5 + 8.75 + 8.75 = 70 inches
So the formula for you is:
(mattress height)+(how much fabric you want under mattress so it stays put)+(your seam allowance)= Squares at corner you cut.
Then:
(Your mattress width on top)+ "the square" = the width of fabric AFTER IT WAS WASHED AND DRYED.
(Your mattress length on top)+"the square" = the length of fabric AFTER IT WAS WASHED AND DRYED.
And that's your crib sheet! Happy sewing :)
Momma Melissa
Hi
This is great. I'm going to make this for my soon-to-arrive grandson. Just one question. What length of elastic do you use? Would I maybe use a length equal to half the distance I want to stretch it?
Thanks.
Hello and Congratulations! Your new little grandson will love these as soon as he arrives. :)
You are right, it is half the length. I stretched the elastic along the edge where it was to be sewn and got my length. When I cut the elastic and let go, it was almost 1/2 the length when stretched.
Cheers!
I just tried cutting a sheet using your math and have run across a problem. The length and width of my fabric (minus the squares) wind up being exactly the width and length of the mattress, which doesn't leave any room for seam allowances. The formula you described to Katrianna seems to do the same thing--it leaves you with 52.5 x 27.5, exactly the dimensions of your mattress. Any tips on how you can still have a seam allowance when the math works out this way? Thanks!
you add the 9 inches to the crib size as that is the piece that goes down the side of the mattress and under the mattress.
what size of sheets do these make? I am very excited about this! thank you!
Thanks for doing most of the hard work on this! One note, though, is that you'll actually want to add 2x the "square" to the length and width of the fabric piece you need to cut out, since you're cutting a square out of all the corners. Then, if you're adding your seam allowance into the "square" as mentioned in the tutorial, it comes out just right.
could u use minky fabric for the fitted sheet?
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