It's Done!!!

I finally finished the crib set I made for my friend.  It shouldn't have taken as long as it did but with young kids it's hard to knock anything out fast.  This was made "kind of" using Simplicity Pattern #3954.  I say "kind of" because I used it as a base.  For the sheets I followed this tutorial instead, crib sheet tutorial .  I used this instead because the first crib set I made using this pattern the fitted sheet came out too small, I actually followed the pattern so it wasn't me I swear.  When I wanted to make some more fitted sheets for my daughter's toddler bed, same size mattress as crib, I looked online to see what I could find.  I really like this tutorial, lots of pictures and easy to follow.  I've tried both the sewing elastic right onto fabric and casing the elastic, both work great.

To keep the fitted sheet I made using the pattern to stay on better I added an elastic band diagonally on all four corners.

Even this store bought sheet doesn't fit on very well.

I thought I got a better picture but the sheet using the tutorial method fits over all edges and still stays on snug.

The whole project is pretty easy.  It's all straight line sewing.  With the price of crib sets, and some of the funky patterns they have, it's worth it to make one.  The only thing that might cost you more is if you want licensed fabric, ie character fabric.  But I've seen people make them out of old bed sheets online.  These people made a Star Wars set using vintage sheets and mobile made with ornaments Star Wars crib set .

The other reason I "kind of" used this pattern is because I make my bumpers a little longer.  I do this because it allows you to weave the bumper through a couple of the crib slats.  This helps prevent baby from pulling the bumper down.  There's a little bit of controversy about using bumpers because of SIDS.  Parents won't use them because of this.  I feel that if properly placed a bumper is no big deal.  I like them so this does not happen

 

This is my eldest daughter taking a nap when she was 7 months old.  I had the bumper in when she was real little then got paranoid when she started rolling then moving more so I took it out.  After this I was like I think I'll put the bumper back in.  Then I weaved it through the slats to help keep it up, I didn't make the bumper long enough so there was a little gap.   I used a crib teddy bear(makes womb sounds and has long Velcro straps to anchor it to crib) to fill it.  Weaving it made the bumper real tight against the crib. I also make sure that the bumper is tucked behind the mattress an inch or two below the top.

Without any more rambling here it is:

This is what I meant by weaving the bumper through the slats. 

My friend loves Scooby-Doo and her husband loves baseball so I thought that this would be the prefect fabric.  It was hard to find.  They hardly make any Scooby-Doo fabric in normal cotton, plenty in flannel and fleece.  I lucked out by finding this on eBay.  I also found this new bias tape at JoAnn's that looks like denim to use as the trim.  I took a couple pictures of the process but I don't think I took enough to explain it all.  I would like to do a tutorial sometime.

This is the crib set I made for my children

I create this myself to help decorate the room.

This is the fabric I used for the bumper and skirt.

Thanks for filling that gap teddy!

I made the bumper, fitted sheet, skirt, and blanket under the crib that is covering the roll out storage trundle.

Here are the sheets that I made for my daughter's toddler bed.

Sesame Street to go with her toddler bed; fitted sheet, flat sheet, and pillow case.

 
This shows how it looks with the elastic sewn straight onto fabric.  You don't see it when you put it on the mattress.

She loves princesses now so I made her these sheets, didn't have enough for a flat sheet though.

The blanket was made by my mother-in-law with no-sew fleece.  It's easy to do and is a nice change from a comforter.