Co-sleeper Sheet Tutorial

Our fourth grandchild is due to arrive later this summer; once he gets home, his mama will keep him close to her in a co-sleeper that sits next to her side of the bed. It’s hard to find sheets for such a small mattress, so I make them for her.

Here’s what a co-sleeper mattress looks like:

And here’s how to make a sheet for it:

Fold your fabric in half, right sides together. Then place the co-sleeper on the fabric and pin around the entire mattress. I used one yard of 60″-wide knit fabric, which worked perfectly for the 20″ X 33″ co-sleeper mattress. Sew along the path of pins, removing them as you go, until you come back to where you began. Back-stitch a little ways before you remove the sheet from the machine. Then trim around the stitching, leaving an approximate 1/4″ seam allowance:

Using a zig-zag stitch, go back along the raw edge and stitch to finish the edge:

You may be able to tell that I used a narrow zig-zag for the initial stitching as well as on the raw edges. That’s because I used a knit fabric and the zig-zag makes for a more flexible seam. But if you’re making this out of a non-knit fabric, just use straight stitching for the seam and zig-zag for the raw edges.

So what you should have now is a big rectangle of two layers sewn together that you can’t open because we didn’t leave a space to turn it. No worries, that’s how we want it. Measure in 6″ from all edges and mark with pins:

Your project should look like this:

Now, on only the top layer of fabric, cut out a rough oval just inside the pins:

Your sheet should look like this:

Note that mine isn’t a perfect oval. Yours doesn’t have to be, either  🙂  Now turn the sheet right side out, and press the oval’s edge after folding over a half-inch:

Take a roll of elastic (I used 1/2″ wide, but 3/8″ or 1/4″ would work as well), place the end of it inside the little hem you just made, and start stitching with a zig-zag stitch, stopping to stretch the elastic as you go along:

It’s hard to see, but the elastic is under the folded-over fabric here. Just keep stretching and sewing, a few inches at a time, until you go all the way around the oval. Back-stitch when you finish. Then turn the sheet right side out and put it on the co-sleeper mattress. Here’s how the back should look:

And here’s the front:

I bought the elastic at Hobby Lobby, where a 4.5 yard roll of 1/2″ elastic from their Sew-ology line costs $1.99; sometimes all of their Sew-ology notions are half-price, so that’s a pretty good deal for a grandma who’s been making crib sheets, little girls’ dresses with elastic necks and sleeves, etc.

Eagle-eyed readers might notice some children’s fabrics in the upper-left corner of the photo. Yes, there is a baby quilt in the works for our new little grandson. Stay tuned!

 

Matching Summer Dresses

My granddaughters are now 1 1/2 and 2 1/2; they are cousins who live two states apart and were born almost exactly one year apart. They don’t get to see each other very often, and when they do, they aren’t usually dressed alike. But I can’t resist making them matching dresses (the first time was last summer), and when I saw these adorable coordinating fabrics at Hobby Lobby, I just had to turn them into matching dresses. I hope I get to see my little granddaughters wear these dresses this summer!

Quilt for a Summer Baby

Around here, we’re pretty excited because we have another grandchild on the way. The little one is due this summer. I stumbled onto this tutorial for a lightweight rag quilt without batting, and it seemed like the perfect choice for me to make for our new little grandson or granddaughter.

The back of the quilt doesn’t have the fringe; it’s just nice, soft and smooth:

I found the two flannel prints at Hobby Lobby. The quilt requires two yards of each print, so the gorgeous flannels I saw online for $10 a yard were going to be too expensive for me. Hobby Lobby’s lower prices and 40% off coupon on one print were just the ticket.

I highly recommend the tutorial at the website linked above. I appreciate Angie sharing her knowledge.

Clothes for the Grandkids

I loved sewing for my children when they were little. I don’t know how I found the time to do so, but I did. Now I’m having a ball making clothes for my grandkids, and I don’t have to squeeze sewing sessions in during nap times or late at night because I have much more free time these days.

Our grandson loves the Avengers and anything that has to do with super heroes, so buying this fabric was a no-brainer:

IMG_20160304_2042430_rewindNot long ago during our weekly Skype visit, he modeled his shorts; his mother says he wears them all the time. I was so pleased!

I also made a dress with matching panties for our granddaughter. But she just started crawling this week, so I’m not sure how often they’ll be putting her in dresses now. Maybe she can wear this to church though:

IMG_20160304_2043269_rewindI made both items on my vintage Bernina using fabric from JoAnn Fabrics, which joins Hobby Lobby as my only remaining shopping-for-fabric-in-person options now that Hancock Fabrics is going out of business (sniffle!).