Adjustable Crib Skirt Tutorial

When it came time to put together Liza's nursery, we didn't want to go super-girly.  In fact, both Liza and Connor's room's color palettes could be viewed as gender neutral (L's is blue and yellow; C's is robin's egg blue and red).  I searched for some bedding, but quickly realized that I wasn't crazy about anything I could find AND that I was certainly not going to pay for bumper pads if we weren't going to use them (check out THIS article to learn more about their dangers).  So, I decided I better find some fabric and bust out the sewing machine for a crib skirt. 

This post came from my old blog, Lucky in Love, but I thought I'd leave it here for any mommas expecting a little one and wanting an easy sewing project.    Here goes...

Liza's crib and crib skirt -- yes yes we moved the blankets once she was 'actually' sleeping in there!

HOW TO MAKE AN ADJUSTABLE CRIB SKIRT.
(from a very non-official sewer)

I had seen some no-sew crib skirts and some that took way more sewing skill than I had and I opted for somewhere right in the middle.  I think you could easily make this an almost no-sew project, though, if that's not your thing.  

I also wanted a crib skirt that could adjust when we move Liza's mattress down as she gets bigger.  I saw this post, but she didn't have the directions as to how to actually create the crib skirt.  So I started measuring and brainstorming...and before long I had an idea.  But don't expect too much, I know very little about sewing.

Here's what I came up with...

Adjustable Crib Skirt Tutorial

Materials:

3.5 yards ribbon (mine was about 3/4" thick) or leftover ribbon 

2 yards fabric (just to be safe) - I only did 3 sides of my crib since one rests against the wall

Thread or Iron-on Hem Tape

{1} Measure the sides of your crib that you'll want to have a skirt hang from.  Make sure your mattress is at the highest setting.  Add an inch or two on to each width and length so you have enough for a hem.  (I worked on this while I washed my fabric to ensure it was pre-shrunk)

{2} Cut material for each panel (rather than one large piece).  Then, iron and pin a hem around each edge of the panel.  Sew these down (or use iron-on hem tape) EXCEPT for the top.

{3} Cut your ribbon into 10" strips - you'll need approximately 11 of these.  Then, fold them in half and iron at that point.  

{4} Pin three of these at the middle of the ribbon to the top of your side panels and 5 to the top of your front panel, keeping somewhat equal distance in between. (You'll be using the ribbon to tie knots, so you need to have the two ends out)

{5} Sew a hem on the top of each panel while sewing the ribbon down.

{6} Press the panels one more time before hanging.  Then, ask your husband to help you (especially if you're 8 months pregnant) tie the ribbons to the bed springs of the crib so that the crib barely grazes the floor or is slightly above - whatever you prefer.

Then, stand back and admire your work :)

This is Mocha, my brother's dog.  She was baffled by the noise of the camera.  She was also a good helper when it came to getting the crib skirt up :)