DIY: Paneled Crib Skirt for Baby

So we're six and a half weeks in to our new family adventure, and in those six and a half weeks, I have logged hundreds of hours in this little room, rocking and nursing Baby Sister. I've stared at the crib a lot (it's the direct view from the rocker) and I've been thankful that I had the chance to make all the bedding myself--to put a little personal stamp on this first place that my daughter lives. In a few short years, of course, we'll be on to big girl beds and these pieces will probably be given away, but they are a sweet little part of our world right now, and I hope that she'll see them in her baby album and smile to think how much joy I experienced in anticipating her arrival.

A few weeks ago, I posted a tutorial for making the crib bumpers. Today I'm writing about the crib skirt, although to be literal, it's not a skirt at all--it's three matching panels tied to the crib springs. This design, which Erika of Urban Grace Interiors dreamed up and had made for her own daughter's nursery (see her story and result here), means that the "skirt" length can be adjusted easily as we lower the crib by tying it to more interior springs. It also makes for incredibly easy construction, and no time or fabric wasted on a section of skirt that will face the wall forever. I love the efficiency.

Erika didn't publish a tutorial, so I came up with my own process for making the panels and appliqueing the decoration. You could easily create the same look by sewing the stripe fabric right into the panel, but getting the finished lines straight would require more precision than I think I'm capable of. Plus I liked the overlapped look. You could really do almost anything with these--add cute trim, stamp on a design with fabric paint, attach some ruffle--the possibilities are endless and the construction is so easy that you'll have lots of energy leftover to get creative.

Hope you enjoy!

To make the panels, you'll need: 

• Three pieces each of panel fabric and lining fabric (I used pieces of an old sheet for this). To get dimensions, measure the drop from your crib spring to the floor and the distance between the legs of your crib on both the long and short sides. Then cut the fabrics as follows: 
• 1 piece equal to [drop + 2 inches] x [long side + 1 inch]
• 2 pieces equal to [drop + 2 inches] x [short side + 1 inch]
• Three strips of 4 inch wide band fabric (coral in my project), folded inward from long edges to create an opaque, 2 inch wide strip. 2 of these strips should have length equal to [long side + 1 inch], 1 should have length of [short side + 1 inch]
• Single fold bias tape, approximately 6 yds
• Fabric ties. You can use ribbon or bias tape for this, or construct your own using the method in my bumpers tutorial. I used 15 ties (7 on the long side, 4 on the short sides), each about 12 inches long. 
• Basic sewing supplies, including matching thread

1. Layout your design on each of the three panels, using a cutting mat to make sure things stay straight.  As you can see from the photo below, I positioned the two pieces of bias tape 2.5 inches apart so that they barely peeked out from under the coral band. (I only wanted a hint of that contrasting color!) Pin the bias tape down.

2. Stitch the bias tape to your fabric panels, sewing as closely as possible to the inner edges of the tape. 

3. Pin the band as desired over bias tape. 

4. Use matching thread to stitch the bands to each panel, sewing as close as possible to the edges. 

5. Place ties as desired along the top of the panels, folded lengthwise so that the fold in each tie is flush with the top edge of the panel. Then place lining fabric over each panel, sandwiching the ties. Right sides of the panel and lining fabric should be facing.  

6. Stitch the layers together along the top and two sides of each panel, using a 1/2 inch seam allowance. Trim the corners and turn the panel inside out.

7. Turn both fabrics inward 1/2 inch and press, then turn another inch and press again. Separating the two fabrics, pin the hem and and stitch as close as possible to the edge all the way around the circle.

And there you have it. A customized crib skirt that will grow with your little one--and surprisingly easy, right? Three cheers for DIY:).

Happy Friday!