DIY Crib Skirt

We've had a whirlwind few weekends that have kept me from making any real progress on nursery projects. Back to back baby showers in our home and then in Boston coupled with me just generally being lazy and tired and wanting to do nothing but lay on the couch have resulted in lots of stuff sitting undone. It taunts me. But last night I resisted the urge to assume my normal couch position and actually got something done (yippee!)

A while back I posted about my ongoing crib bedding debate. In a nutshell, I couldn't find anything off the shelf that I liked and decided, despite my better judgment, to add 1 more thing to my to-do list and make the crib skirt and bumper. I settled on white, quilted bumpers with yellow piping and yellow ties (post on that forthcoming) and a softer yellow & gray striped fabric for the skirt.

This is Sidewalk Stripe from LS Fabrics. It has been inexplicably removed from the site but they are still selling it at Fabrics.com here.

The process for making this really couldn't have been easier. Since my crib sits up against a wall, I took a page out of Urban Grace Interiors' book and decided against a traditional crib skirt (with a deck that sits between the mattress and springs & 4 sides). Instead, I followed her lead and decided to create 3 individual panels that I could attach to the springs with ties and adjust as necessary when it comes time to lower the mattress with a growing toddler.

After measuring, I figured out the long side of the crib was 52" and a drop of 21" would be just fine. I allotted about 2 inches extra for hemming, measured out my piece and got to cutting.

Instead of getting out the old sewing machine, I decided to try some ultra-hold Heatn' Bond tape for the hemming on this project. This stuff is AMAZING and I seriously might not ever sew again. Just cut to length, apply (with paper side up), iron on, let cool, peel off paper, fold hem down and iron again (for 2 seconds). Done and done. A totally clean, professional looking hem with ZERO sewing required.

I repeated this process on all 4 sides, taking regular measurements along the way to make sure I was keeping to my 52"x21" finished dimensions.

Originally my plan for the ties was to sew some ribbon on. But after the great time-saving cheat of the Heatn' Bond tape, I figured I'd press my luck and see if I couldn't make it work with what I had on hand. I used scrap fabric and a few lengths of tape to create 4 ties.

These are seriously scraps as you can see but who cares? No one is ever going to see them. I layed the tape across each length, folded them over and ironed. I decided safety pins would do just fine to attach them to the skirt. Four ties (one on each end and 2 closer to the middle).

Yes I recognize this project is getting more and more ghetto. Don't judge.

I pulled up the mattress and set to figuring out which spring I could tie to for the right length given the mattress position right now. Having never purchased a "normal" crib skirt, I can't speak to how they address the issue of lowering the mattress later. But I hate the idea of a skirt that looks great now and later is dragging on the floor. This method will allow me to lift the mattress, lower it and re-adjust where I tie the skirt to so I can maintain a consistent height.

There you have it. I still need to do the the panels for the right and left sides of the crib but this first panel was so easy, I think I can knock out the other 2 tonight and cross another thing off my to-do list. Yay!

And the (almost) finished product? I have to say...decidedly un-ghetto for all my corner cutting. The stripes are soft, I love the color combination and I think it's a nice tailored look for a baby boy's nursery. I had deliberated trimming it with some gray hem tape or pom-pom fringe but I think less is more in this case. I love that it gives the crib a more finished appearance AND some hidden storage space for unsightly things like boxes of diapers.