A.K.A. I’m About To Embark On the Ridiculous and Possibly Unachievable Task of Sewing Nearly Everything For My Baby’s Nursery. Send Vodka… oh, wait…
I decided I was going to go the DIY route for this baby after dropping a ton of cash on Kendall’s crib bedding only to never really use much of it (crib bumper came out after he started rolling over, the blanket never got much use). I couldn’t find exactly what I was looking for, and figured it couldn’t be too hard to sew up a crib skirt. Then I found a tutorial for making crib sheets, and they actually don’t seem too hard either. And then I figured a curtain panel or two wouldn’t be that challenging, and while I’m at it, why not some matching pillows for the rocking chair and the window seat?
I told Scott we’d “save so much money” this way, but uh… that was before I fell in love with cute designer, boutique fabrics. So yeah, I’m making all this stuff with expensive fabric, which sort of negates the cost effectiveness of it all (and NO pressure on my end… none at all). But it will be super cute, right? I mean, maybe. If I can mange to not kill my sewing machine for inevitably fucking up for something that I know is my fault, but that I can’t diagnose in the moment because I’m too filled with RAGE over the stupid tension getting screwed up and the bobbin constantly coming unwound… or something to that effect. And this is all banking on my seam ripper not attacking me and lopping off a thumb because I will be using that seam ripper a lot.
I made sure to buy a couple extra yards of each fabric to account for damages. Speaking of fabrics, here they are:
Left to right- The first is the Amy Butler fabric I originally fell in love with, from the Love Collection. The sample I came home with was quilted because it’s all they had, but the fabric I ordered and will use won’t be quilted. The other two are by Jennifer Paganelli, from the Poodle Collection in a color called Mustard, but it really looks a lot more like peanut butter to me. The first two on the left will be used the most, with the one on the right used sparingly in the details.
My plan is to make the bedskirt out of the Amy Butler fabric. The bed sheets will be made out of the diamond Poodle fabric, and so will the curtain panels, which will be a great contrast against this grape jelly purple accent wall. We still have much painting to do, including adding the peanut butter color to the top of the rest of the walls and white trim, but you get the general idea. I know it looks pretty dark in this picture, but I swear it’s not as cave-like as it seems.
I’ll make some fun throw pillows out of all three fabrics to go in the window seat/sill thingy. I made sure to find a tutorial that requires no zippers or buttons. Would love to add a ruffled edge to some, but… I’ll get into my fear of ruffles in a minute.
Of course, I’ll also whip up a crib rail guard, using whatever scraps I have after the big projects are done.
And then there are these awesome, collapsable fabric bins that look like maybe I can tackle them… or just one… maybe none. We’ll see. There may be too many measurement involved for my frazzled pregnant brain.
Oh, and she’ll HAVE to have a blanket, at least one. Kendall’s not about to give up any of the billions other people made for him. He still demands to sleep with each one of them at night in his sea of stuffed animals and various other soft, once SIDS hazards that now cover his face most of the night.
I love this one. Seems simple enough, except for the ruffle edge. THAT seems hard as hell. Ruffles scare me. Anything that requires “basting” scares me. Okay, okay, anything that requires more than a simple straight stitch scares me, which leads me to…
What did just sign myself up for?! I have to follow through. I’ve spent entirely too much money on too much fabric, but I can already envision the battles, the f-bombs, the crooked seams, the seam ripper thrown across the room (a dangerous habit, I know). I will need an extra dose of patience, a box of Bandaids and a bottle of Tylenol.
Or, you know, maybe it won’t be that bad. Maybe the fact that I can’t drink while doing these projects might actually help me. Yes, let’s just blame all my previous sewing inadequacies on the glasses of Shiraz that always accompanied me to the sewing machine.
Kendall is 2 1/3 and I’m 27 weeks pregnant and off to tackle some crib sheets.
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23 comments
I love the fabrics, especially the first one. I’m sure all of your projects will look gorgeous and I’ll be coming back to check out those tutorials when I need them! I made my daughter’s crib bumper (which doesnt get used) and her crib skirt. I would love to make crib sheets for future babies!
I believe in you! You’re brave. 🙂
love the fabrics! I really love how, conceptually, they fit into your theme– the Amy Butler being Jelly, the diamond Poodle fabric is the peanut butter, and the accent fabric swirls the two purple and PB colors together. Nice work. Also you should anticipate the likelihood that this room will make you hungry.
You can do it!! 🙂
I love the fabrics and the color palette! Have fun 😉
I love to see how it goes – I bought fabric for the piano window in my son’s room over a year and a half ago. It’s still downstairs in my sewing basket, or my ‘where things go to be forgotten about’ basket, depending on how honest we’re being. The bath towel which I created a seam in for the curtain rod is still holding up quite nicely, though.
The fabrics are awesome! Her room is going to be beautiful. And you can complete the blanket! If I can do ruffles, you can do ruffles. Just start with some scrap fabric and you will realize how easy it is. Trust me, the end result is worth the first few screw ups.
And since you can’t drink, maybe have a Blizzard sitting by your sewing machine. Then in moment’s of seam ripping rage (I have them all the time) you can take a bite and relax.Good luck!
I love this project, you can do it – the room is going to be beautiful!!
I envy the fact that you can sew. I have been wanting to learn for years. And in my dreams I’ve always had a place (in our new house that doesn’t exist yet) for a sewing/craft room. Why, I have no idea? Because I don’t do either yet.
Good luck with everything! Hopefully there’s not too much cursing or pricking involved 😉
I wish I had the time to work on such as great product. It would give since being more to a Mother to my baby, but I have to work outside of the home. But you can do it and I will be following your progress.
I love that your approach to sewing is so similar to mine–big ambitions and anxiety that my limited skills won’t measure up! Not to mention a taste for the most expensive of fabrics, which, as you said, totally negate the money-saving aspect of sewing. But still! It’s so satisfying to finish something that looks awesome and know that you made it yourself. (BTW if you want a super easy warm-up project, you can make a set of burp cloths as shown here: http://bythebrooke.blogspot.com/2010/01/baby-barf-catcher-step-by-step.html) Good luck! Can’t wait to see the finished product.
correct link:
http://bythebrooke.blogspot.com/2010/01/baby-barf-catcher-step-by-step.html
I have all custom textiles in my nursery, too, but Mommy is not NEARLY as crafted or talented as you, so she depended HEAVILY on Etsy Alchemy – where you can request a project and crafters bid on it. I got a crib skirt, 5 crib sheets, and a quilt for the twin bed in my room for the price of one of those nursery bundle kits that included *many* items that we would have never used. My aunt made me a valance and my uncle made cushions for my rocker in coordinating fabric!
The fact that you can even sew all this is amazing! Good luck! I know you can do it.
Beautiful!! Make sure you wash all the fabric first, especially the one you’re using for the crib sheet. 😉
Damn, girl. You’ve got some serious interior design knowledge and I am JEALOUS! Your little girl’s room is going to look uber-cute… despite all of the crooked seams you claim will occur. Can’t wait to see how it turns out!
I don’t know about that! I think I’m just good at taking other people direction and inspiration and making it work for me, but thanks!
P.S. Thank you for all of the links. The collapsible baskets are so cool I might actually have to try them.
Here I am going through all your links to these patterns and saving them. As if there’s any chance in hell that I have even a slice of crafty talent enough to make these.
With my luck I’d cut myself, wreck the fabric and my husband would find me rocking back in forth weeping “Babies R Us…. Babies R Us”
Good luck! Those fabrics are awesome – even if you were to mess up, the fabrics could carry your project on their own 🙂
I can just see you with that seam ripper in hand, clock about to strike 1am, surrounded by yards of beautiful purple fabric, ready to call it a day and order everything already made.
or…maybe that was me at one point 😉
Either way, good luck and have fun, and remember the end result when you are in the middle of those silly sewing hurdles!
I am doing the exact same thing!! I can’t find anything I like to buy. I decided to pick this specific theme for the nursery and everything else is so theme oriented that I can’t find anything I like. Luckily for me I’m doing the crib in plain white with dark blue trim so it will be cheap, but if we were having a girl I would not be able to resist all the boutique fabrics either.
Most importantly!!!!! Do you clean the lint out of your sewing machine or have it maintained? I unfortunately didn’t even know you could do this yourself and followed an online blog tutorial and my machine was filled with so much lint it wasn’t even funny. My machine and I are on much better terms now. Check out the Learning to Quilt – Part 1 post on my blog and there is a link to the tutorial. It has definitely saved my sanity…..
Good Luck!! I can’t wait to see what you make!
PS, I’m ok with ruffles it’s the bumper that scares the hell out of me!
Good luck!! I admire your ambition.
But if you’re looking to eliminate one of your projects, it’s gotta be the sheets. Because Clouds and Stars QuickZip sheets are the. best. invention. ever. Got them as a shower gift and immediately threw them in the bottom of C’s closet because they weren’t the sheets I registered for, and therefore were crap.
Until I started changing crib sheets, which is a real pain-in-the-ass, especially when the bumper is involved and the mattress is on the lowest setting.
So I got my QuickZip out, put it on, and immediately went online to order back-up zip ins while calling my girlfriend to proclaim the wonder of her miracle gift.
Again: best. invention. ever.
http://www.cloudsandstars.com/
Or maybe I’m just crib-sheet-changing challenged.
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