Make Room for Baby

Song birds in the night

 

Surprise and Delight!

 

 

Picture Perfect

 

 

Every stitch adds a hug and a kiss!

For details on this crib set see the previous blog.

 

 

TESTING . . . one, two, three

 

Like so many grandparents today, they are separated by several states from their soon to be 'grand baby' and the new parents.  Sally came up with some very clever ways to get around working without a crib. She found her stair case to be a great substitute for testing the 'bow ties'. 

We both suggest cutting the angle on the ends of the ribbon last, after the bumper is finished and tied onto the crib. You can then seal the Grosgrain ribbon with fabric glue. Satin Ribbon can be sealed with the heat of a burning match . . . do not let the flame actually touch the ribbon.  

 

 

Sally matched the pink ribbon with a ready made piping in the same pink. Placing the ribbons next to each other rather than on top of each other as a pair, they didn't lose any length before tying into bows. If your slats are wide, you can adjust the placement and spacing of the ribbons accordingly.  

TIP:  When sewing on piping/welt, use a wider stitch and do not sew close to the cord. This stitch is only to  secure it in place and will be stitched over one more time when the right sides of the bumper cover fabric are sewn together.

The ties are sewn on the outside facing fabric before (under) the piping (also known as welt).  (If you sew close the first time, you have to sew even closer the second time to cover the first line of stitches. Do the closest stitching on the final stitching.)

 

 

I couldn't wait to see it in the crib 

 

                                            Pink grosgrain ribbon accents the crib skirt

I was as excited as Sally to see it finished and kept me posted with photos, step by step. Expressing the growing love and anticipation for the miracle of a baby certainly shows in Grandmother's patience to make it perfect.  

The time involved from the planning to the sewing is well worth it. The fulfillment in providing your precious baby a crib set made with love is priceless.

 

The Greatest Show on Earth!

 

 

 

Ladies and gentlemen . . .and big brother, meet Baby Cade! 

 

 

I had so much fun planning this cradle for my friend June.  The creative wheels were spinning.  

My favorite place to check out the latest trends is Macy's Bedding Department.  This is where I found the small print for the main fabric. Sheet fabric has a high thread count and a king or queen set can give you plenty of fabric for a crib bumper, crib skirt, 2 fitted sheets and a baby quilt and pillow.

 

 

To add some whimsy I made small triangles for the 'flags', holding them in place with masking tape. 

I had been saving the large circus theme print for that special project which turned out to be Cade's cradle.  I decided use the print as an applique, using iron-on fusible web. Cutting out each print with a quarter of an inch edge for a small zig zag stitch to secure the iron-on applique. 

 

 

Masking tape also makes a perfect guide line when using trim or topstitching.  I then secured the 'flags' with a straight stitch, using a wide zig zag stitch to secure the chenille cord. It is best if you don't iron over the tape.  I finished the top edge with a bright orange ric rac.

 

Yes, Punky . . .Cades' a keeper!

 
 

 

 

Across the Pond and All-Around

 

 

        This is a story about the Stokke Sleepi Crib and the pretty bumper set that's in it.  

Once upon a time there was a lovely lady in England named Pamela.  She was going to have a baby and wanted to choose her own fabric and make her own bumper for her baby's crib.  She contacted Make Room for Baby about a pattern for the oval crib.  Now, 'Make Room for Baby' had been asked this question many times before, so they had been working on a solution and were just about ready to announce their newest addition.  

Even better, the lovely lady Pamela was coming to visit her lovely mom, soon to be grandmother, on the West Coast. Rather than shipping 'over the Pond', we could ship over the land.   So the delivery of the first 'All-Around Euro Slim' bumper Kit went to grandma's house and from there with Pamela to England to turn into a beautifully made crib set with a matching Patchwork Quilt, just in time for baby.

If you have that round or oval crib or cradle, this DIY baby bumper kit is a one size works for all. It's made extra long, and easy to cut to the length you need.  The simple instructions come with the zipper that runs the full length of the bumper with the specially bonded fiber inside the poly cover.  By specifying your crib being oval or round a paper pattern is included for the fitted sheet.

So, in England right now, there is a happy mommy, looking at her own beautifully designed crib set with her favorite fabric stitched with hugs and kisses surrounding the most precious baby. 

 

 

OH . . .SEW HAPPY!

COLETTE'S NURSERY

Devin writes:  "Wish I had a better camera to take better pics with, because the crib bumper & skirt are really beautiful!  I chose the fabric for Colette's room to be a mix of soft blues and greens.  I shy away from the pinks, etc.  The fabric was from Amy Butler's Midwest Modern collection." 

Devin also used the 'formula' in the Make Room for Baby Kit instructions to have the skirt 'kiss' the floor, giving it that 'designer's touch'.

Thank you Devin, for taking the time to send in the photo of the finished nursery, it looks great!

 

        LAUREN 

Lauren writes:  "The affordable stuff out there isn't my style but, the stuff that is, is too expensive.  I'm okay at sewing and I figure this can't be too difficult.  I've found some great fabrics that I'm really excited to use."

After a few e-mails and sewing tips, Lauren sent the picture along with another note . . .

"I got my fabric from Mood fabrics in LA and I love the way it turned out!  thanks so much for your help.  I love your site!"

Lauren, what a memorable project and a great accomplishment, not to mention the hugs and kisses you stitched in that darling fabric.  Great job!

 

 

HARPER'S NURSERY

Krystal writes:  "Thank you so much for selling a great product.  Our bedding couldn't have turned out better and it looks just like the $1000 bedding we were about to purchase from a local boutique."

I love hearing from you and seeing all of your great ideas and beautiful fabric choices.  I especially like to hear that you have exactly what you had hoped for and more, while saving lots of money . . . for strollers and lots of other things!  

If you are thinking about sewing and have your doubts, I hope these ladies have encouraged you.  I am always available and can send detailed instructions on each and every step.  

Zippers being one of the things I hated (yes, dread was not strong enough at one point, although this is not a pair of pants), I can reassure you that it is simply sewing along the edge of the 'teeth' on the zipper. You do not, should not, and there is no need to sew a flap over that zipper!  The zipper is tucked away between the mattress and the bottom of the bumper where no one goes for even a peek!

If you still have doubts, visit a fabric store and see how many beautiful choices are out there.  Sew many choices!

 

 

 

Sock it to me!

  

Can I say . . . I went bananas when I received Gina's e-mail!  Leave it to 'big brother' to come up with a cool theme like Sock Monkey.  

Gina writes:  

"My six year old son helped me pick out the theme since they will be sharing a room & he didn’t want it to be too “babyish”. I checked out buying a crib set & found one that sold for over $500. Yikes! Since that wasn’t in my budget, this worked out perfectly. I am not a seamstress and have only sewed a few things in my life. I was blown away by how easy it was and how beautiful it turned out. So, you certainly made my dream come true!"   

She got her selection of sock monkey fabric pre-picked from the fatquartershop. What a darling crib set.  How sweet is it that the brother picked out the theme and watched mom make it up. Priceless memories and a very special room that all can be proud of. 

 

Gina's sister was kind enough to share the quilt instructions which are extremely easy and can be done in an afternoon.

Instructions for the 'don't leave home without it' quilt!

Cut 11” squares of fabric and place them back to back with thicker cotton fill in between. Sew an “x” across each square and then stitch the squares together in the pattern you want, leaving a 1” hem where the squares are attached. Gina's blanket is 5 squares by 5 squares, but typically her sister sews 6 sq. (W) by 7sq (L) and uses flannel in order to skip using quilt filler. After sewing all the squares together, she fringed all of the hem that was around the squares and the outside border. She then tossed it in the wash and ran it through the dryer until it the edges were nicely frayed. 

I would love to hear your ideas for a baby room theme and definitely send some photographs to info@makeroomforbabykit.com

 

 

MAKE ROOM FOR BABY 'COLETTE'

 

 

Another pretty baby's room, designed with love and sewn with hugs and kisses.

Mommy Devin sent this photo of her baby 'Colette's' new room.  Choosing soft blues and greens from Amy Butler's Midwest Modern collection. , it stands out beautifully against the linen colored walls with the white furniture and trim.  

Devin preferred the skirt touching the floor, which designer's call  'kissing the floor'. I love that word picture.   It sounds so much better than dragging, or explaining a little less than a quarter of an inch on the floor. 

Just softly touching like a kiss. 

When it comes time to lower the mattress, the skirt will now  be 'puddling' on the floor, oh, sorry, not a good word picture for a baby's room!  A good way to avoid this is using 'tucks' .

  

 LITTLE GIRLS' DRESSES WITH 'TUCKS' 

The best example would be in a little girl's dress, (mom's, don't be afraid to use tucks on a boy's cribskirt, sooner than you think they will be in a tuxedo shirt with 'tucks'!  It's a nice touch in so many ways.

   

To help you get a better picture of tucks, I am using the drawing from the dress pattern.  

For the crib skirt, it will be faster and serve the purpose to do a one inch tuck, which will take up the fabric two inches.  Lower the mattress with the skirt to check out how much shorter the skirt needs to be. This will be the number that needs to be in the tuck, or several smaller tucks. Placing the fold of the tuck just over the stitch line of the original hem works well and you can use that as a guide line.

To mark a sewing line, try using  1" masking tape for making the straight line and sew along the edge.  I use this method when I need to attach a trim, ribbon or ric rac in a straight line or perfect square on the front of a quilt or the length of a bumper. Finish the stitching and pull off the tape.

If you have any questions on construction, feel free to e-mail me at: info@makeroomforbabykit.com

 

Leftovers, usually not my cup of tea!

I'm not much for doing anything new and improved with kitchen leftovers, but get me a stack of scraps and trim and I'll be busy while someone else is fixing dinner.  The above photo is an expensive designer fabric, but what a great inspiration to use up the bits and pieces you've saved (more likely your mother). It would be a great one of a kind bumper slip-cover.  

If you are not a quilter it may be to your advantage. Patchworking the pieces 'free-style' is easier than you think.  We are not attempting to win a Blue Ribbon, so no rules apply. We want to have fun, make it unique and be just as clever as the designers at Anthropology or J.Crew with their embellishments.

I love finding ideas while cruising the stores and looking over the details of how they achieved the look.

You can see on this quilt, which was a cut and sew and cut again process.  I used the same process that would work for the bumper cover.  For the quilt I sewed the aqua strip in to connect each section.

The Make Room for Baby Kit bumper is 11" finished height.  So, I am going to start sewing pieces together working in a line that will be 13" wide, leaving enough to cut down to 12".  If I want to add ric rac and ribbon it needs to be stitched on before the patches are sewn together.  With a rotary cutter, mat and clear plastic ruler it goes pretty fast.  I usually cut and sew, trim off for a straight edge and sew again, creating strips, adding strips and turning them round and round until I get the 'twist' and 'feel' I am looking for. 

Practice with a 13" X 30" piece.  When you get your color scheme working, you can visit the fabric store if you don't have enough fabric for the fitted sheet or the ties, etc.  But don't forget, vintage clothes can be cut up even dish towels. I love the ones with the embroidery already done.  If you are ever at an antique show and find the ones with stains, even better for negotiating, since you are going to cut it up anyway.  Straight and perfect is not necessary for the patchwork.  

We call it 'charming' and lovingly handmade.

Mr. Peanut

This may be a long stitch...but I keep thinking of the peanut and it's usefulness.

Stay with me, this will connect somewhere down line.

The amount of ideas I have trying to escape my brain and turn into 'rocking' crib sets is keeping me up at night. You could say I am sleeping like a baby, not.  I'm also starting to stockpile fabric (like I did when I was quilting!)    There are just so many beautiful colors and combinations out there. Heather Bailey keeps adding to that!  LIVE Textile offers organic and Spoonflower will print your own design.  

In a nut shell... Make Room for Baby is there to swing the creative door wide open by personalizing your baby's room.

Start with an 'Island story' using tropical prints and a grass crib skirt  (buy a twin, cut it down, any left over can be trimmed and used as fringe on a throw pillow for the glider, not in the crib). You can also design your own print, sketching with fabric pen and paint.  Simple palm trees and sailboats would be darling.  You could sew hand drawn patches on a backround print, or make a border.

Another expression of surrounding the baby in love is having brother and sister decorate the fabric by using their own 'handprint'.  Kind of like finger painting, creating an all-over design.

If you are not the sewer and could care less about the DIY pleasure, but know what you want and can find the means to have it done, the kit works well to pass on to your designer-workroom.  They will be grateful that you come with the solution.   Many a workroom has put in hours of constructing a bumper only to be disappointed in the finished results. Let them know Make Room for Baby has the formula!  

Now, to connect the dots  to ...  Mr. Peanut!  

George Washington Carver found over 100 uses for the peanut, (of course, I stick with peanut butter, never mind).

Another use for the bumper inserts!  Restore your favorite bumper, fatten up a new one, revive the one you have now!   I love it, more ways to save money!  

A Closer Look at the Make Room for Baby Kit

The Make Room for Baby "KIT" includes the following items:

• 6 Bumper Pillow inserts
• 1 Full Length Zipper
• Instructional Booklet - includes the measurements, yardage, drawings and instructions: 

• Bumper
• Crib skirt
• Fitted Sheet

There are no messy pattern pieces because you are only cutting straight lines for the bumper, skirt and sheet, ties and bows.

With a scissors and ruler/yardstick you will be able to cut the pieces out.  If you are a quilter and have a rotary cutter and mat, it is even easier. Also, check out Jo Ann’s Fabric for these items, they often have a 50% sale going on.  If you have never used a rotary cutter and plan to learn sewing, it is a must, and will amaze you how quickly and STRAIGHT you can cut.  

I will get into each step on another entry, but for now, the best way I can explain how the bumper works would be to ask you to pick up a throw pillow on your bed or sofa. If you unzip it, take out the pillow insert, you now have the cover with a zipper on the bottom. The bumper cover will be the same idea of a zippered cover.  The cover will be cut in 12”  high and the lengths depending on the width of the fabric and direction it is cut.  All of this is shown in the instructional booklet.  When this long zippered cover is sewn together, the last thing you do is sew in the divisions creating the 6 pockets, giving you easy access to remove the pillows for laundering or dry cleaning.

THE  ZIPPER

I realized my dread and lothing of zippers came from having to sew the flap which covered the zipper, and never feeling it looked right.  However, for the bumper cover, the zipper is on the bottom of the bumper, it actually is sitting on the zipper.  So, forget about the flap, you are going to simply stitch right along the teeth of the zipper and leave it exposed.

FITTED SHEET

The fitted sheet is a rectangle with the corners cut out and stitched together, finishing it by sewing a pocket along the edge for a quarter inch elastic.

CRIB SKIRT

The crib skirt, gathered or tailored has four sides stitched onto the "decking" (the fabric that lays on top of the bed spring.  Hem the sides and bottom edges.

These are the basic ideas behind the design.  Adding your creativity to each step is where the real pleasure and reward comes in.