Make Room for Baby

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!

 
 

 

 

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

 

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!  

Surf's UP in "March of the Tools"

 

My earliest venture in Arts and Crafts shows were baskets lined with gathered floral chintz. This meant the pressing of miles of ruffles & long ties for the bows. Feeling constrained with more fabric on the floor than the ironing board, I moved to my work table with a beach towel. Worried about warping my rotary cutting mat, I soon gave this idea up. 

I remembered seeing the padded tables at the drapery workrooms. A narrow version of that would do the trick. I could have made it myself, but I knew Lou who made cornices in Miami. He was the Wild West dude with one fast staple gun! 

I now had one mighty long ironing board....9" X 72", with 3/4" plywood.

Driving home with "my board", I was as happy as a surfer ready to ride the waves, singing California Dreamin!  (Not to be confused with ironing clothes! Totally different song). Years later, and miles of pressing, I simply add another layer of batting and fabric and "my board" is new. If you are making your own bias, or have ribbons to press, this is great.

I have since added a 25" square board for the designer pillows, and patchwork. I can tape work down or pin on it. Iron on fusible web presses much better on the board than the softer top of the ironing board. It's also great to move a work in progress, and stores easily leaned up against a wall.

An inexpensive way to speed the work up and get a more professional finish. I now consider it a staple in my workroom. What an honor to be invited to contribute to Heather Bailey's "March of the Tools!" Thank you Heather!

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.