Reversible Crib Rail Cover Tutorial

I wish I had thought of this sooner...

before Vera's six little teeth made this happen:

Better late than never I suppose.

Below are step-by-step instructions for making your own reversible, padded, machine washable crib rail cover. 

Materials

2 yards 1/2" wide twill tape or ribbon
Two 52 1/4" x 9" pieces of coordinating fabric
Two 51 1/4" x 8" pieces of batting or fusible fleece
Thread
Sewing machine
Button hole foot for sewing machine
Scissors or rotary cutter
Tape measure
Fabric marking pen
Pins
Safety pins
Iron
Fabric turner

Instructions

My crib rail measures 51 3/4" across so I wanted the finished cover size to be 51 1/4" x 8". Measure your crib rail and adjust the measurements as needed.

Cut out two 52 1/4" x 9" pieces of fabric. (I pieced together one of the sides from two different fabrics because I didn't have a piece of fabric long enough.) Also cut out two 51 1/4" x 8" pieces of batting or fusible fleece.

Cut 6 lengths of twill tape, each 12" long. Fold the ends over 1/4" and press. Fold over another 1/4" and press. Stitch along the edge.

Right side facing up, make 6 marks along the long edge of one of the pieces of fabric. Make the first mark 4 1/2" in from the short edge and space the remaining marks 8 1/2" apart. (You may need to adjust the spacing depending on your crib).

Fold the twill tape in half and pin to the right side of your fabric at each mark.

Using safety pins, pin the batting to the wrong side of the other fabric panel, from the right side of the fabric. ie the clasp should be on the right side of the fabric so you can remove the safety pins when you turn the cover right side out. Make sure it is positioned so there is about 1/2" of fabric hanging over on each edge. This will keep the seams from being too bulky. If you're using fusible fleece, press one piece of fleece to the wrong side of each piece of fabric.

Place the two panels right sides together and pin. The batting should be on the outside.

Sew around all four edges, 1/2" in, leaving a 4" opening in the side with the twill tape for turning. Clip the corners, turn right side out, remove the safety pins, and press.

Close the opening with a slip stitch and topstitch 1/4" in from the edges.

Fold the cover in half lengthwise and make a mark on the side opposite the twill tape. This is where your button holes will go.

You will be making two button holes for each piece of twill tape. You want the holes spaced about 1/4" in from the topstitch and 1/4" apart.

Attach the button hole foot to your sewing machine. Select a button hole stitch and button that will give you a button hole slightly longer than the width of the twill tape. Sew the button holes.

Now you're ready to attach it to your crib! Wrap the cover around the crib rail, pull the twill tape through the button holes, and tie a knot. The knots should be on the outside of the crib.

Here's how it will look from the inside:

Now crib and baby are protected!

Baby Sun Hat Tutorial

Materials


Baby sun hat pattern
1/2 yard of fabric (You may wish to use two different fabrics, one for the outside of the hat and one for the lining)
1" piece of 1/2" wide Velcro (I used 1" Velcro and cut it in half widthwise)
Thread
Sewing machine
Scissors or rotary cutter
Tape measure or ruler
Pinking shears
Sewing pins
Iron
Fabric marking pen

Download the free pdf pattern here
(Or right-click on the images below and save. Please note, this pattern is for personal use only.)

The pattern is sized 9 - 12 months (18" head circumference). Both pattern pieces include a 1/4" seam allowance. All seams are 1/4" unless otherwise noted. The first page of the pattern, the brim, will need to be printed on two sheets of paper and taped together. The easiest way to do this is to save the pdf and open up in Acrobat. In the print menu, under "Page Sizing and Handling", select "Poster". Make sure to print the pattern at full scale.

Instructions

Begin by tracing the pattern pieces for the crown lining only onto your fabric. You will need to cut 4 crown pieces out of the lining fabric.

Pin two of the crown pieces right sides together.

Sew and press the seam open.

Repeat for the other two crown pieces.

Place the two halves of the crown right sides together, pin, and sew along the top of the crown.

Trim and press seams and turn right side out. This would be a good time to fit the crown on your baby's head and make sure it fits well.

If it fits, you can now cut the rest of your pattern pieces. Cut 2 brim pieces from both your outer and lining fabrics, and 4 crown pieces from your outer fabric. You will also need to cut one 7" x 2" and one 8" x 2" strip of fabric for the chin straps.

Continue with the lining. Place the two brim pieces right sides together and pin each of the short ends. 

Sew each end together. 

Open up the brim and press the seams open.

Pin the crown to the inside opening of the brim, right sides together. Align the two pieces so that the brim seams hit in the middle of a crown piece. ie you want the brim seams to be at the sides of the hat and a crown piece to be centered at the front.

This is what it should look like on the outside when pinned together

Fold the 8" x 2" strip of fabric for one of the chin straps in half lengthwise and press. Open up and fold each half toward the middle. Press. Fold the top corners down to form a triangle, then fold the triangle down.

Fold in half lengthwise. Press and sew 1/16" to 1/8" in from the edge. Repeat for the 7" chin strap.

Mark a 2" opening in the back of the hat. It's very important to leave an opening so you can turn the hat right-side out after sewing the lining and the outside together.

Sandwich the chin straps in between the brim and crown, right at the seams on either side of the brim. Pin in place.

Sew the brim to the crown. Don't forget to leave an opening and make sure the straps are straight and not bunched up when you sew across them. Trim any excess from the raw ends of the straps.

Lining, turned right-side out. My scissors are there to show the 2" opening at the back, between the brim and the crown.

Repeat the above steps for the outside of the hat, omitting the straps and opening in the seam. 

Place the outside of the hat and the lining right sides together and push the crowns into one another so the brim sits flat on the table. Make sure the straps are tucked inside, away from the outer edge of the brim. Pin.

Sew around the outer edge of the brim.

Trim the edges of the brim with pinking shears. This will reduce the bulk in the seam and give a smoother curve when the hat is turned right-side out.

Turn the hat right side out. Sew the opening in the lining closed with a slip stitch. Topstitch around the edges of the brim and the crown, 1/16" to 1/8" in from the edge.

Take the soft side of the velcro and sew it to the inside of the longer chin strap. You want the soft side to be facing baby's skin so it doesn't scratch. Sew around all four edges of the velcro. Sew the other side of the velcro (the scratchy side) onto the outside end of the short chin strap.

To make the bow, cut a 4" square of fabric. Fold in half lengthwise and press. Stitch along the edge, leaving an opening in the center for turning. Clip the corners and trim the edges. Turn right-side out and press. Sew a basting stitch down the center of the bow and gather. Cut a 2" x 1.5" piece of fabric for the center of the bow. Fold in half lengthwise and press. Open and fold each half toward the middle. Press. Wrap around the center of the bow and hand stitch together at the back.

Hand stitch the bow to the base of the crown.

Since this hat is fully lined, it could easily be made reversible. All you would need to do is omit the chin straps and bow...

although it may not stay on baby's head long without the straps :)

You could also sew button holes on either side of the brim to pull the straps through. I'll probably try this for the next hat I make. If I do, I'll share it here on the blog.

UPDATE: Read the reversible sun hat post here.

Please let me know if you have any problems with the pattern or tutorial, and I would love to see pictures of any hats you make!

I heart Texas

Two dear friends got married this past weekend outside of Austin, Texas. To commemorate their union, and celebrate how great Texas is, I made them a throw pillow. The pillow case has an envelope closure and is made out of osnaburg fabric (leftover from my chair slipcover project) and wool-blend felt.

Congrats you two!