Very often, choosing baby bedding, we come to a standstill. The kit you like has an absolutely inappropriate size, and the one that has the perfect size is completely disliked! Many parents ask themselves the question: "What is the best way - to sew a baby bedding set in the baby’s crib on their own or still buy it ready?" Of course, when mother sews herself, she will do everything herself. Sometimes the impetus for needlework is the custom sizes of children's furniture. In this case, it is easier to purchase everything you need and sew the bedding in the crib with your own hands!
Fabric selection
So, you decide to do the sewing kit yourself. To make good quality baby bedding for newborns, and it has served you for a long time, bringing joy, responsibly approach the choice of fabric. There are several important rules.
In no case do not buy synthetic fabrics - this is very harmful for the delicate skin of a little man! The best option is 100% cotton. This composition has calico, satin, linon. They are comfortable, hypoallergenic and very practical. But chintz fabrics, it would seem, are soft and delicate, you should not choose. Their wear resistance is very low, and chintz products quickly become sloppy. Also appreciate the quality of the print - the dye should not fade! This can be checked with an ordinary wet towel just by wiping the cloth with it. Poor quality paint will leave a mark. You should also be interested in the thickness of the threads and the density of matter. Suitable for your purposes should be denser than 125 grams per meter.
Be sure to look at how to care for such a fabric, immediately sweeping away delicate washing - you want to get not just interesting and soft linen, it should be practical so that it can be simply washed, dried and ironed!
Tools required for work
To sew a baby bedding set, you will need:
- Tape for measurements.
- Pins
- Scissors.
- A piece of tailor's chalk.
- Threads.
- The machine.
Sizes of baby bedding
You decided to sew the linen yourself, so proceed to take measurements! Do it carefully, without making mistakes and recording all the results. Take a measuring tape and measure everything: a blanket, a pillow and a mattress so that the question of how to sew baby bedding does not turn out to be a difficult test! The best way to take the right measurements is to measure the old kit.
In general, there are standard parameters for children's sleeping sets:
- Newborns: pillowcases = 40 * 60 cm, sheet = 110 * 140 cm, duvet cover = 100 * 140 cm.
- Children over 1 year old: pillowcase = 50 * 70 cm, sheet = 150 * 210 cm, duvet cover = 143 * 215 cm.
- Children from 5 years old: pillowcase = 50 * 70 cm, sheet = 180 * 260 cm, duvet cover = 160 * 220 cm.
But it’s better to measure your bed once again, sizes may vary.
A medium-sized kit usually takes about four meters of material, but add another 20-30 cm to shrink the fabric after washing. Also, don't forget about seam allowances!
Cutting material
Well, finally, they prepared and bought everything! Now let's start sewing? But no. First, wash the fabric and iron it with a hot iron - this is necessary so that after all the work you have done, you do not get an unpleasant surprise - a set that has become shriveled due to washing!
Finally, everything is done, and you begin to cut. How to sew baby bedding so that after work there is much less waste and small pieces? To do this, you need to correctly position each element on the cut. The outline will help you figure this out.
Sewing sheets
When all the tissue is cut, determine the sequence of steps. It is best to start with a sheet - this is the simplest product in your case. Although, if you sew it with an elastic band, then sewing will not be so easy!
For the simplest option, you need a regular rectangle, you will need to bend the edges with it. Do 2 bends by half a centimeter and make a seam on a typewriter.
The second option is much more complicated, requiring some calculations and a different pattern. However, it is worth it, and subsequently you will be more than once glad that you are not too lazy.
The material on this sheet needs more than the usual. Add allowances for fitting the mattress (11 - 12 cm), on the seams (1.5 - 2 cm) and on the elastic band. It should turn out approximately 165 * 115 cm. The fabric is sewn along the dotted line in the corners, then it is bent and the stitch is sewn along the edge, leaving a hole for the elastic (its length will be equal to half the perimeter of the mattress). We got a sheet with an elastic band.
Duvet Cover Making
To create it, take the fabric pre-cut. But if you couldn’t do it according to our patterns, just transfer your measurements to a fabric laid in two layers and cut it out. Do not forget the seam allowances - approximately 1.5-2 cm. Now fold the fabric in half (face inward) and sew all the necessary seams. You can sew with a “sewing” seam, or you can immediately install a zig-zag on a typewriter.
The main thing, carried away by the work, do not shorten the gap for inserting the blanket. The length of this hole is usually 45 - 50 cm, and do not forget to carefully bend inward the edges.
Turn the duvet cover onto the front side and straighten the corners. So the second part of the kit is ready!
Pillowcase: how to sew
Baby bedding is sewn in the same way as adult sets, only without the use of buttons and zippers. To get started, you can look at an already finished adult pillowcase with a flap to understand how to fold the fabric before sewing.
So, cut the workpiece from the fabric to the specified dimensions. But do not rush to cut right away! Fold the fabric in half, set aside the dimensions. From 1 open edge, add another 30 cm of material. This will be the valve of the future pillowcase, which holds the pillow inside and prevents it from falling out.
Final processing
How to sew baby bedding with your own hands - the issue is resolved! You have almost finished sewing linen for your baby. But now it is imperative, after all the steps for cutting and sewing, it is necessary to stretch it, dry it and iron it with a hot iron.
Before using your bedding directly in your crib, be sure to carefully check to see if there are any needles or pins in the seams. This happens quite often, and the baby can cause injury. Such a probability is always present, so it is better to abandon the prickly devices and outline the seam with contrasting threads. They are subsequently easy to detect and remove. It is clear that this method is much longer, but the fact that it is safe for the baby makes it more preferable!
Use this advice of experienced craftswomen: if you liked the work itself and its result, and how to sew baby bedding, you are now in the know, try to make 3 or 4 sets. But choose fabric combinations so that all parts of different sets fit together! In this case, at any time it is possible to change only 1 element, without spoiling the entire appearance of the crib.
When making children's underwear, you don’t need to sew on fasteners, Velcro, buttons - the toddler may be interested in such an unusual accessory, tear and swallow it or cause injury.
Do not use applications, embroideries, overhead parts - all this is at the expense of practicality. The main task of linen for children is hygiene and convenient use.
When choosing very bright or large prints, remember that in the process of active use they fade very quickly and take on a stale, washed-out look. To prevent this trouble from happening, choose pastel delicate shades for children's underwear, with a discreet pattern, so that your baby can sleep peacefully and comfortably on her mother’s linen.
So, all the necessary manipulations have been done - a beautiful set is sewn, the pins are removed, everything is washed and stroked. Now fill the crib!
In this initial period of life, the condition of a sound and healthy sleep in comfort, convenience and peace is very important for the child. So you help him with this.