Make Your Own Baby Crib Bumpers

Making your own baby crib bumpers can not only save you A LOT of money, but it will definitely lend some unique personality and style to your nursery. If you've been out shopping around for your baby crib bedding then it is no news to you that this stuff is expensive. And for what? Something you can only keep in there for a few months anyways, until it becomes a safety hazard.

I sewed my own crib bumper pads using some cute flannel material I found on sale. All together the pads themselves cost me around $10.00. Yup. I could have went further and sewed an entire baby bedding set for under $20-30.

• 1 1/2 - 2 yards of fabric
  
• cotton batting or foam sheets
  
• ribbon
  
• plain white printer paper or newspaper/pattern making paper
  
• tape
  
• pins
  
• ruler and/or measuring tape
  
• scissors
  

The first thing we are going to do is make a pattern for your crib bumpers. This really is pretty easy. First things first, measure the crib. You need to know exactly how long each side is. You will need to make your pattern 1/2 longer on each side. So whatever the length is add 1", whatever the width, add 1".

You also need to figure out just how deep you want the bumpers to be. This is entirely up to you. I made my bumpers for a very small crib that was somewhere in between a regular sized crib and a bassinet, so I made mine the width of the printer paper (8 1/2"). To create the pattern all you will do is tape the papers end on end. Trim them to make them the length of the side of the crib plus one inch. If you are making them width wise larger than an 8 1/2" sheet of paper then you will have to make two and tape them together to make the right dimensions. Repeat this step all over again for the width side of the crib. Now go back and hold them up to the crib and make a mark where the crib bumper pads ties should be. You need to hold it up to the crib so you know the tie will line up with the bars correctly.

Pin the crib bumpers patterns down over both the fabric and the batting. Use the patterns as guidelines to cut the fabrics and batting. Cut two sets for the sides of the crib and two for the ends. Pin them all back together.

Now to add the ribbons for ties. You could sew ties that match the fabric you are using, but I prefer ribbon as it is easier and I just like the decorative accent. Cut the ribbon into 7-10 inch lengths. Make them all the same length and make pairs of two at a time. all together you will have 12 pairs of lengths of ribbon.
This next part is slightly tricky to explain. You want to pin the ribbons in place where you want them to be sewed. The ribbons need to be laid inside in between the fabric pieces.

For a much more finished baby bumper, first just the very tops of the crib bumpers. Open them all up, being careful to keep the ribbons pinned in place, and then sew each of the ends together all except one (so they do not actually form a complete circle). Fold them back in place and re-pin. Now sew the entire bottom edge of the bumpers. Sew the ends too. One end can be completely sewed shut, but the other must be left with a 1-2" opening for turning. Turn the entire piece inside out so the front is facing out. Now hand stitch the opening shut and hand stitch the last two ends together.