With 30 minutes and a few simple tools, you can sew this quick and easy DIY crib sheet with French Seams from any cotton fabric.
Looking for a quick and easy DIY crib sheet with French Seams? With a few simple tools and techniques, you can whip up a beautiful custom fitted crib sheet in about 30 minutes from any of your favorite cotton fabrics. Adding the French seams ensures that they won’t fray when you wash the sheet. Plus, the finished seams make it look much more professional than regular cut seams.
Get Ready for a New Obsession: DIY Crib Sheet with French Seams
I am addicted to cute fabric. I’m like a kid in a candy shop when I walk into a fabric shop. When I found out I was pregnant with our first baby, I looked and looked for the perfect crib bedding. I landed on something and made the purchase, paying way too much, and was never completely happy with it.
Fast forward to baby #2, this time a girl, and I became determined to sew my baby girl’s crib sheets. When you can make your own bedding, your options are endless! Just find two yards of your favorite cotton fabric and you’re on your way. But beware: when you discover how quick and easy it is to make your own crib sheets, you may want to buy several fabrics to mix things up in your baby’s nursery. They also make the BEST baby shower gifts!
By the way, if you haven’t discovered Art Gallery Fabrics, check them out. It’s my favorite. It’s not as cheap as fabric you’ll find in the big-name craft stores, but it’s great quality and the designs are beautiful. Totally worth it, in my opinion.
Now, let’s get down to it…
Supplies Needed for DIY Crib Sheet with French Seams
- Two yards of cotton fabric with a width of at least 42 inches (44 inches works best), and if wider than that, you’ll want to trim the width to 44 inches. In this tutorial I use Art Gallery Fabric “Ananas Powder” from their Charleston collection
- Coordinating all-purpose thread
- 78 inches (2 yards plus 6 inches) length of 1/4-inch-wide elastic
- Long steel weaving needle, such as this 5 inch steel weaving needle
- 2 safety pins, one being very small, such as these 19 mm safety pins
- Scissors
- Sewing machine
- Optional, but strongly recommended: cutting mat, rotary cutter, and sewing ruler – without these items, it’s much less likely to be a 30-minute sewing project
How do you make a crib sheet with French seams? Here are the step-by-step instructions:
- Start by cleaning your working area.
- Trim a straight, clean edge on your PREWASHED fabric.
- Cut the length of the fabric to 68 inches. (If using a fabric wider than 44 inches, trim the width to 44 inches as well.)
- Fold the fabric in half to match the four raw-edge corners. Cut an 8-inch square from the corner; you should be cutting through four layers of fabric.
- To sew French seams on each corner, you’ll start by matching the two sides of the first corner WRONG sides together and sewing a seam close to the edge.
- Flip the corner so that it’s RIGHT sides together and sew a 3/8-inch seam, or just a little wider than the first seam. This will encase the raw edge. Be sure to trim the loose threads as you go.
- Repeat with all four corners.
- Lay your fabric right-side down and fold up and over no more than 1/3 inch of the raw edge.
- Fold over a second time, so that the raw edge is now encased. This will be where the elastic will be enclosed to make it a fitted sheet. At this point, you may choose to iron the fold; however, unless the fabric is super wrinkly, I skip this step. It saves time and it also doesn’t have to be perfect because this will be on the bottom of the crib mattress where it doesn’t show.
- Sew on the very inside edge of the fold to allow plenty of room to slip the elastic through later on. You will do this all the way around, leaving about 2 inches open at the end. Whenever you reach a corner French seam, turn it toward you before folding it over twice and sewing. This will make it much easier to run the elastic through later. I also suggest backstitching over the French seam for extra reinforcement. Trim the loose threads.
- Cut a 78-inch piece of elastic. Put one end through the eye of the weaving needle and pull through a tail measuring about two inches. Secure with a very small safety pin, spacing it about an inch from the eye of the needle.
- Secure the other end of the elastic to the two-inch opening of your crib sheet outside hem.
- Gently push the needle through the encasement and work it through all four sides of the sheet, gathering and pulling as you go along, until making it all the way back around to the opening.
- Remove the safety pins, holding each end of the elastic securely.
- Overlap the elastic about two inches and sew the overlapped section, backstitching a couple of times for extra durability. I like to use a wide stitch and gently stretch the elastic toward me as I go, to allow more “give” when the sheet is being used.
- Sew the two-inch opening shut, being sure not to sew the encased elastic.
- At this point, it’s likely that the fabric will be gathered unevenly around the four sides of the sheet. Work to more evenly distribute the bunching caused by the elastic. This can take a little time, but will help it lay and fold better.
- All done! Enjoy in your own baby’s nursery or consider giving it as a baby shower gift. A parent can’t own too many crib sheets!
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are French seams? Sewing French seams means that the raw edge of a hem is encased, or hidden. This means no fraying. When sewing a French seam, you start by sewing wrong sides together, and then flip and sew a second time with right sides together. In addition to preventing fraying, it makes for a very clean, professional-looking sewing project.
- Does my fabric need to be a certain width? 44 inches width is best, as that is perfect for fitting a standard crib mattress measuring approximately 27 inches by 52 inches. (NOTE: we’re talking WIDTH here – not length. Your fabric for this project should be two yards in length, which after washing to preshrink you will cut to an even length of 68 inches.)
- How many yards of fabric do I need for a crib sheet? You’ll need to start with two yards. You’ll technically need a little less than that, but because cuts are often crooked or otherwise imperfect, and because many fabrics, including cotton, tend to shrink when washed, buying two yards is recommended.
- How much elastic do I need to make a crib sheet? For this standard crib sheet pattern, you will need 78 inches of elastic, or two yards plus six inches. 1/4-inch-wide elastic is best, because the narrower it is, the easier it is to feed through the sides of the crib sheet.
- Do I have to use cotton fabric to make a crib sheet? No, you do not have to use cotton for a crib sheet. However, cotton or a cotton blend is typically easy to work with, helping to keep this a 30-minute sewing project. Stretchy fabric such as minky or jersey knit feel really nice, but can be difficult to work with on a standard sewing machine. If using a stretchy fabric, consider buying a walking foot for your sewing machine to even out the feeding.
- How do I make a crib sheet for a crib that’s not the standard size? This tutorial is for a sheet to fit a standard crib mattress measuring approximately 27 inches by 52 inches. Measurements for a crib sheet for any other size mattress will need to be adapted.
- Are crib sheets easy to make? Absolutely! If you can sew a straight line, you can sew this crib sheet. And after you’ve made one and gotten the feel for it, it only gets easier from there. It’s quick, too. If you have all of the recommended supplies, you can whip up this DIY crib sheet pattern in about 30 minutes.
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Easy DIY Crib Sheet with French Seams
With 30 minutes and a few simple tools, you can sew this quick and easy DIY crib sheet with French Seams from any cotton fabric.
Instructions
- Start by cleaning your working area.
- Trim a straight, clean edge on your PREWASHED fabric.
- Cut the length of the fabric to 68 inches. (If using a fabric wider than 44 inches, trim the width to 44 inches as well.)
- Fold the fabric in half to match the four raw-edge corners. Cut an 8-inch square from the corner; you should be cutting through four layers of fabric.
- To sew French seams on each corner, you’ll start by matching the two sides of the first corner WRONG sides together and sewing a seam close to the edge.
- Flip the corner so that it’s RIGHT sides together and sew a 3/8-inch seam, or just a little wider than the first seam. This will encase the raw edge. Be sure to trim the loose threads as you go.
- Repeat with all four corners.
- Lay your fabric right-side down and fold up and over no more than 1/3 inch of the raw edge.
- Fold over a second time, so that the raw edge is now encased. This will be where the elastic will be enclosed to make it a fitted sheet. At this point, you may choose to iron the fold; however, unless the fabric is super wrinkly, I skip this step. It saves time and it also doesn’t have to be perfect because this will be on the bottom of the crib mattress where it doesn’t show.
- Sew on the very inside edge of the fold to allow plenty of room to slip the elastic through later on. You will do this all the way around, leaving about 2 inches open at the end. Whenever you reach a corner French seam, turn it toward you before folding it over twice and sewing. This will make it much easier to run the elastic through later. I also suggest backstitching over the French seam for extra reinforcement. Trim the loose threads.
- Cut a 78-inch piece of elastic. Put one end through the eye of the weaving needle and pull through a tail measuring about two inches. Secure with a very small safety pin, spacing it about an inch from the eye of the needle.
- Secure the other end of the elastic to the two-inch opening of your crib sheet outside hem.
- Gently push the needle through the encasement and work it through all four sides of the sheet, gathering and pulling as you go along, until making it all the way back around to the opening.
- Remove the safety pins, holding each end of the elastic securely.
- Overlap the elastic about two inches and sew the overlapped section, backstitching a couple of times for extra durability. I like to use a wide stitch and gently stretch the elastic toward me as I go, to allow more “give” when the sheet is being used.
- Sew the two-inch opening shut, being sure not to sew the encased elastic.
- At this point, it’s likely that the fabric will be gathered unevenly around the four sides of the sheet. Work to more evenly distribute the bunching caused by the elastic. This can take a little time, but will help it lay and fold better.
- All done! Enjoy in your own baby’s nursery or consider giving it as a baby shower gift. A parent can’t own too many crib sheets!
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