I love crib skirts; They're such a fun way to complete a crib's style. Bumpers I'm not such a fan of but crib skirt are a must, at least in my book!
What I don't like is the bunching up that happens with store bought crib skirts when you lower the mattress as the baby gets older.
I had this problem with my daughter's crib skirt and it just ended up looking sloppy which is not cute at all!
So, I came up with a solution: Making DIY No Sew Adjustable Crib Skirt with just a few simple supplies.
I am going to show you step-by-step what you need and how to make a crib skirt at home.
Reasons Why You Should Make a No Sew Crib Skirt
Before I jump into the tutorial, here are a few reasons why I think making a crib skirt at home is better than just buying it.
1) It's No Sew! For a lot of people, sewing can be a headache and many have no desire to learn how to sew. So, this is perfect for everyone! You will be able to make a fully adjustable no sew crib skirt.
2) It's fully adjustable which means the sloppy, wrinkly, droopy crib skirt look will not be happening in this little man's nursery. Finally!
3) I got to Customize it to the exact pattern and colors I wanted and didn't have to settle for what was available in the stores. You can even add trims and embellishments for extra detail. Just call yourself a crib skirt designer, baby!
Required Supplies
Things to Consider Before Getting Your DIY Crib Skirt On
Before jumping to the tutorial, there are also a few things you should consider and have in mind:
- Making this diy crib skirt is very easy so long you know where to measure from. Not all cribs are the same size so measurements will vary (which is why I didn't include my crib measurements). The highest setting on cribs will also differ from crib to crib.
- Some prefer the end of the crib skirt to barely touch the floor while others may prefer it to slightly drag on the floor. So keep all your preferences in mind when measuring since my instructions are for a crib skirt that just barely hits the floor.
- Another thing to keep in mind is whether you need to/want to make a panel for all four sides of the crib or for only the sides that will be seen. I have this crib against a wall so I only made one long panel for the front and 2 short panels for the ends. I decided to save the time and skip the other long panel that would be against the wall.
- The last thing to consider is weather you want exposed pleats (where one panel ends and the other begins). If you want them exposed, the pleats will be on the front like mine. If you want them hidden, you will want them right on the corners where they will be mostly blocked by the corner of your crib.
- I recommend playing around with your fabric or other scraps of fabric first to see what looks best for your preferences. I played around with different long scraps of fabric before deciding that I wanted a crib skirt with pleats in the front that slightly touches the floor.
Also, before I wrote this tutorial, I read and studied several similar guides, so this article is well written and only contains the information which is important and useful. For reference, these are some of the tutorials I read and studied: Baby Gizmo's DIY No Sew Crib Skirt, ViewAlongtheWay's Adjustable DIY Crib Skirt & VarietybyVashti's Easiest DIY Crib Skirt Ever.
It is a lot of information but it helped me avoid a lot of mess ups. Now, let's jump into the crib skirt making process.
How to Make a Crib Skirt (Adjustable & Without Sewing)
1. Measure the Crib's Height
Start by taking the measurements of your crib.
With your crib at it's highest setting, measure the height from the top of your mattress spring to the floor.
This measurement will be the length of your crib skirt and will be the same for all four sides (if you choose to make a panel for all sides).
Add around 3 inches to your measurement. Two extra inches are for the extra fabric you will need to clip your skirt to your mattress spring and the other inch is for the hem.
I didn't bother to hem the top since it would be hidden underneath the mattress. If you do choose to hem the top add 4 inches to your measurement instead of 3 inches.
Remember, if you want your crib skirt to drag a bit (or a lot) consider adding the appropriate amount of inches to your measurements.
2. Measure the Crib's Width
Measure the width of the longest side of your crib (only measure one side since they will be the same). Here is where you have the options to measure for exposed pleats (hems) on the front or hidden pleats on the corners.
Since I wanted my pleats on the front I used the crib's rotating metal arm as my starting and stopping point for measurements.
If you want your pleats on the corners measure from one crib end to the next as shown by arrows in the picture above.
Add 2 inches to your measurements for the hem that will go on each side of the panel.
This measurement will be for the 2 longest panels that will be on the 2 longest sides of your crib.
3. Adjust the Measurements
Measure the width of the shortest ends of your crib (you only have to measure one end of the crib since the measurements will be the same).
If you want your pleats on the front add 4-6 inches to give you an extra 2-3 inches on each side for wrapping around the rotating metal arms (see picture in the next step).
If you want the pleats on the corners just add 2 inches for a 1 inch hem on each side.
*Playing around with the fabric beforehand as I mentioned earlier will give you a more precise measurement since you will know exactly how much fabric it will take to wrap around the rotating metal arm.
4. Hem Up the Panels
Now that you have your measurements for all 4 panels (and have made the cuts) it's time to hem it up!
Hem all four panels (or as many as you are making) by measuring 1 inch from each side (except the top part that will be hidden under the mattress- unless you choose to) and iron the hem crease before adhering with hem tape. I used a ruler to help me keep a straight edge.
This will help everything stay even as you adhere the hem together with the tape and you will have a crisp straight hem.
5. Placing Your DIY Crib Skirt
To install the crib skirt, start by attaching your panels to your mattress spring using small binder clips.
Secure your shorter panels that go on the ends of the crib first and then secure the longer panels.
If your pleats will be exposed on the front you will wrap your shorter panels around the rotating arm like so...
*if your crib has a mattress box instead of a spring you can use *Velcro Sticky Back Squares
Once all your panels are secured with binder clips you can put the mattress back on and you're good to go!
Adjust your diy crib skirt as you lower your mattress by lifting it higher! Voila! No more droopy crib skirt!
I'm very happy with how mine turned out and how well it goes with all the other gray patterns in the room.
This nursery is looking more and more complete with each project which is exciting because it means I'm getting closer to the reveal!!
Making DIY Crib Skirt
Making DIY Crib Skirt
In case you are wondering, I got my fabric from my favorite craft store, Hobby Lobby.
Now our little man's crib is complete and ready to go!
P.S. I can totally see this same method working for a regular bed skirt using bed sheets or fabric! Hmm, I may have to try it out soon!
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