Wednesday, September 5, 2012

center stripe changing pad cover...

I have a ton of half-finished projects in the works, but I am finally making progress on the little guy's nursery.  I came up with a little tutorial for the changing pad cover I created...


I was just going to buy a couple of those minky changing pad covers you see in every baby store, but I could only find them in pastel colors.  (I am not a pastel kind of person.)  Then I thought I would just buy some minky and sew my own, but I wanted a little bit of pattern.  So I decided I'd make some with cute fabric, but then I thought the cute fabric is just going to get poop on it.  Finally, I dreamed up a pad cover with a white center stripe and fun fabric on the sides.  That way I get a little bit of pattern, but can still tackle any tough stains with a stain stick or bleach pen.  Perfect!

Here's what you need to make one of your own:

11.5 x 48 inch rectangle of center stripe fabric
TWO 10.75 x 32.5 inch rectangles of patterned fabric
FOUR 2.75 x 8.25 inch rectangles of patterned fabric
36 inches of 3/8 inch elastic
sewing machine, thread, pins, etc.

(*note - all sewing uses 1/4 inch allowance unless otherwise stated.)

For my fabrics, I went with a soft white flannel and this dotty cotton print from Remix by Ann Kelle for Robert Kaufman.  
 Feel free to use whatever colors/patterns/fabrics you like...that's the whole point of doing it yourself!

Cut your fabrics according to the measurements listed above, then lay them out in this configuration.
(You'll notice that I was short on the white flannel and had to piece together a couple of inches on the ends.  I was trying to use yardage I already had.  It worked out fine...those seams ended up on the bottom of the pad.  But you can save yourself the trouble and just make sure you have 48" to begin with.)

Start by sewing the small patterned pieces to the larger patterned rectangle, right sides together...

...then press the small piece outward.

Repeat this step for the remaining 3 small pieces.

You should now have 3 big pieces--a center stripe with 2 patterned "wings."
Yes, it kind of looks like a giant maxi pad.  Real mature, guys! :)

Place one of the patterned wings and the center strip right sides together, lining up the long sides.

Pin, sew all down that long straight edge, and press your seam.
Then repeat this process for the other side.

Your project should now be one big piece like this:

Now, we're going to create the corner seams.
Where it looks like there's a square notch at the corner...

...fold up your fabric so those patterned edges line up squarely.

Pin and sew the side where the patterned pieces meet.
Press your seam and repeat this step for the remaining corners.

Your cover should actually be looking more like a cover!
We just need to add elastic.

You have 2 options here.  You can serge or overcast the raw edge, then fold/press the fabric down 1" to create your elastic casing OR you can fold 1/2", then another 1" to encase the raw edge.  I went with option one.  

Sew all the way around, leaving a 2" gap to thread the elastic through.

Pin a safety pin to one end of your elastic and fish it through the casing.

Overlap the elastic ends about an inch or so and sew them together with a zig zag stitch.  Then sew your gap closed, taking care not to catch the elastic.

We're done sewing!

Now grab your changing pad and dress it up with your newly-crafted cover.

I like to even out the elastic underneath to make the gathers as neat as possible.

Lookin' good!

I think my pad is a Sealy, but this cover should fit just about any contoured changing pad.  I think they are all approximately the same size.  Mine fits snugly, but is still easy to take on and off.


Love how this looks on my changing table.
It turned out just how I envisioned!  

3 comments:

  1. What an awesome idea. I would love it if you could share this wonderful post at our What’s it Wednesday linky party. I hope you can join us.

    Paula
    ivyandelephants.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great tutorial! Mine turned out so cute. Great evening project. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you for this practical tutorial! I am making changing pad covers for my daughter's baby"s nursery and - unfortunately - they are eight hours away. She sent measurements of the contoured pad; however, I don't have it with to adjust the fit as I go. This should work perfectly since it is all rectangles!

    ReplyDelete

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