First Blog Post Ever!!!!!

My first blog post ever, is finally here! I really never thought i would see the day. I have always been a blog cruiser, i never considered having my own. I also never REALLY considering having my own business but now i do and truthfully i never thought i would have a kid but here we are! Things in our lives have drastically changed in the last year and i really couldn't be happier. I never read a lot of what people write in the personal part of their blog so i really don't want to make this too long, cause i know you are just here for the tutorials! I guess just one more quick note (only because the kid is playing so quietly and i find i have the time) this blog chronicles the crafts i do in my everyday life and the projects i make for RockIt Events i hope you enjoy!

This first one is a "bumper" i made for my sons crib i ended up having enough fabric for a pillow as well and add it here too.

You will need:

2 meters fabric, i used cotton flannel

Scissors, i like to use pinking shears

Pins

Sewing machine

Thread

Ruler

Scrap pillow for stuffing, or go to the craft store and buy new stuffing

I started with an amazing cotton flannel print (it was the best for the stretch it has for this particular project you can use whatever you like, just consider something stretchy and i would advise nothing with perfect lines it can be tricky trying to make it perfectly horizontal.) i found on Fabric.com, it is an american site so the shipping was a little crazy but totally worth it when i see the end result also because i bought another print that i still have to find a use for and it is also very cool. The fabric was 43" wide and was perfect and easy to cut exactly in half for this project. I put parentheses on bumper because it is not a traditional bumper pad and doesn't have a pad in it, it is just stretched on the crib to prevent little arms and legs from sticking through the bars.

*Another note, my husband and i made the choice to co-sleep from the start, so this bumper fits three side of the crib (as you will see from the picture. If you are intending on covering your whole crib you will need to use the whole piece of fabric and won't have any left for the pillow, this fabric is also very stretching so make sure to measure the crib to also test your "bumper" while it is still pinned to make sure you are able to connect your ends.

Measure out equal sized panels and snip, this was easier with this particular fabric because of the print. It worked out to be 12" per panel. You should end up with 6 panels, all approximately the same size. Lay your panels, print side in, and pin 1 inch from the edge, this was also easy due to the fabric label strip. When your all done pinning the panels, i like to iron it to make sure all the lines are straight. A this point you can start sewing! Sew your seams together when you are happy with them, when your done sewing flip over and press your seams open.

At this point you can start ironing your hem, measure 1 inch with your ruler and iron. This is the reason i like pinking shears, you may want to do a double hem (2 folds of a 1/2 inch) if you are using shears, your project will last longer. I found this step to be a bit tedious, by now the panel is very long, just be patient and take your time. I found the easiest way to deal with the length was to roll the fabric as you hem, it will hold it down and is easier to move around. If you don't have little ones running around you could also do this step on a (clean) floor. Flip over when you are done your hem and make sure you are happy with the lines.

After you are done pressing, and your happy with the hem, you can start sewing it. If you ended up doing a double 1/2" hem you are probably only half way done, be patient your almost there. I used red thread, i liked the color with the print but you can use whatever color you like. i actually finished with white, after i ran out of the red. I missed getting a pic of the ends, but leave 1-2" open so you can add you ties. When you hem you edges i try to stay close to the inside of the panel, it will lay easier after ironing.

Next it is time to make the ties, i just ended up having one piece of scrap to use so i made my own ties and will add the instructions next. If you didn't have any scrap you can easily use any other tie options including, and what i would have used if i didn't have scrap, heavy weight ribbon.

Take your scarp and fold it in half, i had one piece that when folded in half was about 1" wide, iron it so that you don't have to pin it. This is where i like to use the ruler on the sewing machine. Place your foot 3/4" and sew tie closed.

When you are done, take a pin and place it on the fold corner and place it inside the tie.

Pull the pin thru while you slide the fabric thru itself, you will have to tuck the first little bit, depending on how wide your ties are it could be a little difficult.

From the piece of scrap i was able to make 6 identical sized ties, just measure equal pieces and snipped. Give the "bumper" an iron before attaching the ties.

Fold and iron your end hems down, placing the top and bottom ties under the edge hems and pin on. Center the middle tie, measuring with the ruler so both sides are equal. At this point i tested the "bumper" again on the crib. I tied it on carefully and used cloths pins to secure it. This was the point i found i had enough for a pillow! This particular material is very stretchy so use your best judgement without over stretching and popping out your pins. When you are happy with the placement of your ties go ahead and sew on.

I sewed the ties on like this. Since this part of the "bumper" is under stress when tied, the ties should have reinforcement. Now you are all done!

Time for the pillow, I had two panels left over so i just laid them print side in and gave it a quick pin. Leave one corner open for stuffing, or leave one side open if you are just using it as a small pillow cover. I would actually recommend hemming one side if you are just making a cover, nothing fancy just fold and iron 1" on the side you want to leave open and sew.

Once you have pinned and sewed 1" around the whole piece of fabric, leaving one corner slightly open so you can stuff, push the fabric through the hole and iron the pillow. (If you opted for a pillow case, once you have sewed the open hem, proceed to pinning and sewing your three sides closed and you are done after a good iron.)

After you have pulled the fabric thru the opening and ironed the pillow case, you can start stuffing. At this point I used an extra pillow we weren't using, and ripped it open for the stuffing! Or you can buy a bag from Walmart or Michael's. Just stuff till you are happy with the size and fluffiness of the pillow.