Curtains + Covers + Bumpers, oh my!

Have you ever had a staycation? It's when (if you're a mom) the kids go away and you get to stay home for the weekend, preferably with your guy, and just have a good time. We are super lucky to live by wonderful grandparents, who sometime take the kids for weekend trips. This weekend was awesome. Lots of rest, creative indulgence and time for just the two of us to be together. Yay!

What did I do? Make. I made and I made and I made for the nursery. In fact, I think I'm getting ahead of schedule! Woa. But, don't worry, I'm adding to my list as I go! No stopping this train until birth day.

First, the curtains. I'd been just waiting on the curtain rod. Once it was up, these were a no brainer. Curtains are one of the first things I learned to sew. Just hem all 4 sides and put them up! I use Ikea kvartal rods and hanging tape, which you sew onto the back of the curtain top. Easy. Will need to add another layer of curtains behind though, to effectively block light.

I know this fabric choice is a bit... unusual, but I love the whimsy and drama it brings to the room. Feels like a space a child will enjoy! And, come to think of it, these yellow-golden globes, that green carpet and wood floors all work together to create a sort of indoor nature space. Sort of. I like it!

These Cotton & Steel fabrics were next on my list. Honestly, when I ordered, I thought that Dotti in Gelato fabric was a juicy peach hue. Not so much. It's very, very ORANGE, in a kind of sherbet way. But, hey, I like orange too. Don't you think the kitties are the bestest though? It's a durable cotton/linen blend in a gorgeous, gorgeous aquamarine, same as the Crayola Seafoam crayon when I was a kid. I adore that shade.

I followed a (now extinct) tutorial from The Cozy Pumpkin to make changing pad covers for our changing station. Some steps had me scratching my head, but I eventually worked it out. Here I am cutting the changing pad ends with the custom edge pattern you trace, following the tute. I made my covers with french seams (lots of washing coming up!) so I added 5/8" seam allowances instead of 1/2" seam allowances for my version.

My first go at it was with the orange fabric, actually. It came out too short, so I adjusted my pattern and added some fabric to one end to make it work. Love that about sewing! You can almost always just revise your plans and "save" a work in progress.

Oh, and it tends to make things better, not worse!

My second cover came out just right. Those pointy corners are tricky with french seams. Not exactly sure how to do them "right," so I just fudged it. Whatever, no one will notice but me! You can see that making a custom edge pattern makes for a nice, contoured fit.

The underside is just gathered up with elastic.

So, that's 2 down. Again, I need quite a few more - more crib sheets, more changing pad covers. But now that I know how to do them, "more" is most welcome. "More" equals more fabrics to choose! Hehehe (insert fabric glee)!