How To Make a No Sew Crib Skirt

This post is way, way overdue. Like 5 months overdue.

I did this project back in August when we were cooped up in the house due to Hurricane Irene.

It was nighttime when I did the project, which explains the dark, yellow-y color to the photos.

I've mentioned before that I'm not much of a seamstress. My sewing machine and I are not friends (although I'm really trying to fix that). So any way I can do a project like this and avoid sewing, I'm in. I'll admit that I do want to learn to use a sewing machine again as I'd love to make my own pillow covers, curtains, and all the amazing little sewing projects that are popping up all over Pinterest.

I originally wasn't going to use a crib skirt in Lucy's nursery, but because I had white sheets, a white bumper and a white crib, I decided I needed a little color in the mix. I lucked out that I had a good amount of fabric leftover from this failed DIY project (that I was going to attempt to redo, but nixed the idea since Lucy really doesn't sleep in her room during the day, plus I'm not a big fan of anything that block natural light.). 

The materials I used:

- Fabric

- Ruler/Tape Measure

- Scissors

- Iron

- Heat N Bond

- Velcro Squares 

To start, measure the crib along both the width of the mattress frame and height (floor to mattress frame). You want to take those measurements and add 3 inches each to the length and width (1.5 inches for each of four sides to use as a hem). That way you know how much fabric you need and can cut it down accordingly. I don't know if there is an easier way to cut fabric, but I lucked out that mine had a pattern that I could use as a guide to cut a straight line.

Repeat this to cut fabric for both sides of the crib as well.
If you'd like you can make a panel for the back side of the crib, but I chose not to.

Once the fabric is cut, the next step is to hem each side using that additional 1.5 inches you added to your measurements. Put a strip of Heat N Bond, paper side up, along the edge of the fabric and use the heat from the iron to attach. You want to hold the iron down for about 10 seconds and repeat this down the length of the fabric. 10 seconds should be plenty of time to seal the Heat N Bond. 

Using your ruler, measure 3 inches in from the edge of the fabric and make a few notches.
These notches will serve as your guide when folding the edge.

Peel the paper backing on the Heat N Bond, 

and fold your fabric up to the 3 inch mark, creating a 1.5 inch hem.

Again, use the iron to seal the hem.

You want to first repeat theses steps on the opposite side from your first hem,

then you will do the two remaining sides, resulting in a clean edge at all four corners.

One flipped over you will have a perfect rectangle for the front panel of the crib skirt.


Repeat this same process with the fabrics you cut for the side panels of the skirt.

Once all three sides (or four if you decided) are hemmed, you are ready to attach your fabric to the crib.
You want to make sure you remove the mattress and any bedding or bumper you have that will get in the way. 
The skirt wil be attached to the frame that the mattress rests on.

Along the frame, space out the velcro squares. You can let the number of velcro square you have to work with determine how far apart you can space them. The fabric is light and shouldn't need more thatn 4-6 squares on the long side to hold the fabric to the frame.

Peel back the paper, line up your fabric and press it into the sticky side of the velcro.

Velcro is best to use so that the skirt is both removeable and washable.

Once attached the skirt will look something like this.

You then repeat these steps on both sides of the crib.

Because of the mattress frame, the corner where the fabric meets won't be a seamless edge (at least it wasn't for me). You can see in the below pictures that the fabric hangs and sort of wraps around the frame piece.

Don't worry about this, though as the gap is mostly covered by the leg of the crib.

Once all three (or four if you did a back panel) sides are attached, the crib skirt it complete.

The last step is to put the mattress and bumper back in the crib.

This project was super easy and took me maybe two hours to complete.

I'm now a big fan of the Heat N Bond and plan to use it for curtains I bought from Ikea for our basement windows that are about a foot and a half too long.

Do you have any great no sew projects that you have used Heat N Bond to complete?