Pack 'n Play Sheet

My two year old granddaughter and my son spent this past weekend with us. The day before they arrived I whipped up a sheet for the Pack 'n Play she was to sleep in during nap and nighttime.

I had bought this fabric on clearance about a year or so ago. It is stinking cute but the colors are a bit "odd", somewhat unique. I did not want to commit to an entire quilt in that color scheme, especially since, as large a scale as the print was, it would have needed to be the focus fabric or a backing. The fabric design is wee woodland by Keiko for Moda, pattern 32340. A sheet is a perfect way to showcase a large scale print while eliminating a color coordinated fabric search.

I made the sheet pillowcase style. It did take more fabric, but that way it was real quick with no casings or elastic needed. I've made crib sheets with elastic in my posts for September 9, 2015 and September 16, 2015 and they take less fabric but more time. The mattress for my particular Pack 'n Play measured 38½" x 27" when flat. By running the width of fabric the longer dimension and wrapping it around the top and bottom along the straight of grain I just had two side seams and a hem. I had 2 yards and 6" so I cut off 18" and saved that half-yard for the future. Doubled over lengthwise and with a 1½" hem at either end the sheet measured 30" finished in one dimension, enough to have a 3" overhang, sufficient to wrap and tuck underneath the mattress during use. Creating that hem was quick and easy. While the fabric was still flat (no side seams yet) I ran a stitch ½" from each raw edge using the needle plate marking on my Pfaff. I then turned it under on the stitching line and up again 1" and pressed in one pass using the Dritz Ezy-Hem® tool. Dritz Thermal Thimbles were handy too since the metal hem gauge does heat up. I did not stitch the hem in place until the side seams were in.

I did not feel the need for French seams along the sides. I simply left the selvages in place and made two very generous side seams. For my width of fabric, 2" seams gave a snug fit. In the next photo, the stitching line of the seam runs to the left of the selvage edge through the middle of the bunny's tummy and through the central stem of the brown leaf branch. I pressed each of those seams to the same side before turning up and stitching the previously pressed hem edge. The mattress folds into four sections, so sliding it into the pillowcase/sheet is not a problem. I slid it in a somewhat folded configuration and then flattened it out for a snug fit. There was no cause for worry about baby safety due to bunching up. The sheet remained smooth; it did not scrumple up.

In this next photo the top edge is continuous wrapped fabric and has no seam, the sides have the 2" selvage edge seams, and the bottom edge has the 1½" hems tucked beneath the mattress by about 3". The tucked under edges did wrinkle a bit at the very crevice but the sheet on the whole stayed pretty taut.

Not all sleeping occurred in the Pack 'n Play this past weekend, but the sleep that did, was peaceful.

Linking up with Let's Bee Social #119.