Maternity leave project guest post: Jessi from Sweet Pie Bakery

Hello! I'm Jessi from Sweetie Pie Bakery! I'm so excited to be guest-posting over here for Andreann while she spends time with her new little one.

I've been meaning to get to this project for months but finally had the perfect excuse. I love how crib and toddler bedding is interchangeable, making the lifetime of things much longer. My daughter recently transferred from a crib to a toddler bed and I was so excited to be able to transfer the bedding along with her.



Anthropologie is a great place for inspiration, especially since I sew and can get similar results on the cheap! Also, they don't make goods for my little one's room so I'm on my own there!

I've been coveting the Cirrus Duvet for a while. I'm really undecided between that and the Tuxedo bedding for my own bed. I'm thinking of giving the Tuxedo a go...but a king size is sure a lot of fabric to work out a tutorial on!


For this version, I worked with some king size jersey sheets. I liked the softness provided from the jersey. I'm all about softness, especially on my little one.




Here's how to make your own:
The final dimensions of this crib/toddler duvet will be 28" x 51". If you want to make one for a standard size bed, just keep in mind to double or triple the width of the fabric to account for the gathers.

1. You'll need four main pieces of fabric:
Front Panel-84" x 52"
Back Top Panel-29" x 12"
Back Bottom Panel-29" x 47"
Strip-29" x 1"


2. Divide the Front Panel piece into 6 sections so each row has a height of roughly 9". (If you are making a larger duvet, I recommend the height of each row between 8" and 9". Just find a clean number to work with to make your life easier)

3. Go ahead and draw the lines onto the wrong side of the Front Panel.


4. Sew down each line with a basting stitch, making sure to leave the thread long on each end. Also, baste the top and bottom of the Front Panel with 1/4" seam allowance.

5. Cinch each row to measure roughly 29" wide.


6. Take the 29" x 1" strips and sew, right sides together, with 1/8" seam allowance. Trim, turn right side out. Iron flat with the seam on the back middle.



7. Lay the strips over the right side of the gathered rows, but not the top and bottom gathers. Sew each strip with a narrow seam.

8. Take the Back Top Panel and iron over 1/2" towards the wrong side. Fold over again 1 1/4" towards the wrong side and press. Sew the flap with 1/8" seam allowance. (I did both ends of the flap because I liked the detail)


9. Do the same to the Bottom Back Panel.

10. Now lay the back panels on the floor, right sides up. Overlap the Top Back Panel over the Bottom Back Panel, making the total height 52". (You could tape this to the floor at this point to prevent it from shifting while layering the Front Panel)



11. Overlay the Front Panel, right sides together. Adjust the gathers at the top and bottom to fit the Back Panels.


12. Sew around the entire perimeter with 1/2" seams.


13. Done! Add your duvet and tuck in your babe.



Thanks a lot Jessi for this great project!

Jessi own a wonderful Etsy shop you should check out. She sells gorgeous felt play food sets and pdf patterns. Her blog is also full of resources (and lots of eye candy!)