DIY changing pad cover.

Great news! Marie is expecting a brother or sister in July. I'm 4 months along now and already enjoying preparing the new nursery. The theme of our baby's room will be our beloved home country, The Netherlands.

Not a big surprise, seeing the canal houses in the picture above.....

More about them later in a new blog post. Today I"d like to share with you how to create the changing pad cover I put together the today.

I made it with waterproof canvas. The kind you normally use to cover your outdoor dinner table. Not a very thick one, which made that is was still easy to fit and to handle.  

I love this simple design. It reminds me so much of my favorite restaurants at home. Which often have this fabric as curtains. These restaurants are called 'Pannenkoekenhuizen'. Translated; Pancake Houses. They are a Dutch specialty, which I can highly recommend when you visit Amsterdam one day. 

They are different from the well known American Pancakes. I'll post the recipe here sometime soon as well.

Alright lets get down to business. Below you will find my tutorial. I had big plans, but eventually settled for the handy-house-wife style instead of the style of the great sempstress. So here comes a tutorial eligible to upgrading.....

Tutorial.

Measure all the square surfaces. Ad up 1,5cm for seam allowens to each measurement. 

For all the edges facing the bottom of the changing mattress this should be even 10cm. This will allow you to have enough material to wrap the cover around the pad and stay in place

 Trace the sides at the head and the foot of  your changing pad And at the same extra cm as described earlier. To clarify there's the picture below.  

Once this is done, you should end up with the following pattern pieces.

 First sew all the square parts together in the right order. Subsequently sew them to the head and foot pieces. Nice sides facing each other. Turn inside out and wrap around your changing pad.

Here's where I made my short cut. I did buy elastic to finish it u nicely at the bottom. However, I was afraid, because of the thick material, it would get to bumpy. That's why I settled for duct tape in the end. 

I'm not proud of it, but I know that it will work for me. Since I used easy to wipe material I'll never have to remove it anyway. And it does make the bottom nice and flat.

Baby wrapper.

Take one large square of cotton, and one large square cut from a warmer and softer fabric (e.g. fleece).

Use a breakfast plate to help you to round the corners.

Place the two fabric squares on top of each other. Makes sure the right sides of the fabrics are facing each other.

Sew the two squares together. Be aware to leave one opening of about 20 cm long. Using this opening, turn the fabric inside out.

Neatly fold the opening and stitch as well.

Using your iron and a wet tea towel, press the fabric, especially at the seam.

Select one of the corners to turn into the cap. Measure 35 cm to the left and 35 cm to the right, 2 cm from outskirt. Sew this line. By doing this you'll create a little tunnel.

Make two  little openings at both sides, between the outskirt of your wrapper and your new seam. Do this only in the fleece (or another warm soft fabric).

Take 50 cm of elastic rope. Secure it at one opening with a pin. Pull the elastic rope through the little tunnel you created. Secure at both ends by sewing, while making sure the elastic is out of eyesight by closing the little opening you created.

Fold the other corners to the inside of the wrapper, starting with the one below. And your wrapper is wrapped up!