Skirting the issue:

This past weekend, I finally got around to making the crib skirt for Baby M's bed. A few weeks ago, I picked out this fabric:

I think it will pair really nicely with the crib sheets I made (see here and here).

The fabric for the crib skirt arrived last week and I decided Sunday was the perfect day to tackle this project since Andrew went into work for the morning. I set up my sewing machine on our dining room table (which is currently the only place that can accommodate a sewing session) and got to work. It was pretty simple. 

I had originally thought about making a traditional skirt but after thinking about how the height of the mattress would be lowering as he got older, I decided against it. I needed a way to adjust the skirt as I adjusted the bed so it wouldn't pool at the bottom. I didn't want to make a skirt for each height (way too much work) and I didn't want to have to hem the skirt every time we adjusted the height of the mattress (that would make it unusable at the higher settings for any additional babies down the road). So I did a little research and came up with a solution: make panels with ties. 

Here's what I did:

First, I measured the length of the mattress frame on both the long side and the short side. Then I measured the distance from the frame to the floor. Once I had those measurements, I added a 1" seam allowance to each measurement for a 1/2" seam on each side.

Then I used those measurements to cut out four pieces. I only needed 3 pieces because only 3 sides of the skirt would be visible at a time (the back is against a wall) but thought since I was making 3, I might as well go ahead and make one more. Didn't take any longer and this way, if I ever want to move the crib around, I don't have to worry about having an exposed side. 

After cutting the pieces, I measured 1/2" around, ironed, pinned, and sewed the sides down so that each panel looked nice and finished.

Once the panels were done, I cut the pieces for the ties. I cut 10 strips of fabric about 2" wide and 20" long. The ties may be a little on the long side but I wanted to make sure they were long enough to attach the skirt securely. Once the pieces were cut, I just pressed them in half, opened them up, ironed each side in toward the middle, folded them over, and sewed as close to the edge as possible. 

Then I attached the ties to the panels. I used 2 on each short panel and 3 on each long panel, spaced equally apart.

Then all that was left was to tie it on the crib. Since it's at the highest setting now, I just tied it far enough down so that it just skims the ground. As he grows and we adjust the height of the mattress, I can just tie it up higher to make it shorter. No cutting, no hemming, and it can be used again at any length. Done and done.

So, that's how we made a custom fully-adjustable crib skirt for the nursery. And the cost? We bought 3 yards of fabric for $21.45 but we had a lot left over. So, in the end, the skirt probably cost us less than $20. Not too shabby considering comparable skirts sell for over $50. Score one for being thrifty!