Evan's Room - Crib Sheets

A couple of weeks ago, my husband's desire to decorate the kids' rooms with random stuff, led us to Target where we found this picture:

As I looked at the price tag ($30) and started to put it back, Evan heavily resisted. It was then that I realized that all the animals were Eric Carle renderings. Two of Evan's favorite things are Eric Carle books and the ABCs, so naturally, we had to get it.

Later that night, I scoured the Internet for more Eric Carle decor. Luckily, I found lots of good stuff. This is how the quest for random decorating stuff became an Eric Carle theme which leads me to the first of many projects...

Evan's Crib Sheets

I was delighted to find fabric for both The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See on fabric.com! I ordered the fabric and searched Pinterest for crib sheet tutorials. I decided to follow this one, since it was the most detailed and thorough:

http://whatthehay.wordpress.com/2008/10/08/crib-sheet-tutorial/

And here is my result:

They look great, don't they? I am really happy with the result. They fit nicely even after lots of jumping and my son LOVES them! Since I put the sheet on, he has apparently decided that he no longer wants his sister to get on his bed!

Here are my tips and things I learned in the process. Keep in mind that I am a beginner to sewing and this was an easy project.

1. The fabric shrank down to ~42" after pre-washing (originally 44"). I followed directions for the 42" width on the aforementioned website.
2. Be sure to buy a stretchy elastic. I initially purchased a 1/4" knit elastic and it wasn't nearly stretchy enough. I had to rip it out and replace it with a 3/8" braided elastic that worked much better. I pulled very tight on the elastic while sewing. 

And that's all! Here's the back (I have a second sheet on underneath):

Granted, the fabric is going to cost you $20 for 2 yards (much more expensive than the solid-colored Target crib sheets), but it is so much cuter and fits our theme. Also, it's cheaper than the $50 Pottery Barn is charging for their Hungry Caterpillar sheet set (although that might include a flat sheet and pillowcase).

Finally, here is my boy, enjoying his new sheet:

More projects to come!