Chew Chew Chew

 With teeth comes random chewing. Thomas' short list of random things to chew -

1. Toes and feet - you could be standing, sitting, laying down, on the couch, on the floor ... and he will attempt to chew your toes and feet ... be warned!

2.  Keyboard Trays - he will stand atop something if given the chance .. and chew the keyboard tray ..

3.  The Crib Rail ..!!!

Mmmm crib rail .. numm!

Other things are less random - his silicone spoons, the nook, a wash cloth, your cell phone ... toys? No way - he doesn't chew toys.  He hardly plays with them! .. unless you or I are playing with them .. hehe =)

The crib rail chewing was becoming a problem. I would love to be able to keep using his crib ... until he's ready for a big boy bed, until baby #2 comes along, until it falls apart, you know - which ever comes first.  Combined with that fact are the health issues with gnawing on varnish, as an old high school friend of mine pointed out being an issue for her little guy!!

... I had 2 options ... head off to Babies 'R Us to pick up the plastic crib rail cover ... or hit the sewing machine and use what scraps I had from Thomas' Lily & Will Bunny Hill Design quilt and crib skirt ... guess which I chose?? ;-)

I ransacked my sewing bins and pulled out all of my extra fabric ... and sure enough, I had the perfect amount of 2 fabrics to create my crib rail cover ... combined with my recent investment in the snap-gun-thing from Babyville Boutique for cloth diaper cover creation (and swim diapers!) ... I was all set to go forward with a project with out a single trip to the fabric store. Score!

Ryan's had a big week here - preparing for his first post doc interview up in Michigan - so I had to dig into my project with Whirl-Wind-Thomas playing in the bedroom.  That, and it was pretty close to bedtime ... so being upstairs in a new-ish play space definitely kept him entertained.  Lately he's truly enjoyed holding on to things that are "just his size" - a great example of this is the joy he had in knowing that he could carry around a small case of cuff links in his tiny fist while "Dad" shopped for interview clothes on Sunday!  What better to keep him entertained than a spool of thread or two?

I s'pose next I'll be hemming the crib skirt ;-)

He also enjoyed playing with my cell phone ... once he got a hold of it ... we were listening to some Pandora Radio (Florence + the Machine, anyone?) ... so grabbing that little piece of technology was like empowering him with his own boombox.  After awhile, he figured out if he stuffed it in his dad's sock drawer, it was muted ... but if he pulled it out ... it was a normal volume again ... needless to say he got some good practice in opening and closing drawers ;-)

Our entire bedroom is baby proofed ... so I don't mind letting him tear through it for a bit while I work.  I do, however, keep a close eye on him ... because you never know what you may find!

Here is how I put together the crib rail cover -

I measured the top rail - it was approximately 52" across ... so I knew I should cut my fabric to be at least 52" across.  If it was a bit short, no big deal, because Thomas isn't chewing on the very edges ... just the middle section.  I then measured the circumference of the rail - approximately 5" - and figured I should cut my fabric at about 6" give or take.  After monkeying with my fabric, I would have preferred to CUT at 6" ... but to be safe ... I went with 7" ... and I am so glad that I did because I had the perfect amount of space to place my snaps!!

End dimensions - 2 rectangles of fabric pieced together to equal 52" x 7" and 1 piece of bamboo blended batting (naturally somewhat antibiotic - also found in my stash of fabric) a bit smaller just by nature of how it was shaped (hand cut v. rotary cut) and how it was pieced together (I zigzag stitched to avoid having to turn a seam).


I placed my 2 prints right side together with the batting on top (easier to manage than having it snag on the feed dogs from time to time) .. and sewed a 1/4" seam allowance .. up a long side, along a short side, down a long side .. before flipping it right side out.  It is beneficial to have your batting stitched in a bit because it'll help hold it down in the long run (through washings, etc. because you know baby can't wait to get his mouth on something new in texture - hahah).  If you are so inclined, it may also be beneficial to quilt along the strip ... but ... I didn't want to mess with my very directional fabric ... =)

Once you've got both right sides out, press your rectangle flat, and press your raw edge under at least a 1/4" ... I made the mistake of going just under 1/4" and had to hand stitch my pressed edge together. Oops! I was in a hurry =) hahah

Stitch (a decorative stitch, if you desire) along the edge of your rectangle to help hold things flat.  Adhere snaps where you see fit.  I found it helpful to enlist the help of my husband to help hold the cover along the crib rail and mark where I wanted my snaps since the number of openings did not allow for an even distribution of snaps like my mathematical mind would have liked.  Not only did he help hold it steady, but I was able to talk through my snap markings (while Thomas then played in his bedrooms - books, wipes - oh yea, he likes to empty the wipes container - what's more fun than pulling out a wipe, only for one more to appear?).

Voila ..!! You've created a crib rail cover ..!!

Yes, I will make these to order ... and Yes ... I will make a crib skirt to order (and match ..!) as well! Let me know if you have questions ... or if you are curious about a crib skirt or rail cover for your little one!