DIY Bassinet and Playard Waterproof Mattress Protectors

Author: The Bluebonnet Farmhouse

Equipment

soft measuring tape, yard stick, or acrylic ruler
fabric scissors
water soluble marking pen (optional)
yarn or tapestry needle
serger or sewing machine

Materials

organic waterproof crib mattress protector pad (flat, not fitted)
thread

Instructions

Wash and dry the mattress protector. This allows for any shrinking, if any, to occur before measuring and cutting.
Measure, mark, and cut the fabric to get the desired dimensions for the two pads.
Fold both pieces in half to line up the curved corners with the new corners. Trim the new corners to match the curve of the original corners.
If you do not have a serger, you could use an overlock stitch or zigzag plus a straight stitch on your sewing machine.
Test the stitch settings on a scrap piece of fabric to match the original serged edges.
Since there is no extra fabric on this project, I used two pieces of drop cloth to roughly mimic the thickness of the mattress protector while testing the stitches.
Disable the knife of the serger and leave about two inch chains before and after serging.
Serge the new edges. Include a 1-2 inch overlap on each end to secure the cut stitches of the original serged edges.
Weave the thread chain through the stitches on the backside with the tapestry needle to finish.

Notes

The dimensions of the crib protector are 28" x 52" and the finished dimensions for our bassinet and playard protectors are as follows:

28" x 16" for the bassinet
28" x 36" for the playard

Check the measurements of your particular items and adjust dimensions as needed.

For the perfectionists like myself who are irked by the top loops of the finishing stitches running off the fabric at an angle, include weaving the needle through the top of the loops while securing the chain. This helps to create a clean line along the edge of the fabric.

Always remember to place the waterproof protector pad under a tight fitting sheet in the bassinet, playard, and crib.