Hi Everyone! I’m back with this gorgeous Ruffled Crib Skirt Tutorial. Last you heard from me I announced I was pregnant, but didn’t know what I was having. I’m happy to say that after two awesome boys, I am having a girl! Yay! Now I can have more of an excuse to make all things girly. 🙂
I started out with Baby Girl’s nursery (yep still unnamed) and knew I had to do something cute for our precious baby. I love ruffles and honestly, I don’t know if there is anything cuter than ruffles on a crib skirt!
I’m not going to lie… this project does take A LOT of time, but as soon as you put it all together, it’s completely worth it! I go into her nursery and just stare at it all completed, and I can’t wait for her to love it too!
Let’s get started. 🙂
– Supplies –
Enough fabric for the main piece and sides. I used my old crib skirt for the main piece and fabric scraps for the sides. You could get an old skirt super cheap and use either just the main piece or the sides as well, since none of it will be seen.
1 1/4 yard of each fabric for the ruffles.
I used fabric from the Kensington Line by Emily Taylor for Riley Blake.
Matching thread, pins, rotary mat and cutter, sewing machine, etc. 🙂
Prepare your main and side pieces. If you are using an old crib skirt, this could be just taking it apart. If you are using new (or scrap) fabric, make the main piece out to be 28″ x 52″. This is your standard crib size. Make adjustments if yours is different.
You will need one side (the front) to measure 12″ x 52″ and two sides to measure 12″ x 28″.
Like I mentioned before I used my old crib skirt for the main piece. Because of the material, I didn’t need to do any prep to it, just cut off the sides. I couldn’t use the sides, so I went through my stash and made my own. You can see in the longer side I pieced it because I didn’t have fabric long enough (fabric width is about 42″). I also didn’t hem my pieces. I used pinking shears to give them a zig zag cut so they wouldn’t fray. I didn’t want to spend any extra time hemming something that wasn’t going to be seen. 🙂
Now it’s time to cut the fabric for the ruffles. Cut your fabric into strips the length of the fabric and 6″ wide. I kept my fabric folded and just cut every 6″ for easy cutting.
Out of these strips of fabric we need to make long strips that are 2 1/2 times as long as each side. That will give the super full ruffles! Sew all the strips of each fabric together, making 3 super long strips. Use a 1/4″ seam when sewing and press the seams as well. (Not pictured)
For the front side, we need a strip that is 130″. And the sides need to be 70″. Do this for each fabric. You will end up with 9 total strips, one in each fabric measuring 130″ and two in each fabric measuring 70″.
Now hem by folding 1/4″ twice, pressing, and sewing it down. Do this to the short sides and then the bottom long side. Do this to all 9 pieces.
The next step is ruffling our strips. Sew along the top of the strip using your longest stitch (a basting stitch). Do not back stitch. Hold the top thread and start pushing the fabric towards the center. Because the strips are so long, I did this on both sides of the strip meeting in the middle. Do this until you have ruffled the strip to the length of the side fabric (either 28″ or 52″). Make sure all the ruffles are even and then take the ruffle to the sewing machine, and using a much smaller stitch, sew along the top to make it permanent. You can back stitch at the beginning and end here.
Here is a video of how to make a fabric ruffle if that would help. 🙂
Now that all the ruffles are finished, we are ready to sew them to the side pieces. Before we do that though, we need to mark where we will sew them.
The top ruffle will be sewn along the top of the side fabric. But we need to mark 4 1/2″ below that and 4 1/2″ again below that.
To do this I measure 4 1/2″ with my ruler and mark dots using my fabric pen all along the fabric. Then I take my large ruler and line up the dots and mark the line all the way across. Above are a couple pictures showing that process.
After the side fabric is marked, pin your bottom ruffle to the bottom line. Pin well.
Once pinned, we can sew the ruffle to the side fabric. Using a small stitch, sew under the stitch made when you ruffled the fabric. Back stitch in the beginning and end.
Next pin the middle ruffle to the next line up. Follow the same directions as above.
Then do the same thing with your top ruffle.
Now you have a finished side piece! Yay!! Ooh and ahh at how beautiful it looks.
Finish the other two sides sewing on their ruffles.
Pin one short side piece to the short side of your main piece.
Again sew just under the stitch line, back stitching at the beginning and end.
Isn’t it pretty??
I wasn’t able to iron my seams down because of the type of fabric on my main piece. So to make it look more finished, I sewed the seam up and stitched it down. I love how it turned out. This part isn’t necessary, but that is what I did instead of pressing.
Sew your other short side on the main piece using the same directions and then sew the front side piece on.
Now you have a beautiful Ruffled Crib Skirt ready to go on your sweet baby girl’s crib! The next step is to sit and stare at your work and get even more excited for baby to come. 🙂
Thank you to The Ribbon Retreat for having me and make sure to check back next week for a tutorial on how to make the crib sheet! It’s so stinkin’ easy, you’ll be shocked at how fun they are to make.
Happy Sewing!
~ Shirley
Thank you Shirley! That Ruffled Crib Skirt is gorgeous, and your sweet little girl is going to love her ruffles for sure! Thank you for sharing, and we can’t wait for next week to learn how to make that adorable crib sheet!
Shirley is an awesome Contributor and team member, and she has shared some terrific tutorials with us. To see more fabulous projects by Shirley, click here. Some of her projects include a Ric Rac Rose, a Tulle Halloween Wreath, and her VERY popular How To Make A Tutu tutorial!
What are your nursery “must haves”? Nurseries are SO much fun to decorate and to create things for. What are you currently working on for your own little bundle or for another’s little bundle?
Happy Creating!
47 Comments
LOVE everything about this PERFECT crib sheet! The colors are so beautifully, feminine and it sewed SO well! Congrats Shirley! And thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi Janica! Thank you so much for your sweet comment! This Ruffled Crib Skirt is adorable and Shirley did such a great job! Thank you so much for sharing and have a wonderful day! Michelle 🙂
Hello! This ruffled crib skirt is adorable! Would you ever make one to sell?!? 🙂
Hi Amy! Thank you so much! Shirley is beyond flattered that you would ask! She says thank you so much! She is unfortunately unable to make any to sell at this time but suggests that you might be able to find one for sale on Etsy! Thank you again Amy! Have a wonderful rest of your night! Michelle 🙂
Hi! I was wondering if you remove the basting stitch after you attach it to the side (or front) piece? Or did you just sew over the basting stitch and leave it in place? Are the edges unfinished at the top of the ruffles? Thanks
Hi Alyssa! Thank you so much for your comment! Shirley says, “I didn’t remove the basting stitch, I just stitched over it when I attached it to the side piece. The edges are unfinished at the top of the ruffles. When you attach it to the main piece, the top unfinished edge is hidden. If you want the edge to be finished, you can just serge or zig zag the edges before ruffling. It’s just a lot more work. 🙂 Good luck and have fun!” I love this Ruffled Crib Skirt and actually had one made for my little girl! They are so fun and add such a touch of girly cuteness to her room! Thank you so much for stopping by and good luck with your crib skirt! Michelle 🙂
I don’t understand what the third picture from the last with the fabric that has the holes in — it looks like you are sewing it on top of the ruffles. What is that and how does it become the finished piece in the next picture? What kind of material is the fabric with the little holes?
Thank you
Hi Carol! Thank you so much for your question. Shirley says…”I couldn’t press the seam because that fabric is flame resistant so I stitched the seam to that white fabric up. This part is not necessary to finish the ruffle skirt, it just makes it look more neat and finished. If you have a regular fabric, pressing will get the job done. I do not know what kind of material that white fabric is. I used it from an old crib skirt from my boys. Any type of fabric for that main piece will do.” Thank you again for your comment and for stopping by! Good luck with your crib skirt and have a wonderful day! Michelle 🙂
I love this and thank you for making it out of 45″ fabric. I was wondering if you pre-washed your ruffle fabric? So this could be machined washed? Or would that make it more difficult to make? Thank you again for this tutorial!
Hi Sharon! Thank you for your question. Shirley didn’t prewash her fabric, because she is not planning on washing her skirt. But, if you are going to wash it, who knows with babies!, then you can definitely prewash the fabric. Just iron it after washing and cut off the strings from the edges. It would probably add 30 minutes or more of ironing. Shirley doesn’t think it would shrink much if you needed to wash it after making it, however. She suggests to use your own best judgement and most of all…to Have Fun making your adorable skirt! Have a wonderful day and thank you for stopping by! Michelle 🙂
Thank you for your response. I made a slight error on crib base. Measured it 1/4 too short. Could I make up for it using a smaller seam allowance? Or do I need to pull out an old sheet and make another?
Hi Sharon! Thank you for your question…it is a good one! It depends on what you were planning on using as your seam allowance. If you were planning on using a standard 5/8″ seam then you would have some “wiggle” room to adjust your seam allowance. However, if you planned on using a 1/4″ seam allowance than you will want to make a new crib base. I hope this answers your question…good luck! Have a good day Sharon! Michelle 🙂
When ruffling I did not make two rows of stitching. I used a heavier string and zig-zagged over it. By holding the string with a slight tension I was able to ruffle on the machine as I did the zig-zag. It works great. The material was a variety from satin, cotton and lace. Much easier to ruffle than using the two rows of stitching.
Thank you for this great tutorial! I finished my son’s crib skirt yesterday and it looks amazing. One thing people may want to keep in mind is adding a little bit extra length to the main piece to compensate for the seam. If the mattress itself is 28″x52″ the top ruffle is going to be partially hidden under the top mattress after being sewn due to the seam taking up some of the extra length. I didn’t think to do this until I was finished, but if I make another in the future I would to 53″x 28.5″
Thank you again!
Hi Joanna! Thank you so much for your comment and your suggestion. That is great advice and will be so helpful! I am so glad you love your crib sheet and that it turned out so well. Have a wonderful day and thank you again! Michelle 🙂
I thought about this too and what I thought was instead of making the main piece a bit bigger, you could make the top ruffle just slightly longer. That way, the main piece stays hidden and doesn’t stick out anywhere it shouldn’t (that would totally bug me!), but also the top ruffle doesn’t look like it’s too short!! The same would apply if you were altering the total length of the crib sheet, just make the top ruffle slightly longer than the others.
Another thing I was thinking of was measuring the distance between the different heights of the mattress, and making ruffles that length. Then every time you wanted to adjust the mattress height, you just unpick one of the ruffle layers and shorten the layer behind. I haven’t tried it, but I guess you may have more than three ruffles at the start, if your skirt went to the floor, depending on the height increments etc. You could repeat a fabric if it looked like it was going to be too ‘busy’. Seems like a bit more work, but I really like the idea of a floor length crib skirt, and I hate the idea of it dragging on the ground after just one lowering of the mattress.
Just some ideas I had!
Hi Alex! Thank you for your thoughts! You are awesome!!! Have a great day and thank you again! Michelle 🙂
Out of these strips of fabric we need to make long strips that are 2 1/2 times as long as each side. That will give the super full ruffles! Sew all the strips of each fabric together, making 3 super long strips. Use a 1/4″ seam when sewing and press the seams as well. (Not pictured)
For the front side, we need a strip that is 130″. And the sides need to be 70″. Do this for each fabric. You will end up with 9 total strips, one in each fabric measuring 130″ and two in each fabric measuring 70″.
Hi!! I am so confused on this? could you try to go into details? I don’t know what strips I am sewing together?
Thanks,
Amanda
Hi Amanda! Thank you so much for your question! You should have three fabrics. You will need one long strip of 130″ and two long strips of 70″ in each of the fabrics. You do this by cutting all your fabric into 6″ strips. Once your fabric is all cut, sew the fabric together into long strips. You will need a total of 9 strips of fabric. 3 for each of the fabrics you have. One will be really long at 130″ and two at 70″. Shirley sewed all the strips in each fabric together, then measured 130″ cut, measured 70″ cut, and 70″ again and had my strips. You can discard any excess. I hope this helps? Thank you again Amanda and good luck with your crib skirt! Have a wonderful day and Happy Sewing! Michelle 🙂
your instructions say to cut the ruffles the length of the fabric.did you mean the width?
Hi Cleitus! Thank you so much for your question. Yes, that is exactly what we mean….cut the ruffles the width of the fabric! Great catch Cleitus! Have a wonderful day and thank you again! Michelle 🙂
I’m pretty sure someone used your wording on their own tutorial. Just letting you know.
http://saleenamarie.blogspot.com/2014/07/diy-ruffled-crib-skirt-tutorial.html
Hi Stephanie! You are so awesome. Thank you so very much for the heads up on this blog. I really appreciate you watching out for us. Have a wonderful day and thank you again so much! Michelle 🙂
Great tutorial ! But my question is how long does the skirt end up being when it’s done ? I know the front piece is 12″ and the ruffle hangs a bit lower. Just trying to decide if i want to adjust a little bit or not – Thanks !!
Hi Robin! Thank you so much for your question. I am so glad you love this fun crib skirt! Shirley says that her measures 13 1/2″. I hope this helps! Have a wonderful day and thank you so much for stopping by! Michelle 🙂
I would prefer my crib bed skirt to be floor length. How long would it have to be and how wide would the three ruffles need to be?
Hi Vicki! Thank you for your question. Shirley suggest, measuring the length that you want and compare that to the length that is in the tutorial and subtract the tutorial length from your length. Then divide that amount into three and add the amount you get to the ruffle fabric. She would also cut the panel fabric to that length that you want. Change where it gets sewed on by those same amounts. Keep in mind that when you lower the crib, the skirt will gather at the bottom. Her’s is lowered now and about 1 1/2 of the ruffles are touching the floor. We hope this helps! Thank you again and Good luck! Michelle 🙂
Didn’t see where you said what size seam allowances.
Hi Jeanetta! Thank you for stopping by. Shirley suggests using a 1/4″ seam and then ironing the seam as well. On her quarter inch seam, she sews right at the very bottom of the seam. You can see what I mean in her first picture collage, picture #2. I hope this helps. Happy Sewing and good luck! Have a great day! Michelle 🙂
Love it…instructions are explained clearly and the finished product is beautiful. Thank you
Hi Tiffany! Thank you so very much! I am so glad you love this adorable ruffle crib skirt! Have a great day! Michelle 🙂
Approximately how long did it take to make this? Start to Finish?
Hi Jaimie! Thank you for your question. This Ruffled Crib Skirt is so super cute and fun to make, but Shirley says it was really time consuming and took her much longer than she expected. She loves the end product but all she remembers is that it took her longer than she expected it to. I know this doesn’t actually provide you with a set number of hours but hopefully it will give you an idea. Thank you so much and have a wonderful day! Michelle 🙂
I made mine in about three 6-8 hour days.
Debbie! Thank you so much for sharing your experience with how long it took you to make this crib skirt! You are awesome! Have a great day! Michelle 🙂
thank you my daughter wanted one she saw on other site, said I would make one. was having trouble with putting it together your step by step is making it easier than you
Hi Robin! Yay! You are so welcome! I am so glad you were able to understand our tutorial and make it for your daughter! Have a wonderful day and thank you again! Michelle 🙂
I am making this now for my granddaughter due the end of October! I’m using the Kumari Garden fabrics, and it’s turning out beautifully. I, also, am using my new serger and enjoying making this project!!! Thanks!!
Hi Sharron! Yay! That is so awesome! I bet your Crib Skirt is going to be absolutely amazing! Your brand new little granddaughter is going to love it! Thank you for sharing and have a wonderful time finishing your skirt! Michelle 🙂
When sewing the panels to the deck what size seam allowance should I use? Should the deck be made larger to account for the seam allowance or will the skirt fit the standard crib size 28″x 52″ if the deck is the same size?
Thank you,
Lori
Hi Lori! Thank you for question. Shirley lined up the edges with the deck and then sewed next to the stitches on the panel (so the stitches on the ruffles are closer to the edge, sew on the outside of the stitches). This makes it so the stitches are hidden in the seam allowance.
As for the skirt fitting the crib size, it works out because you want the edges of the deck to be under the mattress. If they line up perfectly, it will shift and you’ll see the deck more often than not and fixing it can be a pain. I hope this helps! Thank you again! Michelle 🙂
If I was going to buy a piece of fabric to use as the main piece how much would I need to purchase? A yard? Two? Thanks!
Hi Stacey! Thank you for your question. Shirley suggests that since the main piece is 52″ x 28″, so if you don’t want to piece it together, you’ll need 1 1/2 yards at the least. Keep the length and then cut the width to 28″. Hope this helps! Thank you again Stacey! Have a great day! Michelle 🙂
I just got finished making my ruffled crib skirt! Thank you so much for the clear instructions and pictures! I love how it turned out!!:)
Hi Ashley! Thank you so much! I love, love, love when our talented readers share their tutorial success with us! You are awesome, and I appreciate you sharing. Have a great day and thank you again! Michelle 🙂
Hi everyone. Just wanted to add a msg about measurements to floor. I made an all white skirt for my grand baby’s crib. From bottom of mattress to floor is 19″. I made 3-7″ruffles using the directions from Shirley. My hemmed first ruffle attached even at top and using a 1/2″ seam allowance. The second attached at 6″ from top, and third 12″ from top. Before sewing them on I made sure each one covered the next. The ruffles must be straight when you do this or it will look like they aren’t long enough. After sewing them on I covered the gathers on each ruffle with 7/8″ grosgrain ribbon. I takes about 2 minutes to sew on stitching down both sides of ribbon. It is a very finished look. Shirley thank you for this great project!!
I just finished making my little girl’s crib skirt! I love the way it turned out. I’m so proud! Thanks for the tutorial.