Toddler Bed

Well, my little boy is no longer a baby and has officially proved that he can not be contained in a crib.  Here is proof that my child is a little monkey and can climb his way out or in anything.

See how easy that was, now watch me get back in the crib.

Once we witnessed this we got to work on making a toddler bed.  My husband did most of the work on the toddler bed and we made it to look like the Nume bed that I posted about before.  It turned out fantastic and Oakley loves it!  He climbs through at the opening on the end and curls up in it.

His sister thought she should try it out too.  Look mom, we both fit. 

We sized the bed to fit his crib mattress which worked out perfectly.  I think it is going to work great for him. Okay, now I think he's telling us he wants us to leave so he can go to sleep. Good night!

Comforter for Bitty Baby - Tutorial

I had a request to show you how I made the comforter from my one of my previous projects, the Toddler Trundle Bed.  I was trying to find a place that I would actually need a comforter.  Then I saw my daughter taking a scrap of fabric to cover her bitty baby and thought well I will just make a comforter for bitty baby.  I had some leftover material from the trundle bed comforter and used it. The fabric is called "Juicy Jungle" by The Alexander Henry Fabrics Collection.
I cut out 2 pieces of fabric and 1 piece of batting. I sized it off of a little toy playpen that bitty baby sleeps in.  If you are looking to make a comforter for a bed then go here to find dimensions.

Pin the fabric with the right sides together and place the batting on top and pin together.

Now we are ready to sew it together. Remember to leave an opening so you can turn it right side out.

Trim the edges close to the hem.

Turn it right side out and push the corners out so they are square.  Now go ahead and iron the edges.  When you get to the opening, fold the material in and iron.  Now we are ready to finish it off.  Sew the opening shut and top-stitch all the way around the comforter.

If you are making a larger comforter you will need to tack the 3 layers together, so that when you wash it the batting stays in place.  You can do this by putting a few stitches in a evenly spaced pattern on the comforter or quilting around shapes or designs on your fabric. 

Official SYTYC Crafter

 

My project of the toddler trundle bed got me into the competition and I will be one of the crafters for SYTYC Season 5.  Yay! I'm so excited to start coming up with ideas for the upcoming projects. I'll let you know when the first theme is up and encourage you to go vote for your favorite project.

Toddler Trundle Bed Tutorial

Today I'm going to show you how I constructed the toddler trundle bed that I created for the SYTYC audition.

First, I measured the space under my queen bed to see how much space I had to work with. It ended up being approximately 24" x 44" if I wanted to clear my nightstand.  The height could be a maximum of 6" tall. I have included quite a few pictures to show you the process step by step.  Please pardon the messy garage. 
I used 1 x 4's to make the frame.  Mark the 1 x 4 at 24" and cut. Repeat so you end up with two pieces of this size.

Then measure to 43" and cut.  Repeat so you have two pieces of this size.

 I used glue to give it a stronger bond before I used the staple gun.

Staple wood pieces together to make the frame.

Now you need to cut four 45 degree triangles for the corners.  This allows for the inside frame to have support and will be where we install the casters.

 
I used glue again and then stapled it into the corners.

 

Attach 4 small casters in each corner.

 

Here is what we have so far.  Now we are going to move on to the inner frame that will support the foam mattress. 

I used 1 x 2's for the inner frame.  You will make this frame slightly smaller.  Measure your inside dimensions of your 1 x 4 frame and take a half inch off the length and width. Measure your 1 x 2 and cut the 4 pieces out.

Glue and staple frame together.

Now you are ready to attach the jute onto the frame.  Measure out your frame and decide how many pieces of jute you think you'll need.  I ended up using 4 pieces running the length of the frame and 8 pieces running the width. Staple them to the edge of your frame.  Space them evenly.

 Now you will need to weave the jute through and staple at the edge.

Here is the backside of the frame.  This shows you the location of where I put the staples. You will need to put in two extra supports running the width of the frame so that it gives it a little more support.  I don't have a picture showing this step, but if you have questions let me know.

Now set in frame to see if it fits.

The next step is to fill and sand the edges.  Then you are ready to paint the frame.

Now install the handle on the side. For the mattress I used 3" thick foam. I cut it to size using an electric bread knife. This is the easiest way to cut through foam.  It slices it like butter.  Place the foam on top of the jute frame. The bed is essentially complete.  Sheets will need to be made to fit since it is an unusual size.  I found instructions here to make your own fitted sheets.  Also, you might want to consider making a waterproof mattress cover as well since it is a toddler bed.  To complete the project I made the comforter and pillow case.

My daughter has already put it to use as you can see.

Toddler Trundle Bed

I recently auditioned for SYTYC and this is the project I submitted.  This project was inspired by a scared child who comes to her parents' bed in the middle of the night.  It's almost impossible to sleep with a child and not have an elbow or foot in the middle of your back or face.  I thought wouldn't it be great if we had a toddler size trundle bed to go under our bed.

A very simple project using 1x4's, casters, jute webbing and foam.  This lightweight trundle bed has a foam mattress that sits upon a woven jute webbed frame.  The casters allow for it to roll out easily from under the bed by pulling on the silver nickel handle. I finished it off by making a cute little pillow and comforter.

Be on the lookout for a tutorial on how to make this bed.  It should be posted in the next few days.