How to sew bumper pads for a baby doll's crib...

I discovered and purchased this rare doll crib from resale. I have no idea who manufactured it. It
is made using light weight plastic and paper fiber composite, although it looks just like wood. It is
 the perfect size for an American Girl Doll nursery! (measuring 9'' in length, 5 inches in width
and 7 and a 1/2 inches in height) The photo above is the finished result after the mattress, bumper
pad and tiny pillow are finished.

What the doll crib looked like before adding 
linens to it.

       Discovering a crib like this one in the size that I have is not an easy task! So I suppose that I will need to make it a future craft for this blog sometime in the future...

       For now I will finish this one for our American Girl Doll nursery.

Supply List:

• foam sheet for mattress to fit the interior of the doll crib
• approximately 1/2 yard of felt for the mattress cover and bumper pad (I chose a bumble bee print.)
• ribbon to coordinate with the fabric selection
• trim for the pillow
• cotton batting stuffing for the bumper pad and doll pillow
• ribbon tape measure
• 1'' foam padding for crib mattress

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Measure the interior of the crib from side to side for cutting the mattress to size and determining the length and width of the bumper pads. Our interior measurement is 8''x4 1/2''.
2. Cut the foam padding, 1'' wide, into a  8''x4 1/2'' piece.
3. Cover the foam mattress with two identical  8''x4 1/2'' plus a 1/4'' seam allowance and a long strip of same fabric for the sides of mattress measuring 26 inches in length and 1 1/2 inches wide. 
4. Sew all pieces right sides together leaving 1/4 inch seam and a three inch opening. 
5. Turn inside out and insert the foam mattress. Sew the opening shut with a whip stitch.
6. To make the bumper, cut two long strips of fabric measuring 26 inches.
7. Sew right sides together leaving an opening for stuffing.
8. Turn inside-out, right sides facing out, and stuff with filler. Do so without packing the tube too tight.
9. Turn in the end opening and finish the edges shut with a whip stitch.
10. Using a straight stitch measure 4 inches from one end and stitch a seam to form the first bumper pillow, make three pillows 2 1/2 inches each for the side bumper units. 
11. Then make the next side bumper pillow measuring 4 inches, followed by three more pillows for the corresponding side measuring 2 1/2 inches, three times. See photo below.
12. Where the two ends meet, you will need to tack on a ribbon on each end measuring four inches each.
13. Sew eight inch lengths of ribbons in the center of each to every place where the pillows are formed using a straight stitch, so that the ribbons may be threaded through the and around the bars of the crib to tie in a bow. In this way the stuffing of the bumper pads will be evenly distributed and the bumper made to look uniform and neat.
14. To make the pillow measure and cut two small rectangles, 3''x1'' with 1/4'' seam allowance. 
15. With right sides together sew around the pillow edges leaving an opening of 1/2 inch. 
16. Turn inside-out, stuff and whip stitch the opening shut.
17. Apply a rick-rack trim or lace to the edges of the tiny crib pillow.

Choose a delightful nursery print for this project. I selected bumble bees because it is a favorite
theme of my daughter. It is a flannel print. Above you cans see that I covered a piece of cut foam, 
 8''x4 1/2'' with the same print that I also used in the making of the bumper pads and pillow.

 

 

The full length of the bumper pad when stretched out. Making it one continuous piece it easiest.

 

Left the finished result and right, the tiny crib pillow with yellow rick-rack and bee motif.

More Cribs and Cradles for Your Dolls:

• Make a doll's cradle using a Quaker Oats Can
• Update a wooden doll's cradle for Barbie