Bassinet Mattress Tutorial

With my due date quickly approaching, I pulled our bassinet out of storage for reassembly.

I've been planning for some time to make a new mattress for the thing.....The one that came with it was just so.....pathetic.

With my last baby, I had added padding under the sheet but it was still woefully inadequate. I don't know how she slept on it. Hence my decision to make sure this baby wasn't sleeping on a wafer-thin abomination to mattresses everywhere.

I also decided I'd do a little tutorial!

What you'll need to make your very own Bassinet Crib Mattress:
 - Measuring tape
 - Foam by the yard
 - 3/4 yrd vinyl
 - Sewing machine
 - Matching thread

Step 1: Measure your bassinet.
My bassinet dimensions turned out to be 30 in by 15 in. You'll need this measurement to determine the amount of foam you'll need.

I got my foam by the yard at Joann's during their Memorial Day sale - it was all 50% off. Since the thickness I choose (which is 1 1/2 inches, by the way) was $30.99 /yd normally, I was eager to get a deal.

Step 2: Cut your foam to fit snugly into the bassinet.
I initially cut the foam to 30 in x 15 in, knowing that I would need to trim it down a little to fit. I then set the foam on top of the bassinet and used a Sharpie to mark where I needed to round the corners and/or cut off a little foam. The final dimensions were 30 in x 14 1/2 in.

Again, make sure the fit in the bassinet is snug. Safety first(!) when it comes to the kids!

Step 3: Pin your vinyl around the foam.

Place your foam on a single layer of vinyl (vinyl is located in the 'utility' fabrics area of your local craft store - available in many colors). Make sure you have a buffer around the outside of the foam - 2 or 3 inches is sufficient.

Fold the vinyl over the foam, tightening the vinyl against the foam on the folded side (creating a vinyl-foam ...taco?).

Pin the top layer of vinyl to the bottom layer of vinyl around the foam. Try to get your pins as close to the foam as possible for a tight fit.

Cut off the excess vinyl.

Step 4: Sew around the foam.
Top-stitch around the three open sides, as close to the foam as you can get. You may need to squish the foam down a bit as you go.

Note: If you're wondering why I only pinned/sewed three sides here, the reason is that I am inherently lazy and cheap. The less work I have to do and the least amount of materials I have to use, the better. You could, indeed, pin/sew all the way around (you masochist, you).

Step 5: Make vinyl binding.

You'll need to make some binding to hide your raw edges. Cut 2 inch strips from your leftover vinyl - enough to cover all your edges. 

If you need to sew several strips together, here's how to do it:

Place the two pieces perpendicular to each other at their ends. Sew across the two pieces at a diagonal.

Cut off the excess.

Fold open. Repeat if needed.

When you've got a strip of vinyl sufficiently long for your needs, fold it in half lengthwise. Unlike fabric, vinyl won't stay folded so you'll need to pin it to make it stay - do NOT iron! Vinyl is plastic, afterall - it will melt.

Fold the raw edges in to the center fold and pin. (Incidentally, this is the same method you'd use to make normal fabric binding.)

Step 6: Pin the binding to the raw edges.
Cut off the raw edges of the vinyl around the mattress to 1/2 an inch.

Fold down the end of your binding.

Apply the binding to the raw edges of the vinyl and pin.

Top-stitch around, back-stitching at the beginning and end. Again, try to keep the vinyl tight around the foam. Sew within a 1/4 inch of the edge of the binding.

And voila! You're done!

Behold! My new awesome mattress versus the old, wussy mattress:

The final product installed. Now all I need are some new sheets!