{DIY} Contoured Changing Pad Cover

The nursery is really starting to come together now! We finally received the crib mattress, and yesterday I washed the mattress pad and sheets so now Baby A's crib is all set! I am so excited to show you everything in the nursery, but it's not quite ready for a reveal yet.

I had some fabric leftover from the crib skirt I made a few weeks ago so I decided to incorporate a little bit of it into a changing pad cover.

I found this tutorial on Pinterest but wanted to add a stripe of my accent fabric in so here is my own little tutorial.

Materials
1 yard of fabric
scrap fabric for an accent stripe (needs to be at least 33" long)
10" of 1/4" elastic
sewing machine + thread
rotary mat and cutter
scissors

Directions
You're going to end up with three pieces - one for the top and two pieces for the contoured sides.

First, you need to figure out the size your cover needs to be to fit the changing pad. Measure your changing pad from the front (4.5"), across the top (18"), and down the back side (4.5"). When you're measuring across the top, make sure that the tape measure follows the shape of the pad rather than measuring straight across. Add 3" to each side. This will allow the cover to wrap around the bottom of the pad. This totals to 33". Then, measure the width of the pad. A standard pad is 32" wide. Factor in a 1/2"seam allowance to both sides of the width. This means you will need a 33"x33" finished square piece of fabric to complete the large piece for the top.

Now we need to piece together the top. You can make the accent stripe any width you'd like, as long as it ends up being 33"x33" total. Here are the measurements I used.

3"x33" minky
12x33" accent fabric
19x33" minky

(Note: This equals 34" because we had to factor in a 1/2" seam on either side of the stripe. If you choose to use a different size stripe, make sure you factor in the 1/2" seam allowance!)

Pin right sides together and sew on either side of the stripe to make your top piece.

Next, we're going to cut the contoured pieces for the sides. Trace the edge of the changing pad. Add 3" to the bottom. Then add 1/2" around the other three sides to account for the seams. Cut your pattern out.

Trace the pattern two times and cut your sides out.

Now we are ready to put the three pieces together! Pin your sides (right sides together) to the top piece. Use as many pins as you need to because stitching around those contoured ends can be a bit tricky.

This is what it will look like when you're done.

After sewing the sides to the top piece, you can serge (or hem like I did, if you don't have a serger) around the entire perimeter of the cover. This will finish off the edges and also prevent fraying.

Next, we are going to tailor the cover to better fit the pad. Place it over the changing pad and pinch the underneath of the corners together, getting rid of excess fabric. Mark this with a pin. Before you actually make this diagonal stitch, pin right sides together!

Cut off the corner you just sewed.

Do this for all 4 corners.

Finally, sew a 2.5" piece of elastic into each corner. Be sure to pull the elastic very tight as you stitch it to the wrong side of the corner.

Slip the cover onto your changing pad, and you're all done!

I just love how the contour looks a little nicer than some of the others out there that are not so fitted.

I'd love to check out your work, so keep me posted if you make one!
Please feel free to contact me with any questions about the tutorial as well. 

+, Lauren Aiken

A Weekend At Home

Last week I drove up to Indiana to spend the week at home with my parents while Matt was out of town for work. I failed to take as many pictures as I had hoped, but here are the few that I did snap highlighting some moments of the week.

A haircut (one of my favorite things)!

Yummy food at local restaurants.

Dinner and ice cream with Eloise in Greenwood after seeing her new grown-up apartment.

Hours of quality time with Mom spent by chatting + crafting. 

The beginning of a little headband collection for baby A.

Stitching cute little birds for a mobile.

And my lovely Mira.

Some other highlights were lunch dates and ice cream with Daddy, a morning of antiquing with Grannie, visiting with a couple family friends, and an afternoon with a dear friend.

And in case you need a little entertainment this Monday morning, I snapped a pic of this van as I was driving through Kentucky...the photo doesn't do it justice, really.

Now it's on to tackling a large to-do list :). 

Happy Monday!

+, Lauren Aiken

31 Weeks

How far along? 31 weeks, 6 days (basically 32 weeks, oops!)

Baby Size: 3+ pounds.

Total weight gain: Right around 25 pounds.

Maternity clothes? Yes! Always now. This dress is not the most flattering (especially for a week that I'm feeling particularly large), but it's what I wore to church today so I decided to keep it on.

Stretch marks? This belly is getting big, and I have 8 weeks to go. Keeping my fingers crossed though!

Sleep: I slept pretty soundly this week even though I was in a different bed (in Indiana visiting my parents) so no complaints here!

Best moment(s) this week: Visiting my parents in Indiana and spending the majority of the week crafting with my mom! We drove up to Greenwood to see my sister Eloise one night too :). And finally, one of my best friends became a mom this week! You can read about their adoption journey here.

Miss Anything? Matt was in Chicago this week, but we are reunited now. 

Movement: Kicks have changed to mostly squirms, rolls, and hiccups. And I can often feel a little foot or elbow. So neat!

Food cravings: If you know me very well, you know that I was a vegetarian for about 5 years. I started trying meat while we were trying to get pregnant, and have been eating it for well over 9 or 10 months now. I still don't really care for it - except for BBQ pork, which I mentioned to my mom's friend Kris this week. She made some, and brought it to us for dinner the next day!! THANK YOU, Kris!

Anything making you queasy or sick: No.

Gender: Baby girl. 

Labor Signs: No.

Symptoms: My right foot has been bothering me, and my stomach and back have been a little achey the past couple of days. I can certainly tell that I've gained 25 pounds!

Belly Button in or out? This week it became pretty flat.

Wedding rings on or off? I had to sleep with them off one night this week.

Mood: The midwife told me that I would get pretty irritable in the third trimester, but I've been in the best mood of all three so far! I've had just a couple days where the weight gain has really gotten to me. I've never been curvy, so all this shapeliness in such a short time can be somewhat of a shock. 

Looking forward to: I have several craft projects in mind for this week, so stay tuned for more blog updates this week. Also, some of Matt's family is coming to visit next weekend :).

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

+, Lauren Aiken