When babies begin to learn to walk, they want to explore everything. They can put themselves in danger by climbing out of their cribs in an attempt to discover the world around them. Keep your toddler safe in his crib by sewing a tulle tent to go over the top. A crib tent allows you to take your baby out of the crib, but it won’t let him escape on his own. The tent also keeps any curious pets you may have out of your baby’s bed.
Step 1
Cut a piece of tulle so that it measures the length of the crib by 4 feet wide. Fold the tulle in half lengthwise.
Step 2
Sew lengthwise along the folded part of the tulle, about 1/2-inch away from the fold. You are making a casing that you will slip the long wooden dowel into.
Step 3
Slip the wooden dowel into the casing.
Step 4
Cut two isosceles triangles of tulle. The bottom side of each triangle should be the width of the crib, plus 1 inch, and the two equal sides should each measure 2 feet.
Step 5
Fold the bottom of each triangle over about 1/2-inch, or enough to make a casing wide enough to hold the crib-width dowels. Sew the casings in place, and slide a wooden dowel into each one.
Step 6
Pin one short side of a triangle to one short side of the tulle. Sew in place, leaving a 1/2-inch seam. Repeat with the other side of the triangle and with one side of the other triangle. Leave the fourth side open.
Step 7
Pin the zipper to the final short triangle side. Sew in place, using the zipper foot on your sewing machine. Pin the other side of the zipper to the final short side of the tulle. Sew in place.
Step 8
Position one 2-foot wooden dowel in the center of one of the triangles. Attach it to the tulle by stitching it in place, using the embroidery floss. Stitch in place all the way up the length of the dowel. Repeat with the second 2-foot wooden dowel and the other triangle.
Step 9
Position the tent over the top of the crib. It should look like a small pup tent. Mark where you want to place the Velcro, both on the crib and on the tent. You should use three strips of Velcro on each side of the crib.
Step 10
Cut 12 of the 3-inch strips of stick-on Velcro. Attach the smooth sides to the bottom edge of the tent and the grippy sides to the crib.
Step 11
Fasten the tent to the crib with the Velcro. To open the tent, unzip the zipper, and pull the flap open.
Photo Credit
- baby in the crib image by Tatyana Gladskih from Fotolia.com
