A friend and I discovered this antique bassinet, half buried in old blankets and older dolls, during our last turn around the new Gas Lamp Too last weekend. Glancing at the price tag we were shocked to see it priced at just $35. I didn't need a new bassinet because I have a perfectly good Fisher Price plastic one dismantled in a box in my basement just waiting for baby girl No. 2, but this one was way more me and way more adorable so I went back to Gas Lamp the next afternoon, having not been able to get it off my mind, and took it home with me.
The process of getting it to its present day adorableness wasn't easy, but it was so fun. First I spent a couple of nights in front of the TV coating each of its many spindles with chalk paint. Then I started work on the bumper, which is unlike anything I've ever made before. This exact same technique could be used to make a crib bumper, by the way.
I was determined not to buy anything new for the sewing portion of the project and to just work from my existing stash. So I chose this piece of quilt-like fabric, which I got half-price a long time ago, for the outside and a light pink fabric I had for the inside. I did end up spending about $10 on the bubblegum pink bias tape to go along the edge and to create the ties, and in the process I learned for the first time how to actually use bias tape correctly. A total revelation. I can't wait to use bias tape on baby blankets and burp cloths and pot holders and anything else I can think of. I feel like the bias tape is what made this project look semi-professional instead of homemade.
Lastly, I also used the light pink fabric to create a fitted sheet for the mattress (which doesn't show up in any of these pictures, I just realized). Once I wrapped my head around how to do it, this, too, was really fun because now I see how very easy it is to create one-of-a-kind sheets for cribs and bassinets and pack 'n' plays.
This is (theoretically) where Livvy will sleep or nap in her first weeks and months when she will be (theoretically) nursing around the clock. (I say "theoretically" because I had a terrible time nursing my first and am so hoping for different results this time.) The bassinet is exactly as high as our bed and rocks like a dream with the slightest touch. I can't wait to lay her little, warm, sweet-smelling body here.
Here are the terrifically helpful tutorials I followed to create this bedding:
Bassinet Bumper Tutorial from The Girl Creative (how I made the bumper)
Crib and Toddler Bed Sheets Tutorial from MADE (how I constructed the sheet)
Bassinet or Play Yard Fitted Sheet Tutorial from Erin Compton Design (how I determined the correct dimensions for my sheet fabric)
Bias Tape Tutorial from Smashed Peas and Carrots (how I figured out how to correctly attach bias tape)
