I pinned this almost a year ago.  

Here are some photos:

Oh and if you are thinking "Are you crazy if you think I'm gonna attempt this DIY" then Living with Punks sells them here!  I think it'd make a fantastic gift!!  

What about you?  What challenging projects have you taken on lately?

A while ago I posted about finding instructions on making a changing pad cover on Chic & Cheap Nursery. I'd been daydreaming about re-learning to sew anyway and this seemed like the perfect, simple project. Of course I initially wanted to make an entire crib bedding set--sheet, bumper, and crib skirt--but then it dawned on me that I'm not freakin Martha Stewart. That said, I figured I could still manage a changing pad cover. I bought the material from Hawthorne Threads and Fabric.com. They have an amazing selection and reasonable prices. This post isn't really a tutorial because a) I am such a beginner that I am in no way qualified to walk you through this process and b) there is a perfectly swell tutorial posted at Prudent Baby that I followed. I will offer one piece of advice- Make sure you sew the tube big enough for the elastic. I didn't on my first cover (yeah that's right, I made two- are you impressed?!) and it was the most agonizing process using a tiny safety pin to string through the elastic. What took me 5 minutes or less took me at least 20 minutes the first time around. Oh and the fact that I made two should tell you that this is definitely a project you can handle. I haven't sewn since I was 13 or 14 and had no idea what I was doing--but I followed the instructions and the cover came out fine. The first one is a bit rough if you look at the details but the reason this is such a perfect project for beginners is that none of those details show! The second one came out much neater and though still not expert quality, a little more polished looking. The other thing I love about this project is that a 'designer' changing pad cover or a custom cover from a site like etsy usually will run you $40+.  Here is the cost breakdown for this one:

2 yards of fabric: $21 including shipping
elastic: $0 already had
thread: $0 already had
Total: $21

As for the final cost, it could cost even less...the tutorial calls for a bit less fabric, you could buy locally to avoid paying shipping, and you could also use less expensive fabric, so this number can be whittled down.  Also, for one of the two covers, I ordered the material from fabric.com with another fabric purchase, got 20% discount, and didn't pay for shipping so that brought the price down.

So, I think I will keep at it. I really like making stuff. :) If you try this you MUST email me pictures (tiffandmeg@gmail.com) or post a link to a photo. I'd love to see it!