Having a dedicated space for baby is special. Whether it be a nook in your own bedroom, a shared space with an older sibling or a full nursery, designing the space can be fun…but expensive! If you can sew (or know someone who can), you can really save money and create a space that’s beautiful and unique. I’ve collected a few of my favorite tried and tested tutorials for designing your own nursery decor on a budget.
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Basics for a DIY Nursery
Design: Decide on the direction you want to go before starting any projects. Figure out a color palate and style before you buy any fabrics or decide on any patterns.
Fabrics: Find your “inspiration fabric” before you buy anything. This is going to be your main fabric that will highlight your projects and all other colors will pull from this fabric. Art Gallery Winged Wingspan Melon was my inspiration fabric and it had lots of great colors for me to use in the other projects for my nursery.
Patterns: I love the patterns on Sew4Home. They are free and range from beginning to advanced. Make sure to read through the entire pattern before starting in case it’s too complicated for you. A quick search on Pinterest can also give you a wide range of DIY projects!
Quilt
I find that starting with a quilt is a great place to gather your favorite fabric designs and colors. From here, you can run with things and decide which fabrics you want to use for the other projects in the room.
“Rainbow Blankie”, made 4 years ago for my son (along with a Boppy pillow cover)
Charm pack baby quilt from Sew4Home – 4 years ago, I sewed this small quilt for my son. It’s come to be known fondly as “rainbow blankie” and he sleeps with it every night. I knew that I had to recreate this quilt for the new baby. It’s a great project for beginners (I’d never made a quilt before this one) and goes together easily, especially if you use a pre-cut charm pack. I prefer to pick and choose and piece together my own fabrics but it definitely takes me infinitely longer to make the quilt when I’m cutting out and designing this way.
“Butterfly Blankie”, sewn for my new daughter
Changing Table Pad Cover
Changing table pad covers are very simple to sew yourself and you can probably sew up three in a day (I did!) I loved using leftover fabrics to piece them together and create a unique look that coordinates in the room. Adding a bit of Minkie Dot fabric adds softness and sophistication. I used this free pattern from View from the Fridge.
Changing table cover in my son’s room, along with a coordinating banner above the table.
Diaper Stacker
Space is tight in our shared nursery so I wanted to have a space to store overstock diapers. I sewed up this hanging diaper stacker that coordinates with the other fabrics in the space. I skipped the applique to save time. Follow the Hanging diaper stacker pattern from Sew4Home.
Snuggly Blankie
I had enough Minkie Dot fabric to make a snuggly blankie. One side is the soft Minkie and the other side is one of my favorite prints, that I’ve been hoarding for years! It’s framed with silky satin trim and this blankie goes together very fast. Find the free pattern for the Papa Bear Bound Edge Blanket on Sew4Home.
Art Work and Wall Decor
Artwork for the nursery side of the room
Since this is a shared room with a tween and a new baby, I wanted it to look feminine but not babyish. I chose fabrics and colors that were all-age appropriate, in a wide color palette. My older girl already had this turquoise and purple comforter so when I picked out fabrics for the baby’s quilt, I made sure to include these colors as well.
I chose artwork for the spaces above their beds that would coordinate and “grow” with them. I bought the frames and art using 50% off coupons for the craft store and printed the artwork at home from TwoBrushesDesigns on Etsy. The Cinderella Castle print was a gift, purchased at Vivid Editions and has a great splash of brightness and color. I chose frames and mirrors in a variety of shapes and sizes, then laid them out on the floor, moving them around until I had a collage that looked good to me before hanging them on the wall.
The Tween side of the bedroom
What to buy and what to make?
I find that things that take a lot of fabric (like fitted sheets) or things that take a lot of time to sew (anything with tons of ruffling) are better off being bought than made myself. There are also some items that are barely noticed in a nursery so you might as well save time by purchasing them instead. I ended up buying a simple crib skirt online for less than $15 and it would have taken me much more to purchase the fabric and sew it myself.
Do you have any favorite nursery DIY tips? Share them with me in the comments!
