Sewing for the "Big Boy" Bed

My most recent sewing venture is not particularly photogenic but as of yesterday it is finally complete and that's something!

Before I show you what it is, though, I have to give the back story.

You see, when we needed the crib mattress for the new baby, ye old toddler bed had to go.

I found a somewhat safe looking "big boy" bed frame for a twin mattress and happily assembled it only to realize that the head-sized spacing of the slats might be a safety concern for a two-year-old.

Thankfully the old crib bumper provided a temporary solution but I wasn't satisfied.

No sirree.

My heart was firmly set against the idea of including embroidered zoo animals in the new decor!

And besides, I had that crazy navy blue and white chevron Riley Blake fabric that I had wanted to put in the room and it wasn't getting used as a duvet cover or curtains.  It needed a new purpose.

So I decided to make a slipcover -- for the whole bed!

This is Evie, the crib mattress stealer.

It took a little help from the boy himself, of course.

I used the chevron quilting cotton and some navy denim from my stash to make the cover and I batted it with scraps from a king comforter I had recently cut in half.

 (These pictures were taken in my 1950's basement with the lovely rust colored carpeting.)

The bed is 72 inches wide and I had 71 inches of fabric! I also had to change the direction of the chevron on the ends in order to have enough fabric.

On a normal night, the bed looks like some version of this:

My Jack has his pillow, a blanket on the side to keep him from hitting the rail, some sort of barrier near his feet to help keep him near the top of the bed (he rolls all over the place), and the blanket he's been using to sleep under.

I'm thinking that instead of rolling up blankets, I should make two matching bolster pillows the width of the bed that can be positioned as needed.  Maybe in orange or yellow or something.  Any thoughts on how to make them sort of heavy so that they aren't easily pushed around by a sleeping child?

I already have fabric to make different curtains and am day dreaming about other ways to (very frugally) decorate this blank slate!  (Any good ideas?)

Oh, and I'm absolutely going to make a matching navy denim cover for his stool.

In my spare time.  BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA.