Crib Rail Teether Tutorial

Alice just started teething and as much as I love her getting fiber I don't want her to get it from her crib. It only takes a couple of hours to make... depending on how many interruptions you have.

I was originally going to use batting to pad the rail teether but I didn't feel like cutting into my quilting batting. Instead I used some fleece that I had on hand. Now my fleece was not long enough so I had to stitch it together so that it would be long enough. If you have to stitch your batting or fleece together use the zig-zag stitch so that your fabric does not overlap and create a bump:

You can use batting for the inside, but then I would suggest cutting only one strip of batting and cutting a strip of fabric for the backing. This will allow it to stay washable.

You need:

2 strips of fleece 

1 strip of outer fabric

ribbon

Your measurements will probably differ depending on the size of your crib, but my strips measured 53 inches x 6 inches. 

If you would like your rail teether to go farther down your crib side just cut your strips wider. I only wanted to cover the rail so kept the width to 6 inches.

Layer your strips with the fleece {or your batting} on the bottom, outer fabric right side up in the middle, and then fleece {or backing fabric wrong side up} on the top. 

Like so:

If you did patch together 2 pieces of fleece like I did then flip your strips around so the the seams are not on top of each other. I was afraid that if my two seams were on top of each other it would make an uncomfortable bump. 

Stitch around 3 edges leaving one end open:

On the end that you stitched close, clip the edges:

Turn the long strip right side out with your outer fabric on the outside.

Then you will have a lovely long thick strip:

Turn your open unfinished edge in and top stitch it closed. 

It's alright that your seam is on the outside and showing because now your going to top stitch all along the rest.

When you're done you'll have this lovely strip:

Then take it and put in on the crib rail to mark where you want to put your ties. 

I used safety pins to mark the spots where I wanted to sew on the ties. Using safety pins keep you from getting stuck when sewing on the ribbons and keeps your baby's fingers safe while they're playing assistant:

My ribbon ties were 6 - 6 1/2 inches long. I might have made them longer, but that was all I had of that ribbon. 

Fold over your ribbon when you sew it on or it might rip right off when you go to tie it onto your crib {like mine did the first time}:

Sew your ribbon onto the back of your rail teether. If your tie has an obvious top MAKE SURE the top is facing the same direction as your outer fabric:

Looks like a cool caterpillar, right?:

Go ahead and tie on your awesome crib rail teether:

I tied the ribbons with 2 knots each and then finished them off with a bow: