Baby Doll Bassinet Make Over

I really love going thrifting whether it be at a thrift store or a yard sale. I like hunting for a good treasure and I love finding a bargain! I especially when I find something as adorable as this baby doll bassinet that I can re-do and turn into a play set.

A while back I was perusing Goodwill and I came across a wicker basket. I don’t know what it’s originally purpose was, but it looked exactly like a baby doll bassinet to me! The basket was in near mint condition, so for only $3 I knew it was coming home with me!

My niece was about to turn 4 so I decided to re-do the bassinet and make a bedding set. She is at the perfect age for playing with baby dolls.
My vision was to paint the bassinet, cut a foam mattress, make a fitted sheet, and a small blanket. This project was pretty straightforward with the exception of making a fitted sheet for the egg shaped mattress.
I didn’t do up a full tutorial since this was a one of a kind basket, but I’d be happy to share the general process with you.

I measured the bottom of the bassinet and cut a mattress out of 2″ foam. Goodness gracious, foam is pricey! I think I got it 60% off and it was still the most expensive part of this project by about 2x. Take a coupon or catch a sale!
For the fitted sheet, I placed the foam on the wrong side of the flannel and marked 4″ away from the foam all the way around. I knew this would give me enough room to wrap around the 2″ thick foam and then some room for finishing.
I did a zigzag stitch around the edge to prevent fraying. What I should have done next was make a casing for elastic, thread the elastic through, and then adjust for the right size. I stretched elastic out and sewed it directly to the zigzagged edge. Since I was pulling it tight as I sewed, it scrunched up when I let go to create a gather. It worked okay, but there was no way to adjust and my fitted sheet isn’t quite fitted enough.
The blanket was just two pieces of flannel sewn with right sides together. I left about 4″ so I could turn it inside out and then I top stitched the whole thing.

Here’s another look at the sheet and blanket. I specifically picked this flannel print because it looked a little like a quilt. I knew I didn’t have enough time to make a quilt, so I thought this was a nice compromise.

I think my niece really liked her present. We also bought a baby doll carrier, like you would wear on you. It had her name embroidered on it, which was fun too.
Here’s one more shot with the doll laying down inside. I just love how it turned out! It brings me back to being a little girl playing with dolls.