I’m 6 months pregnant and was so tired of chasing my toddler up the stairs every five minutes. I had a farmhouse baby gate I made, but it just looked bulky and I really didn’t want something blocking my stairs all the time so I did a google search and found a bunch of links and pics to fabric baby gates. They run pretty pricey on ETSY — one seller selling them for $190 (really makes me want to sell them lol) So I decided– I’LL JUST MAKE ONE. (I made two actually– one for my MIL’s house)
I waited a couple weeks before writing this post because I wanted to make sure my 1 year old didn’t figure out a way to open it or go under etc. It is keeping him off the stairs–SO FAR!

It was honestly so simple ( and only took me 45 minutes) and you can do it too for WAY cheaper than what’s advertised online. I bought elastic and used an old curtain I had at home. If you don’t have an old curtain lying around, use duck cloth or canvas. (Go search for some discarded curtains at Goodwill or any other local thrift store vs buying it from your local fabric store).
MATERIAL you’ll need:
-> Canvas or Duck Cloth (double the amount of your measurement plus some because it’s always nice to have extra
-> Elastic
-> measuring tape
-> sewing machine or thread & needle
-> 4 command hook
-> sewing pins
First MEASURE — Do not skip this step and “eye” it— Measure the width and height of the opening you would like to cover.



Lay out your “curtain” on a flat surface (I used my bedroom floor). Measure out your width plus 3 inches and mark (with chalk or pencil) where you need to cut. Then measure your height plus 3 inches. (the extra 3 inches is your seam allowance for when you sew both pieces together.
Cut out the ‘front’ then use the piece to trace and cut the ‘back’.



Now you should have two pieces that are the same size. Place both pieces together with the “right” sides facing each other as shown below and pin together along the edges.
Now it’s time to sew! I used a sewing machine, but you can also do this with needle and thread (it’ll just take longer).
Sew a straight stitch along the edge, leaving about 1.5 inches of seam allowance but DO NOT SEW THE CORNERS. I started about 3 inches down each side and ended my stitch approx 3 inches before the edge of the fabric, leaving my corners open (that’s where we’ll put the elastic fasteners)



When you get to the last side, sew only about 2/3 of the way so you can have enough of opening to flip the fabric right side out. Below is how much space I left.



Now.. before we flip the fabric inside out… LET’S CUT SOME CORNERS! Cut off all four corners like so…



Now flip the fabric inside out so you can see the design on both the back and front and sew together the remaining 1/3 of the last side, folding in the uneven edges to get a clean look.
Cut four pieces of elastic — I made mine about 7 inches long.



fold the elastic in half and place inside the corner like this…



Sew the corners closed, with the elastic. Do a double stitch over the elastic so it is extra sturdy. I did a zig zag stitch over the elastic to make sure it is secure. It should look something like this …



After you sew elastic on all four corners, your baby gate is done! Now you just have to put it on and see if it works.
I used small command hooks because I felt that the elastic would stay on better and it has so far and placed them on four corners of the wall surrounding my staircase, with enough distance so the fabric was stretched out tightly. You don’t want it to sag or be oversized because then it will be very easy for baby to get under it.



TADAH! You have a finished baby gate !



Leave a Reply