Quick Moses Basket Updating

I LOVE moses baskets! I think that they are the most practical thing and for the first two months or so when my two were babies, I carried my moses basket everywhere. It was so nice to have a comfy place to lay my children while they slept and we visited with friends and family.

Now that my sister is expecting, she has asked to borrow the moses basket. While I was totally going to lend it to her (she did buy it for me after all), I just happened to be visiting a friend who, after 5 kids, was finally saying goodbye to all her baby things. Among the vast array of things was this well-loved-but-still-in-great-condition moses basket which I snagged right away! All it needed was a little update and even I, as an inexperienced sewer, could do that ...

This was the pad that originally came with the basket:

A little dated (in terms of fabric) and lacking in the comfort factor (i.e. very thin). So, using the original pad as my pattern, I cut out two pieces of quilt batting and zigzag stitched both pieces to either side of the original pad. I trimmed the edges then used this "new" pad as my pattern for my polka dot fabric which I found at Joanne's - isn't it sweet?

Since my sister doesn't know if it is a girl or a boy, I decided to double side the pad so she could use the green if it is a boy, or pink if it is a girl. I stitched right sides together of the polka dot fabric leaving a opening for turning. I pressed the seams then turned the cover right side out and stuffed the "new" pad in. I finished off the opening by pining and top stitching it.

Not the greatest pictures, I admit ... these are just to give you an idea of the final product.

Now what I am wondering is if I have to worry about the inside sides of the basket? Mine was covered in fabric which is more cozy, so I suppose I should do something here too ... that, however is totally beyond my sewing skills and I will have to consult someone about it.

At any rate, I will be including several burp cloths and a couple of extra large receiving blankets (the bought ones are always too small in my opinion), which I think will make a lovely gift.