I ordered my crib bedding from an Etsy shop and it was the WORST experience. The quality was appalling. I had to take apart every single item and re-sew each one because the sewing was done so badly. The worst part? Since it was a custom order, I didn't know that the seller had to set up a special item so that it was official. SO in the end I couldn't even leave bad feedback. I contacted other buyers on her list and each one told me bad things, but they had still said nice things about the seller. Why?!!! I would never ever recommend someone go this route after the experience that I had.
I will be happy to send you the name of the seller and the photos of the items. Not sure if I'm allowed to do it in the comments.

Choose someone with a LOT of sales and you should be fine. And I agree, you get what you pay for.

I purchased Amy Butler fabric crib sheets from this seller:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/creativebee706

It looks like she doesn't have crib sheets up anymore, but you might want to convo her about it. My sheets have held up perfectly to many months of washings and I'm very happy with the quality.

I think it really depends on the individual seller you choose so look at feedback, and even ask the seller herself if you're worried.

I would never buy home-made crib sheets. The quality of the elastic and stitching is just too important - crib sheets need to fit VERY securely in order to not be a strangulation hazard. Name brands have done safety testing, etc. I read Baby Bargains book and bought only the brands they had verified as safe. Not a place to skimp or put style above safety, IMO.

I purchased my daughter's entire bedding through etsy and my expierence was wonderful. Yes, I was a bit hesitant purchasing something I couldn't actually, inspect or see in person- but I carefully read the feedback of several sellers before deciding on one. The seller I chose actually let me e-mail some of her customers as reference and I was able to ask them personally their experience with the seller. I can assure you that if you have an issue with the quality of an item on etsy, a reputable seller will always let you send it back or correct the problem. At least that has been my experience...

Isn't children's bedding pretty rigorously patrolled for issues of flame retardancy? How are Etsy vendors getting around that?

trishdom--

Yay

you have the option on etsy to search via a map. why dont you look for vendors in your area? i did that when i purchased a dress for my daughter and was unsure of the fit. i drove to the vendors house and we did a fitting before i bought the dress. it was a great experience!

Let me step back in to say that, on the whole, I LOVE etsy. Dresses, linens, art, stationery - yes, yes, yes, yes. I did all my Christmas shopping last year on etsy. But crib sheets = no for me. Same goes for blinds for kiddo's room and any other items where I feel like safety is part of the equation.

@ Patrick - Mattresses yes. Bedding, no.

My MIL and mother have both made crib sheets and they've been great! And neither are professional seamstresses.

And I loved being able to choose my own fabric and combination rather than what some buyer decided I should have a choice of.

FrogsPet--

Wow, that seems kinda scary especially since "Pajamas yes." also, no?

Really? I have 4 kids, and I can't imagine fretting about this crap. Get a sewing machine and make some yourself if you want fancy shmancy sheets.

Store-bought sheets are FULL of chemicals (aforementioned "fire retardant"). I use vintage or one I have washed and washed and washed and washed and washed. Babies who sleep in a crib next to your bed do not get tangled in their sheets (unless you sleep like a rock). They also don't get left behind when the fire alarm goes off, because you pick them up.

In this day and age, chemicals are a far scarier concern than elastic on your sheets. Seriously.

I think a lot of what people are bringing up is all about common sense, no? If you buy bedding from ANY type of vendor, you should be able to identify when it is time to stop using it... for damaged elastic, etc., etc.

It's not uncommon to ask Etsy sellers to provide photos of YOUR finished pieces before they're shipped/paid for. That way, if you see something you're not happy with, you can choose not to go through with the transaction.

As someone that made her own crib bedding and (coincidentally) is a new seller on Etsy, I would never send out something that I thought to be second rate. Yes, buying from someone with lots of sales and positive feedback may give you more piece of mind, but remember us newbies would like a break too! And just because we don't have hundreds of sales doesn't mean we put out an inferior product!

My advice to you is convo a seller when you see something you like. Ask about the fabric, ask about the type of elastic they use, ask about custom orders and return policies on custom orders. Negative feedback can really hurt a seller. You want to go with someone who will work with you and for you. If you feel at all uneasy at any point, don't buy from that seller.

I wouldn't. Quality varies a lot on etsy. You need sheets and that is it. Buy good quality generic sheets that pass federal standards rather than homemade who-knows-what. Nothing else belongs in an infant crib, include strangle-me-bumpers.

If you want a crib skirt, etsy is fine.

My siblings and I spent the first few months of our lives in a drawer, padded with blankets with a sheet wrapped around them, at the foot of our parents bed (our dad likes to joke that at night, he just closed the drawer!). It wasn't fitted, it wasn't treated, it wasn't a crib and GASP it had not passed federal standards. And! We all lived to tell the tale.

People today are so hung up on regulations and standards. You know your own children best, and you know what makes you feel safest best.
I for one don't buy car seat covers/liners because it can really change the efficacy of the car seat in an accident.

Also, I bought a pair of cot sheets from Target, put the fitted one on the mattress and noticed a few days later that one corner was loose... the stitching had come loose, and the sheet was lifting.
Personally now I prefer getting them made, where I can ask for specific things, such as double reinforced corners etc.

JudiAU and others who have said similar comments, referring to Etsy products as "homemade who-knows-what", this is not the most apt turn of phrase for Etsy and to be honest I take offence. As an Etsy seller myself, I take great pride in my work making sure my products are above and beyond a standard I would be happy to pay for.
While there are people who don't take the time and care they should, on the whole Etsy sellers are dedicated people who have a skill that they would like to share. All babieswear/children's crafters that I've come across are parents themselves, so their standards are very high.

At the end of the day Nicole, only you can make the right choice for you!

Like I said in my original comment- my Etsy seller had/has perfect feedback and yet, when I actually emailed buyers on the list (those from the last 6 months), they ALL said bad things (2 months delay in delivery, difficult to contact, reimbursements due to bad quality). By the way, my seller was Korys Kradle.
On the positive side, Etsy Support had my back, once I contacted them about the non-delivery and then other problems. I ended up getting reimbursed for everything but shipping. PZgirl has excellent advice about asking for a photo BEFORE it is shipped. Wish I had done that!
But I still would have spent the first month after my daughter's birth sitting at the sewing machine trying to stitch up her bedding that was supposed to have arrived 3 months earlier :-(

I'm a seller on Etsy as well (loveseptember.etsy.com) and agree with the statements above that Etsy as a whole cannot be judged by one seller or another---each are an entity unto themselves and their feedback will reflect that. I'm sorry for those of you who have had terrible experiences with Etsy sellers, but I hope that you won't be turned off from Etsy completely because of a flakey seller (looked up the seller mentioned above and her feedback is NOT good!)--it's really a wonderful place with unique items, and (mostly) sellers that take great pride in their work!

As for the original question, I never spend lots of money on the crib sheets (I just buy the store brand in white) because I just know they are going to get pooped and spit up on :) Don't want to waste a lot of money on something that it going to be replaced over and over. Instead, I make a cute crib skirt and bumper that won't get as dirty over time.

If I can throw in my 2 cents the knit gerber sheets I got from BRU were HORRIBLE. They discolored and they shrunk so they were next to impossible to fit on the mattress. So I wouldn't say that a big brand name = quality or even safety. (Lead in toys from China anyone?)

All that said, I have to admit I would never spend much on custom crib sheets as they get a lot of abuse. I'd put my money in the other accessories for the room. I plan on upcycling a soft, used top sheet into more cribsheets for my babe.

I purchased crib sheets from this seller several months ago:
pillowcase dresses
They have held up very well and I didn't have a single complaint.
She doesnt appear to be selling them anymore and I think that it may be somewhat of a liability issue.
Also from what I found on etsy is that its not all about the feedback, some of the sellers are very talented and are just starting out....Every one has to start somewhere...IMO