Making Baby Bibs

I really love sewing baby gifts. They are simple to make and so sweet with their little size and soft fabrics. I started with square/rectangular projects because I was convinced I could only sew a straight line but I am getting braver and venturing out on harder things, like baby bibs. Baby burp clothes were a great way to start, and I even added baby washcloths (another post soon) but now I feel confident in adding baby bibs to the mix. You can make these with a homemade pattern (or use this pattern I found online). I took a bib, folded in half down the middle and traced it onto paper to make a pattern. It is much easier (and symmetrical) to place your pattern on folded fabric so both sides are identical. You will need to cut a front and back with the same pattern. I used Amy Butler Midwest Modern II and Heather Bailey Nicey Jane fabric for the fronts of these two bibs, and white terry cloth for the back.
Once you have both your pieces cut out you can feel free to add any embellishments, like a piece of ribbon, to the front. It is a simple way to add a lot of cuteness. Just cut a piece of ribbon a little longer than the width of your front piece, pin, and sew down the middle to secure in place. Trim the edges once it is sewn.
Pin right sides together, leaving a two inch opening to pull right sides out.
Sew together, remembering to leave the opening unsewn and carefully trim if you have a lot of edge. I sewed pretty close to the edge so I didn't have to trim.
Pull the right sides out from your opening. I used a chopstick to push each part of the inside out, making it clean and even. Iron it flat, tucking in the raw edges of the opening so it stays in place when you top stitch.
Top stitch all the way around the bib which will close your opening and give you a finished look.
Iron again if necessary to make it neat and flat.
Hand sew snaps for a closure, or use Velcro. Snaps take a while to sew on but I think they are nicer than Velcro. It always bothered me when I would wash bibs with Velcro and they would get caught on other things in the laundry. They are extra large snaps. I have also thought about investing in a snap button tool to punch snaps on these. It sure would save a lot of time!
Here it is all finished and ready for baby Gwen, my friend Rachel's new baby girl.
I really love the ribbon on this one!
It made a nice baby gift, paired with baby burp clothes and washcloths.

Next baby gift will be for a baby boy, my nephew Silas who is due December 31st. I am excited to go shopping for boy fabrics!

Comments

  1. Thanks for sharing how to make these! I love to make stuff for baby gifts. I used to make sweet dollies for baby girls but I kinda got out of the habit and now my sewing machine is put away. I will get it out again this coming fall/winter when there's snowy days and we're stuck indoors. :) You are so crafty, and I look up to you for being such a great home-maker for your family.

    ReplyDelete
  2. These look great! I was waiting for the chopstick to get a shout-out. :) Very nice fabric, too.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts