Make A Baby Bib

To make a baby bib is a great project for beginner sewers and crafters. Handmade bibs not only make great gifts but they are very functional, will save some much needed cash, and look stylish on your baby all the while.

Those of us who are seasoned moms know that at some point a bib becomes a staple to your baby's wardrobe. Not just for feeding time, but when baby is teething and drooling buckets all day long. Or maybe you just have a baby that tends to spit up ALOT, where stylish and fashionable bibs can come in handy.

I want to show you how you can make a baby bib easily; make em' stylish, and functional. I have even created a free printable baby bib patternfor you to work with. This bib pattern is designed to print onto 8 1/2" by 11" paper. The pattern itself is bigger than the sheet of paper, so you will need to print it out and tape it together.

free baby bib pattern

Once you have printed out your pattern, start by pinning the pattern to the fabric you intend to work with. You will need two different types of fabric for this project. One fabric should be absorbent and durable. I like to use terry cloth. It is intended for making towels and wash cloths and things. The great thing about using terry cloth is that after baby has finished their meal, you can wet the terry cloth side of the bib and use it to clean her up.
The other fabric you choose to make this bib with should be decorative. It can really be any kind of fabric you want, although I recommend using something less thick than the terry cloth. I used some simple cotton fabric with a nice bright pattern.

make a baby bib

Pin the pattern to the fabric and use it as a guideline for cutting. Repeat this with the second fabric so you have two equal pieces.

make your own baby bib

Now place the fabrics together so that your decorative fabric is face down against the terry cloth. Your terry cloth should look the same on both sides, so it does not matter which way it is facing. Pin both pieces together about a 1/4 - 1/2" from the edges.

how to make a baby bib

Now sew the edges of the baby bib together stopping to leave about 2" open for turning the fabric outside in. Take all of the pins out and turn the fabric outside in. Sew the opening shut by hand. To make it look nice and clean fold the outer edges in while hand sewing. At this point it wold be a good idea to iron the fabric and the sewn edges to lay them flat and give it a finished look.

Some people like to add extra finishing touches when they make a baby bib. You can choose to sew bias tape around the outside edges for a more finished look and extra pizzaz. You could also sew around the outer edge about 1/4" in from the edge to add a border. I like to keep it simple and leave it just as is. A simple ironing is enough finishing for me. :)

The last step is to simply add an enclosure to the bib. I like to sew on little metal snaps. Another really easy option is to add a little velcro.

styish handmade baby bib