Baby Bibs

I first got the idea to make baby bibs a very long time ago when I realized that one small round terrycloth bib would cost more than a yard of fabric. I thought the expecting parents would appreciate more bibs for about the same amount of my money. I’m rather practical, that way. Also, I was able to design many fun and interesting looks.

There are many ways to make baby bibs. I use a template traced from a bib. Usually, I sew the pieces, right sides together, batting on top, and tuck in piping, lace, or eyelets around the edges. I stitch around leaving an opening that I can turn the bib inside out and then I have the right sides out, with the piping, lace, or eyelets showing around the edges.

This batch of bibs was made from scrap fabrics from the baby quilt that I made. (Previous post) The bibs will match the quilt and it doesn’t seem as though one can have too many bibs on hand for a little one, imho.

The materials used for this project were Velcro, batting, and fabric (the leftover triangles cut from the squares of the baby quilt.)

Sew the scrap fabrics into pieces big enough for the bibs. I sewed the triangles back into squares by pinning right sides together.

Press the stitches. I like to stack the triangles together to make a bigger section to iron saving me a few presses.

Press the blocks open.

Sew the squares into strips big enough to accomodate the making of a bib or many bibs.

When working with long lengths of fabric, I often roll the pieces to make the sections smaller and less awkward to manipulate. Add a pin to hold the roll in place and keep the fabric manageable.

Trace the template onto the batting. I used a blue sharpie marker to make the outline show up better in the photos, but use something that won’t bleed through the fabric. I used a light hand and wasn’t worried about leak through.

Trace the template onto the front and back fabric. These bibs will be reversible just like the quilt. Cut out all pieces: back, batting, and top.

To reiterate, there are many ways to make bibs. I wanted to use up some of the binding strips, so I did not use the method mentioned above. Instead, I layered the bibs like I would do a quilt: bottom fabric on the bottom, batting, and then the top fabric on the top.

Pin the layers together.

These are reversible, so it won’t matter which way the bibs are worn. It isn’t obvious in the photos, but I only quilted one line across each bib. Either, I echoed the diagonal stitching or the horizontal stitching across the bib. If a lot of quilting is done, the bibs seem to become stiff. I like them to be flexible. 

Trim any excess batting or fabric from the bib edges. Then I add a step. I sewed a line around the edges at less than a quarter of an inch from the edge. It helps to keep the material in place and allows for easier placement of the binding. I trimmed again to make the edges clean and neat.

Pin the binding to the front of the bibs. Sew in place.

Fold the binding to the back and pin. Stitch in place. Remember the Velcro or other type of closure.

Sew Velcro or other closure in place on the top arms of the bib for fastening around the baby’s neck. You are finished!

I made four with the scrap fabrics. Each had a different pattern on the front and on the back. Each had a different color of binding. I already had the materials so this project didn't cost me anything other than my heart and time and the proud parents will have four more bibs.

All were different, but went with the theme of the quilt. I’ll just print out a card and tuck in some money so the parents can purchase something for the baby as well.

Most of my friends have stopped having children so I got out of the habit of having a batch of bibs on hand. The baby shower we are going to is for a grandchild of a close friend. So, now I’ll have to start making bibs again to keep on hand for the next generation of children coming our way.