How To Make Your Own Bibs

Hands down, these bibs rock! They are very absorbent and supe-cute. Odds are, there will never be another one like it. Who doesn't love giving or having unique baby bibs? Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of wipe-me-down bibs, especially while out on the town and for messy foods, but there's nothing like a soft cloth bib. If you're going to a fancy dinner or sit-down wedding, this is a great project for you to make a beautiful matching bib for the occasion.


I got this pattern from Amy Carol's book, "Bend the Rules Sewing" (thanks Shannon for the gift), and it's a MUST HAVE for those of you who love tinkering with the sewing machine or love an easy and attractive sewing project. I LOVE this book and can't wait to buy her other books.

Below was my second bib I made for a little boy named Judah. I wanted it to have a missions/traveling theme. My first bib that I made was for Judah as well and was a baseball bib(very cute!), as his dad used to play on a farm team. I decided not to show you that bib because I mistakenly sewed the top stitch in a dark thread, making every sewing mishap visible. Keep that in mind while you're sewing.

You Need:

• flannel (absorbent back to bib)
• small scraps of fabric (front of bib)
• some type of closure: button/elastic, Velcro, snaps (I personally would use snaps next time for safety reasons)

1.) Make your own bib pattern to desired width and length. You can use something firm like poster board, something flimsy like newspaper or something that will stick to you fabric like flannel. (The next bib I make I will make the top part wider to cover the shoulder area.)

2.) Stitch together the front strips of fabric. You can have as many pieces of fabric as you want. I chose to have three sections, but I've seen seven or eight strips of fabric sewn horizontally together.

3.) With your flannel and already sewn-together front piece (pretty sides facing each other), whip out your handy-dandy bib pattern and cut away.

4.) Sew on your Velcro pieces for closure. If you have a snap machine (a pretty inexpensive tool), you can press on your snaps after all sewing is complete.

5.) Leaving one inch of fabric open (not sewn) so as to turn it inside out, sew all around the bib leaving a 1/2 inch lip (see, I told you I don't know sewing jargon).

6.) Turn bib inside out.

7.) Top stitch the bib closed.

8:) Press snaps into bib.

Now you have a beautiful bib!!

p.s. I've also made my daughter a cute teething bib that was very short all the way around. We received a lot of compliments on it. One Step Ahead sells these bibs in organic cotton.