Okay, so I finally finally finished the great American bib making project. It took me forever because I tend to make baby gifts in mass...I'm a young mother, and lots of my friends are young mothers, so someone is ALWAYS having a baby. So 16 bibs later, I have the tutorial ready!First off, here is the link to the bib template. It's just a tiny bit too tall for the original size to print on an 8.5X11 sheet of paper and maintain its dimensions..I really did try though. The original size of the bib is 5 inches wide and 11.75 inches tall, FYI. Adjust as you will.
I used terry cloth on one side and flannel on the other side. The terry is a neutral color (because every mom needs a bib that will go with almost everything!), and the flannel is a cute print for some pizzaz. So, pin your pattern (I like to trace mine onto leftover crumpled up tissue paper, then pin it on) onto your terry cloth, and cut it out.
Now you have the two pieces already pinned together and ready to sew.
I used the edge of my presser foot, which is just under 1/2 inch, for the seam allowances. Start on one of the straight sides, and sew ALMOST all the way around, leaving about 1.5 to 2 inches open. (I used black thread here for the purposes of the tutorial. Definitely recommend using thread that blends in (i.e., white)!
Trim your seams down to about 1/4 inch, EXCEPT at the open seam (see photo). Then carefully clip the curves (pies out of outer curves, snip inner curves) as needed.
Now, the tricky part: turn the entire bib inside out through the 1.5 to 2 inch open seam. Use a pen or a ruler or even your shears (provided they have blunt ends) to help push the corners out.
Iron the flannel side lightly to help the edges stay pushed out and in place. If you'd like, pin the open seam closed.
Now, if your sewing machine has any decorative stitching, whip it out. I chose a green thread with a curving stitch for my monkey bibs. Again, using the presser foot as a guide, sew all the way around. Make sure you are sewing close enough to the edge to close up that 1.5 to 2 inch open seam.
I use snaps because I hate the way my kids' velcro bibs get stuck to my clothes in the washer. They're simple to use, and look nice. Follow the instructions on the package to apply. I find that hammering them doesn't always work (especially with one of the two layers being terry cloth), so I employ my flat nose jewelry pliers to squeeze them into place.
And you're done! Now all you need is a cute baby to put it on!
