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The baby bib's number one job is to be a stain force field. It is often the only line of defense between that adorable handmade white sweater from Aunt Lisa and a favorite bottle of fruit punch. The best bib should: fit snuggly around baby's chinny-chin-chin, be absorbent, easy to launder, fast to get on and off, and in my book, super cute. When you're under 24 months, the bib is your primary fashion statement... ya gotta work it. We offer a free, downloadable pattern for our Snap-On Baby Bib.
Our thanks to our pals at Michael Miller Fabrics for providing us with this absolutely wonderful fabric for our series of seven Baby Gift projects. It's called Pretty Bird from Pillow & Maxfield. There are three wonderfully vibrant colorways from which to choose. We selected the fabrics for our Baby collection from the Aqua colorway with its incredible hot pinks, limes and bright blues. Pretty Bird comes out this month, so check your favorite local or online fabric retailer soon for availability.
These cute little bibs have bias binding all the way around. If you are new to binding, it can look a little scary. Not to worry. Nice, neat binding is really all about practice, and going slowly and evenly, gradually feeding the fabric into the binding. Don't expect to just wrap, pin and stitch. Going too quickly or assuming everything stays put and never moves is where disappointment lurks: you pull it out of the machine and there's a big chunk of fabric that's slipped out and isn't captured within the binding. Save yourself some seam ripper time and some tears. Go nice and slow and feed a little bit at a time. Set your needle so it stops in the down position and there's no worry about your stitches getting out of line. Slow and steady, Mr. Turtle.
Sewing Tools You Need
Fabric and Other Supplies
Supplies listed below are for TWO MATCHING bibs. We wanted to show variety and so used two different fabrics for our bib fronts. However, the most efficient use is to cut two bib fronts from the same fabric.
- ⅓ yard of 44-45" wide fabric for front of cloth: we used Pillow & Maxfield Pretty Bird from Michael Miller Fabrics in Lime Dancing Flowers and Lime Bloomies
- ⅓ yard of 44-45" wide terry cloth for back of cloth: we used Michael Miller's new organic terry cloth in natural (not shown in ingredients photo above)
- Two packages of ½" double-fold bias tape: we used Wrights extra wide, double-fold bias tape in Lemon Ice
NOTE: One package contains 3 yards, however each bib uses slightly more than 1½ yards to make it all the way around smoothly. So you really should have one package per bib to be safe. Believe me, you really don't want more than one seam in something this small.
- All-purpose sewing thread in colors to match fabric and bias tape
- Small piece of medium-weight fusible interfacing: you need just enough to cut four small circles to reinforce the areas where the snaps will go
- Snap setting tool
NOTE: See our tutorial for more information on these tools
- 2 size 18 pearl-head snap sets
- Scissors or rotary cutter and mat
- See-through ruler
- Straight pins
- Iron and ironing board
Getting Started
- Download and print the Baby Bib Pattern.
IMPORTANT: This pattern consists of TWO 8.5" x 11" sheets. You must print this PDF file at 100%. DO NOT SCALE to fit the page.
- Butt the pages together to create the full pattern. Do NOT overlap. Tape together.
- Cut out the pattern along the solid line.
- Using the pattern (as noted on the pattern piece, you cut along the fold), cut TWO from the print fabric for the bib fronts and TWO from the terry cloth for the bib backs. Make sure the ribs of the terry cloth run lengthwise along the fold line.
- Cut four small (about the size of a quarter coin is good) circles from the medium-weight fusible interfacing.
At Your Sewing Machine & Ironing Board
- Following manufacturer's direction, iron a circle of interfacing on to each end of each bib front to stabilize the area where the snaps will be applied.
- Place a fabric bib front and a terry cloth bib back WRONG sides together. Pin around the edges, then stitch together ¼" from the edge all the way around. this allows you to now treat the two pieces as one.
NOTE: Terry cloth is quite stretchy so don't be afraid to use plenty of pins to hold it in place. And, whenever you have dissimilar fabrics being sewn together it is best to stitch with the more difficult one (in this case the terry) down in order to let the feed dogs (those little grippy teeth in the plate below your presser foot) move it through the machine for you. Keep an even tension on the layers as they go through the machine.
- Open up your package of bias tape binding. You'll notice the binding is folded so one edge is slightly longer than the other. For this project, you will encase the raw edges of the bib with the shorter fold on the front and the longer fold wrapped around to the back.
NOTE: Simply encasing the raw edges with the double-fold bias tape is the faster way to attach binding. It is the method we used for our recent Retro Fun: Toddler's Laminated Project Apron. The more 'traditional' option is to unfold one half of the binding, stitch it in place on the front, then re-fold and wrap the binding over the raw edge to the back, and stitch in place to finish. We used this more traditional method on our Retro Fun: Quilted Mitt Pot Holders. If you're brand new to bias tap binding, take a look at our tutorial: Bias Tape: How To Make It & Attach It .
- You want to start pinning your binding on the gentlest part of your curve; the place where it is the closest to being straight. On our bib pattern, that would be along the bottom edge. Do not stretch the binding as you pin. Pin the binding through all layers as shown.
- When you reach the tight curve at the neck of the bib begin pinning across the curve and only pin through the top layer of binding into the bib.
- Use lots of pins and carefully work your way around the curve slightly folding the fabric where necessary.
- To smooth out the bigger folds you can even go back add more pins in between to divide up the extra fabric between the first set of pins.
- After you have worked your way around the curve on the top side, turn the piece over and repeat this process on the back side. Yes, it looks a little like a porcupine.
- Continue pinning until you reach the starting point and trim the end so it overlaps by approximately 1".
- Fold and press the end under ¼" and pin so that it overlaps the unfinished end of the binding.
- Use a zig zag stitch to stitch the binding in place. A zig zag is more 'forgiving' than a straight stitch; in other words, your seam line can wobble a little without it being noticeable on the finished piece.
- The swing of your needle should be about 1/8" from the edge of the fabric. I found that aligning the edge of the foot with the edge of my fabric worked well as a guide.
- Sew slowly and remove each pin as you come to it, easing the fabric into the binding as you go. To keep "on track", you can stop periodically, with your needle in the down position, and pivot your fabric slightly.
- Apply snaps to each end of the neck. If you are new to snap application, see our tutorial: How To Apply Metal Snaps to Fabric.
- Press well with steam.
- We added one of our Sew4Home labels to the front.
Contributors
Project Design: Alicia Thommas
Sample Creation and Instructional Outline: Julia Chapman
Other machines suitable for this project include the Singer 2010 Professional and the Brother XL3750 Free Arm.
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