Washcloth Bibs July 13, 2011 – Posted in: Sewing, Tutorials

When I was pregnant with Sofie, I traveled to see an old friend from high school. She gave me several gifts while I was there, but one of the things was these bibs made from washcloths and handkerchiefs. “These are a novel idea” I thought. But shamefully, I didn’t use them. Sofie is the neatest eater I’ve ever met. I could dress the kid head-to-toe in white, give her chocolate cake, and she’d still be spotless at the end of her sugar binge. It’s mindblowing.

But then came Chloe. She’s definitely the messy kid and we’re pretty convinced she doesn’t approve of a meal unless bits of it are shoved in every nook and cranny on her body and properly smeared into her clothes. I was stripping her down to her diaper to eat, but that gets awkward at restaurants and in public places. So I remembered the bibs my dear friend had given me and they were a lifesaver!! She made me 3 and I was going through them faster than I could wash them. So what’s a girl to do? Make more, of course!!

I didn’t have any handkerchiefs, but I did have plenty of scraps of fabric to choose from and I grabbed cheapy washcloths from Walmart for like $2 each.

It only took me a few minutes to whip up each bib, and trust me, they’re AMAZING gifts!

As soon as I got done sewing, I tried them out on Chloe for snack time. We were having watermelon and she was happy to oblige me in a little photo shoot while she ate!

                          

Look at those delicious cheeks!!

                          

The edges tie nicely around the neck, preventing the typical yank-my-bib-off behavior we all know and love.

You might think a washcloth isn’t good coverage for a kid, but you can see it’s actually quite large on them, and leaves plenty of room to grow!

                          

So, you want to make your own? Fantastic!

All you need is a washcloth and a piece of fabric 18″ to 19″ square. It doesn’t have to be any exact size, something around that range will work.

Take your fabric and fold it in half, right sides together, on the diagonal.

Sew down the two open sides,

leaving a hole a few inches long to turn it through. Seam allowance doesn’t really matter, whatever you prefer, but I used 1/4″.

Turn it right side out, poke out the corners, and iron flat.

Place the fabric on the washcloth, making sure the point is centered. Pin in place.

Sew down the 2 sides, attaching the fabric to the washcloth.

Then sew across the top of the washcloth to finish off the bib.

Quick, easy, and totally useful! And perfect for feeding those hungry little honey’s in your life!