From the page: The towel that still wants to hug
Idea 7
Baby bib and burp cloth
Turning worn towels into baby layette items is a habit passed down from generation to generation, from the grandmothers who sewed on Singer machines. It works because the bath towel has a high grammage and excellent absorption — exactly what a newborn's sensitive skin calls for, with no new treatment needed on the fabric.
What you need
- Old bath towel, clean and well kept (no frayed areas)
- Sewing machine (or a strong needle with waxed thread, if sewing by hand)
- Fabric scissors
- Satin ribbon or bias tape (about 16 inches per bib)
- Pins
- Ruler and tailor's chalk or pencil
- A cloth diaper or a piece of the child's clothing as a pattern
How to make it
-
1
Wash and dry the towel thoroughly before cutting, because the fabric shrinks on the first wash and you want the finished piece to keep its shape.
-
2
Place a ready-made bib or a diaper over the towel and trace around it with the chalk; the new piece should be slightly larger, since the towel doesn't gather.
-
3
Cut two bibs: one of pile and one from the towel's own backing fabric or a plain cotton cloth, to serve as the lining and finish the edges.
-
4
Pin the two layers together with wrong sides out, sew around leaving an opening of about 2 inches, and turn right side out — the inner seam stays hidden, like in a pillow.
-
5
Close the opening by machine or with small hand stitches, and topstitch around the entire edge to hold the layers firm.
-
6
Attach the satin ribbon at the upper corners with reinforced stitches, to be tied around the baby's neck — satin is soft and doesn't irritate the skin.
Finishing touches
From the same leftover fabric, cut 8 x 8 inch rectangles and hem the edges simply to make burp cloths — perfect for wiping the little mouth after feeding. A kit of three bibs and six burp cloths wrapped in ribbon makes a charming, nearly free baby shower gift.
This is one of the ideas from the full page — see all the possibilities.
This page feeds the collective knowledge 🌱 — every discovery makes the next answer better.