Baby bibs.

I decided that some of the quilting fabric I bought from Etsy to go into the baby girl quilt I'm making was a little bit too loud to go with the other fabrics. So then I decided to make a few baby bibs. This will be baby #4, and my bib supply is severely diminished. A few fresh, girly looking bibs seemed like a great idea, especially since I am still a beginner to the world of sewing, and I'm still trying to find small, easy projects to work on before I move to the more challenging world of sewing clothing.

I found an easy and free pattern here, and got to work. I used quilting fabric for the front, and plain white flannel for the back.   The fabric is a vintage print I bought for very cheap, the flannel was taken from some old, gently-used cloth diapers, and the snap was free (I traded my grandma some snaps for some hook-and-eyes I had, that she needed.)

This bib is supposed to be "infant sized," which I take it means it's just for the drooling, spit-up stage, not for meals. I think with the fabrics I used it's a bit thin though even for that. When I make more I think I will use a double layer of flannel. Terrycloth would work too, but I don't have any old towels that aren't hideous colours.

Last night after the kids were in bed, Chris and I were sitting having our nightly chat. He was carving a wooden spoon, and I was sewing a snap onto the bib. We had a discussion about how much we both truly enjoy making things. Baby spoons and bibs are two things which are very easy to come by in the stores, but if we were to buy them not only would we spend more money, but we would lose the satisfaction of creating something new with our own hands. It almost seems like magic, to take something that looks like nothing--a rough block of wood, or a square of fabric--and turn it into something. I doubt we will ever tire of this.

I look forward to the day when my sewing skills have improved to the point where I can make clothing for myself and for the children. For now though, I'll practice on bibs. Those curves are actually pretty tricky!

Comments

[Citysister]

Congrats on a job well done. If you have gotten that far, you can do it on a grander scale!

[Lise]

The bib is great! If you can do that, you'll be able to do simple clothes. I'd highly recommend this free pattern for a first dress for your baby:
http://www.made-by-rae.com/2008/04/free-itty-bitty-baby-dress-pattern.html.
I was thrilled with how mine came out, and promptly made a second as a gift.

[Brenda]

Congratulations on a job well done! Is is really satisfying to make something out of nothing isn't it. WHat an exciting time for you, new baby, new skills - enjoy

[Provincial Homemaker]

Very cute. I think retromummy (http://www.retromummy.blogspot.com had some beginner sewing projects on her blog the other day - including a dress pattern for a little girl. Perhaps you could give that a go - I think you would be fine.

[chanah.champing@yahoo.com]

I started out doing the exact same thing...making simple stuff and eventually made all of my kids clothes except for jeans, shoes, and underclothes. Keep at it!

[PurePixie]

Well done!!!
For sharp curves, you can also stop you sewing machine and have it work by hand (i.e. turning the wheel by hand). This way you make one stich at a time and you can turn your fabric very precisely. :)