Projects

Projects > The Large Bib

This is one of Raechel Myers’ favorite projects. She has been selling bibs and burp cloths in her Etsy shop,
Ragamuffin, since January 2010. At last count, she has made over 150 of these bibs. She loves working
with vibrant fabrics. Here is her tutorial:

Materials and Supplies

 1 fat quarter of main fabric (a fat quarter

{FQ} is a quarter of a yard of fabric that
measures about 18" x 21". They
normally cost $2.75 or less. You should
have no trouble getting either 2 bibs or a
bib and a burp cloth out of one FQ.)
 1 fat quarter of backing fabric (I always
use cream chenille. It's so soft -
especially after washing - and
absorbent).
 Pins Figure #1
 A sewing machine like the Laura Ashley
Limited Edition NX-800 from Brother
International Corporation
 Scissors
 1 set of snaps
 Coordinating thread
 Iron
 The printable pattern which can be
downloaded here: Large Bib
Figure #2
Instructions For Editing The Design And
Deleting The Main Flower

1- Print the two pages of the printable

pattern and cut out the pieces.

2- Overlapping the two pieces, line up the

crosshairs (it may help to hold it up to
the light to get it just right) and tape it all Figure #3
together.

3- Fold an edge of your pretty main fabric

just enough so that you can fit the bib
pattern on it with the word “fold” lining
up with the fold of the fabric.

4- Pin the pattern to the fabric. *See

Figure #1

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5- Now cut the fabric out, using the pattern

Figure #4
as your template. Easy!

6- Do the same thing with your chenille

fabric. Except – don’t cut out the little
neck opening area. It’s no big deal if you
do, but you’ll be able to cut it out later
and this way you don't have to worry so
much about your cut pieces lining up
exactly. *See Figure #2

7- Once you get good at this, you can cut a Figure #5

ton of backing pieces out in one sitting.
This way you can make a bunch of bibs
really quickly when you forget to buy a
gift for a baby shower that starts in an
hour. (Not that that has ever happened
to me!) Just saying, it’s handy to have a
few pre-cut backs around if you think
you will use them.

8- So, here you stand with your main fabric Figure #6

and your backing fabric. So far, so good!
*See Figure #3

9- Now, lay the backing fabric soft-side-up

on your ironing board. Then lay your
main fabric pretty-side down on top. (Or,
I guess I could have just said “right sides
together”) *See Figure #4
Figure #7
10- Give them a good spritz with your spray
bottle, then press them together really
well with your iron. (Ironing them
together actually makes the long threads
of the chenille lay down so the top fabric
will shift less when you’re sewing.) *See
Figure #5

Figure #8
11- Pin the main fabric to the backing fabric.

12- Time to sew! Load your coordinating

thread into your machine. *See Figure
#6 and Figure #7

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13- Set your stitch length to about 4. (It’s Figure #9

okay to use a longer stitch length here
because you’ll be topstitching later. This
will also make it easier for the bulky
fabric to glide nicely under the presser
foot.) *See Figure #8

14- Begin stitching about 4" from the bottom

of the bib on the right side. Be sure to
secure your stitch with a backstitch Figure #10
when you start. *See Figure #9

15- Sew all the way around the edge of your

main fabric.

16- If you get nervous when you get to the

tighter curves, you can always adjust
your stitch length to something shorter
in order to be more precise. Or, you can
slow down the speed of your machine so Figure #11
you don’t feel like it’s taking you on a
crazy ride around the curves. Stay in
control! *See Figure #10 and Figure
#11

17- When you get around to the bottom do

not stitch all the way to where you
began. Stop short, leaving a 2"-3" gap
so you can turn your bib right side out. Figure #12
It’s always a shame to sew your bib shut.

18- At the end of your stitch, sew another

reinforcement stitch, then cut your
threads and pull it out of the machine.
(Yes, my machine cuts the threads for
me. It’s a great party trick for when
guests come over. “You should see it
thread the needle!”) *See Figure #12
and Figure #13

19- Now we just need to trim the excess

fabric from around the corners. Cut the
bottom corners close, but definitely take
care not to cut too close – it’s a shame to
have to go back and restitch things.

20- Also, trim around the upper curves. Now

is the time when you can cut out the
neck hole from the backing fabric.

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21- And very importantly: snip little snips Figure #13

into the curve of the neckline, about 1/2"
apart so that when we turn it right side
out, all that seam allowance will be able
to spread out and take the curve. But
please, in the name of all that is good
and well-made, don’t cut through your
stitching. *See Figure #14 and Figure
#15

22- Now, to turn it right side out. Start with

one side of the collar, then move to the
next. It’s going to take some finger work Figure #14
(or you can use a dowel or the eraser
side of a pencil, maybe even the dull side
of a bamboo skewer), but you’ll want to
be sure to really thoroughly press the
seams out from inside. *See Figure
#16 and Figure #17

23- Spritz it good and press it well. Take care

to turn in the raw edges of the fabrics at
the opening when you iron.
Figure #15
24- If you have a tag, this would be a good
time to slide it in place in the gap you've
left.

25- Now for the topstitch. I’m telling you, the

topstitch makes all the difference in
making this bib go from “homemade” to
“where did you have that made?” Start
just above the opening and sew it closed
first. Keep sewing all the way around Figure #16
until you are back to where you started.
Backstitch, snip threads, and... you’re
done! *See Figure #18

26- Now to install the snaps - just follow the

directions on the package and use
whatever tools work for you. *See
Figure #19

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Note: You can also use these same steps to Figure #17
make a smaller bib (for younger babies) and a
burp cloth.
To make the burp cloth, just cut 11" x 17" pieces
of your main and backing fabric. And for the
smaller bib, you can use this printable pattern
below as a cutting template. Just follow this
tutorial, and skip the snap part for the burp
cloths. Figure #18

Download the pattern here: Small bib

Figure #19

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