Bib DIY: Fashion + Function!

I'm continuing my quest to get sewing projects both completed and blogged! It seems like I finish one thing and I'm right onto the next (with three more projects being planned in my head).

I had a lot of fun sharing our Christmas stockings and the super fun retro dolls I made. But I'm almost more excited to share the bibs I've been making, which are essential for anyone with a drooling, teething baby on their hands! (Sadie is 9 months old with 6 teeth and possibly another on the way, so the drooling never ends in our house.)

I've loved this waterproof bib tutorial from Our Little Beehive. The pattern is great and the instructions are very clear and concise (because who likes cutting out their pattern pieces and then realizing they have no clue how to sew everything together?).

Now, what makes these bibs extra special is the fact that they have three layers: cotton fabric on top, absorbent flannel in the middle and a waterproof fabric on the back. This works so well for us because the absorbent bibs would always leak right through onto Sadie's shirt and the waterproof bibs tends to just be one layer of waterproof material, so drool/water/milk ends up running all over. Fail. This combination of materials means Sadie can drool all she wants but her shirt stays dry.

The materials are simple and inexpensive. I had fun using bright, colorful cotton fabric for the top layer - I had plenty of options in my stash of fabric so I didn't have to buy a thing. For the middle layer I used a cheap white flannel. The back layer is a waterproof PUL fabric (I got mine from Fabrics.com), which is fairly inexpensive.

It can be time consuming to cut the pieces out as you need to cut 3 pieces for each bib, but once that's done they can be sewn together in minutes (perfect for naptime sewing project). 

The size is great for the under 12 month crowd - if the bib is too small it won't cover her shirt and if it's too big she tries to eat it. This bib is just right. And, obviously she's super excited to now have fashionable, functional bibs! Priorities.

Baby Sewing Style: Peasant Top

I've become slightly obsessed with trying to make clothes for Sadie. The obsession is despite the fact that I'm fairly mediocre at the sewing machine. I can do basic projects that involve sewing in a straight line, and with these "skills" was was able to tackle nursery projects like curtains, crib skirt, sheets, mobile, etc. Easy peasy.

So why exactly am I trying to make clothing for my child? I have no clue. Nor do I understand how or when I expect to complete these projects while working 40 hours a week (not including commuting time) and taking care of baby when not at work. Regardless, I've been scanning the internet for simple projects that I feel like I can handle that also come with free patterns that are sized for my baby. Not exactly easy to find.

I stumbled across this pattern for making a baby peasant blouse. It seemed simple enough, included the pattern for 3-6 months and had instructions that I could actually understand.

I'm proud to say I was actually able to finish the shirt in one sewing session (probably 1-2 hours), only had to make minor adjustments to the elastic in the sleeves so that it fit Sadie's arms, and only had to rip out some of my work and start over once (when I sewed a sleeve on inside out - typical).

And, at the end of it all, it actually looks like a shirt! It may actually look someone store bought (ok, I might be getting a little too confident, especially as you can see a thread hanging from the bottom of it). But if you're fairly new to sewing/have basic skills (like me!) you can probably tackle this project.

Regardless, Sadie was happy to model the shirt. Her whole outfit comes in at $15:

Shirt: $5.00 for fabric and elastic
Jeggings: $6.00 from Target
Socks: $4.00 from Trumpette ($24/6 pairs of socks)
Drool on chin: Free!

And, for the record, the jeggings are actually long enough for her chunky legs!

Just two models, hanging around...

 

Here's hoping I'll have many more "baby style" posts to share with homemade duds for my little girl.