making gifts for a mum-to-be: bibs

I have sooooo many friends expecting their first baby at the moment. It's so exciting! In preparation for the arrival of all these new babies the baby showers have begun, and I have decided to handmake something for all of these new mums. I'm glad I can use my hobby to make something different and a little special for my beautiful friends!

Since most of my friends don't know the gender of their baby I thought it would be a good idea to stick to gender-neutral colours like greens and yellows and to make things both boys and girls can wear. Naturally, bibs seemed like a practical gift that can be fun and decorative too!

Here are my first three bibs:

I bought the fabrics from my favourite quilting shop in Sydney, The Remnant Warehouse. They have a huge range of beautiful fabrics for any kind of project along with patterns and haberdashery. Check them out if you're in the neighbourhood!

I think these fabrics would be ok for both a little boy or a girl. I love the apples and the patchwork one with pigs in tractors or on a ferris wheel. Hee hee, so cute.

Here's a closer look at each bib:

To make the bibs I first made myself a pattern. There are quite a lot of different bib patterns online, but in the end I made my own based on two different styles.

I used the pattern to cut out the focus fabric, interfacing to give it some body and some brushed cotton for the reverse side. You also need some hook and loop tape to hold it together.

Making bibs is pretty straight forward, you just sew around the perimeter leaving a gap for turning which you can slip stitch closed later. I would recommend using a walking foot to keep the layers moving evenly if you have one. I would have used mine but it is lost in the house somewhere. :( Instead, I just used lots of pins to avoid little ripples.

Next, I think I'll make a travel wipes case to match one of the bibs and maybe make some appliqued onesies. Cute! 

Send me links to your cute baby stuff, I'd love some more inspiration!