Oh Sew Baby: Bib Tutorial

Hi, I'm Teri!  I'm a mom to six kids who keep me pretty busy :)  But in my spare time, I love to blog about my sewing projects over at www.climbingthewillow.com.  I also enjoy sharing what I know with others, especially those just learning how to sew, and I hope to include many more projects here in the future :)

I'm happy to be here at Fort Worth Fabric Studio today as part of the Oh Sew Baby! series.  My family has been blessed with several new babies this year, and what better way to celebrate each new life than with a handmade gift :)  I originally drafted this free baby bib pattern for my own little one (who thinks she's much too big for a bib now!) but I find myself sewing up a few for each of the new babies as well.  As much as I love the simplicity of the original pattern, messy toddlers sometimes demand just a bit more from their bibs, so I'm here to show you how to add a catch all pocket to any bib.  I used my basic pattern for this tutorial, but any bib pattern should work equally well!


Materials:
Bib Pattern (mine can be found here)
Fat Quarter for Bib Front
Fat Quarter for Bib Backing
Approx. 12" x 5" for Pocket Front
12" x 5" Piece of Interfacing (optional)
12" Bias Binding


Creating the Pocket Pattern Piece:

1. Cut out one complete bib pattern and an additional bottom half of the pattern.
2. Draw a line parallel to the bottom of the bib at the desired pocket height (shown at 4" in the picture) and cut on the line.
3. Cut the new piece down the center.
4. Split the two halves by 1" and connect with a scrap piece of paper as shown below.  This is your new pocket pattern piece.

Cutting the fabric:

1. Cut one front from the desired fabric - quilting cottons work quite well.
2. Cut one backing from desired fabric - sweatshirt fleece is shown but chenille, terry cloth and flannel all work very well also.  You can also use a waterproof fabric such as PUL for the backing.
3. Cut bib interlining for more absorbancy if needed (optional - not shown)
4. Cut one pocket piece from quilting cotton or other contrasting fabric.
5. Cut interfacing from pocket pattern piece if you are using a lightweight fabric.
6. Cut 12" of bias binding

Creating the Pocket:

1. Fuse interfacing to the back of the pocket piece using the directions provided with the interfacing.
2. Place one edge of bias binding along the top edge of the pocket, right sides together.  Sew along the fold line of the bias binding.
3. Turn the bias binding over the edge of the pocket piece and stitch about 1/8" away from the edge being sure to catch the back side of the bias binding in the seam.

Attaching the pocket

1. Fold both the pocket and the bib in half vertically and mark the center of each piece.
2. Pin the pocket to the bib with the wrong side of the pocket facing the right side of the bib front.  Baste the pocket to the bib front with a 1/4" seam matching the centers.  This line of stitching will be hidden during the final construction of the bib.

To finish constructing the bib, please head over to my blog and follow this tutorial.  Essentially you can ignore the pocket for the rest of the bib construction and just treat the front piece with the pocket the same as the front piece in the tutorial.

If you enjoyed this tutorial, please visit me on Facebook or follow me on Bloglovin' to make sure you don't miss my future projects!

I want to thank Teri for stoping by and sharing this tutorial with us! Be sure to stop by her blog Climbing The Willow for a lot more great projects!