Baby Poncho Tutorial

Hi there! Today we have Nesta here from Ella and Nesta's Little Room sharing this sweet Baby Poncho tutorial for our "Oh Sew Baby!" series! 

Hello, I’m very happy to be here with you today. My name is Nesta and I blog with my daughter Ella at Ella & Nesta’s Little Room. I love sharing ideas for fun projects on our ever growing Tutorials page and on Flickr. Today I have a tutorial for making an easy Baby Poncho for the precious Baby in your life. There is lots of room in this project for personalisation: from choice of fabrics, to piecing, adding applique or using your favourite quilting technique. Download the free template to start making your own.

Here is what you need to make a Baby Poncho:

·       two pieces of  14" x 19" cotton fabric for the main part of the poncho
·         two 4” x 22.5” strips of cotton fabric for the border along the bottom edge of the poncho
·         two pieces of  16" x 19" soft knit fabric for the lining of the poncho (you can use Minky fabric to make a thicker, warmer poncho)
·         One elastic hair band
·         One button
·         Any other embellishment you’d like to use: crochet flowers, trims or ribbons, scraps of fabric for appliques
·         A water soluble marker
·         Free template (size: 12 months)

All seam allowances are 1/4”, unless otherwise specified.

Start by printing the template for the poncho. You will need one copy of the template for the front (with the round neckline) and one for the back (with the straight neckline). Click on the image of the template below or here to download.

Fold the fabric you have chosen for the front of the poncho in half to find the centre and then place the template (with the round neckline) on this central line. Trace around the template with a water soluble marker and then flip over the template to trace the other half of the front of the poncho. Repeat on the fabric for the back of the poncho (using the template with the straight neckline). Cut out the two pieces of fabric (back and front) using your rotary cutter or a sharp pair of scissors.

Cut a 4" long slit in the centre of the fabric for the back to make the opening for Baby’s head to pass through the poncho.

Cut out two 4” x 22.5” strips of the fabric for the border of the poncho and sew a strip to the back and front fabric, centering the strip. Cut off the extra parts of the strips, following the shape of the poncho.

Now check your front is symmetric by folding it in half and repeat for the back. Place the front onto the back and check the sides and the bottom line match.

To make the lining, use your front and back pieced fabric to draw and cut out matching lining pieces. Place the fabric for the front and the matching lining right sides facing and sew all the way around leaving a 3.5" opening on one side. Cut off the excess fabric on the corners, cutting diagonally and not too close to the stitches.Turn right side out, iron and sew the opening closed by hand.

Before repeating this step for the back, take the hair elastic and cut off the metallic clasp. Fold the elastic in half and fix with a pin to the right side of the lining as shown in the photo, 1.5” from the top and about 1” from the central slit in the lining fabric. Fix the elastic in place sewing it down with a seam allowance less than a 1/4" from the edge of the slit.

Now right sides together, sew all the way around the back fabric and its matching lining. Snip around the opening on the back to reduce bulk before turning right side out through the opening. Iron and sew the opening closed by hand.

Take the two lined pieces and put them right sides together. Pin them together and use pins (as in the photo) or use the water soluble marker to mark where the armholes start and finish (using the template as reference). Now sew the sides leaving the openings for the armholes. Reinforce the bottom edge and the armholes by stitching backwards and forwards a few times.

To finish the Slip-on Baby Poncho hand sew the top “straps” where the front and back necklines meet and hem the armholes. Sew a pretty button on the back at the height of the elastic. Your Baby Poncho is ready to wear!

I would like to thank Jodie and Lindsey of Fort Worth Fabric Studio for inviting me to stop by today. I am so enjoying their blog and love their Fabric Frenzy Friday: the fun linky party and their beautiful Friday Bundles!

Thank you all for following my tutorial and looking forward to meeting you at Ella and Nesta’s Little Room!

I want to thank Nesta for stopping by today and showing us how to make this cute little poncho! Be sure to stop by her blog and check out all of her wonderful projects and tutorials! :)