Is your baby turning one year old soon? Or, perhaps you’re getting ready to attend a first birthday party for a friend or family member. Nothing is more thoughtful or meaningful than a handmade gift, and a handmade bib is one of the most practical handmade gifts you can give.
Read on for simple instructions that will show you how to make a DIY bib. Once you get the bib made, you can embellish it with rickrack, ribbons, and appliqués. Some parents may even want the bib to match their party theme and decorations.
Not feeling crafty? No problem! Check out our selection of first birthday party bibs.
Make Your Own 1st Birthday Bib!
Materials:
- Bib (for tracing)
- 2 Fat Quarters of contrasting fabric (you can also make your “1″ with fabric scraps)
- Heat n Bond Lite
- A piece of Tear Away Stabilizer
- Fusible Interfacing
- Velcro
- Thread
- A large “1″ printed off the computer or a free-handed “1″ cut out on paper
Directions:
- Trace around the bib on a piece of paper, keeping in mind the seam allowance (for example, a 3/8″ seam).
- After tracing the bib, make any necessary edits to your tracing, if necessary, to make a nicely shaped pattern.
- Cut the pattern out.
- Fold your fabric in half; wrong sides together.
- Using a marker or fabric marker, trace your pattern onto the fabric; cut pattern out. There will be two pieces, a front and back.
- Cut a piece of Heat n Bond that is just large enough for the “1″.
- Take your “1″ and trace it backwards onto the Heat n Bond paper; cut it out.
- Remove the paper side of the Heat n Bond, and place the fabric “1″ onto the front side of your bib fabric; iron it down.
- Cut out a little piece of Tear Away Stabilizer, big enough to surround the “1″. Iron it on the wrong side of the bib fabric, right behind the one.
- Satin stitch, zig-zag stitch, or straight stitch around the “1.”
- After stitching, gently tear the Stabilizer away from the stitching, both the outside and inside of the stitch.
- Cut out your fusible interfacing using your paper pattern as a guide and iron it onto the wrong side of the front fabric for the bib (which now has a “1″ on it).
- Pin your fabric pieces for the bib, right sides together.
- Sew using a 3/8″ seam (or whatever seam allowance you prefer).
- Make sure to leave an opening to turn the bib right side out and back stitch.
- Clip the curved edges, being sure to not clip the thread.
- Turn the bib right side out.
- Iron flat. Make sure to pull the edges out as much as you can.
- Close the opening by hand sewing, or close it by top stitching around the bib. If top stitching, start at the opening and go all the way around the bib, staying close to the edge.
- Cut out two small pieces of Velcro, position them on the neck opening of the bib and sew on.
- Show off your 1st birthday bib on the little one!
With a little creativity, your bib is sure to get a collective “awww” at the first birthday party!