Happy Friday!
Today I am going to mix things up a bit. Most of you that have been following me for awhile, know that I love to sew. I thought it would be fun to mix things up a bit and start adding in some easy sewing tutorials, every couple weeks.
You will need to have some basic knowledge about how to operate your sewing machine. I will not be doing tutorials on how to thread or operate your machine.
The first project, is my most favorite baby gift to give.
Here is a list of things you will need:
1. 2 yard's of a cotton flannel
I normally get two coordinating fabrics - 1yd of each. I always buy the quilters cotton flannel from Joann's when it's on sale. This will be enough to make 4 burp rags and 2 bibs.
2. 1 yard of a light weight batting (Warm and Natural)
In lieu of Warm and Natural, you can also use a 1yd piece of white flannel, it's a little more affordable and does just as good of a job.
3. Coordinating spool of thread
4. Sewing Machine
5. Good pair of Scissors
Never use your fabric scissors to cut paper, it will ruin them.
6. Pins
7. Bib pattern (Here is a free one)
8. Burp rag pattern (Here's a free pattern, it's the one I use in this tutorial.)
Let's get started!
The first thing you will need to do is wash and dry your fabric, this will pre-shrink it. You don't have to worry about the batting, it may shrink a tiny bit, but not enough to worry about. Although if you choose to use white flannel instead of the batting, make sure you wash and dry it too. Once this is done, you're ready to cut everything out.
Let's get to cutting, shall we?
1st fabric (face fabric)- 4 burp rag pieces and 2 bib pieces
2nd fabric (back fabric)- 4 burp rag pieces and 2 bib pieces
Warm & Natural or White Flannel - 4 burp rag pieces and 2 bib pieces
Let's get ready to sew!
Now that everything is cut out, we can get everything pinned together and ready to sew.
You are going to layer all of your pieces like this:
1. Take a back piece and lay it facing downward so that the wrong side of the fabric is facing upward toward you.
2. Place the batting or flannel piece next. Get them lined up as best you can.
3. Take a front piece and place it on top of the other two pieces, just make sure the face of the fabric is facing up this time. Again, make sure to line them up the best you can.
4. Pin them together to keep them in place.
Look at my photos for an example of pin placement.
Ready to sew!
Once you have your machine threaded and ready to go, sew all the way around the edge of each burp rag and bib. You will use a straight stitch, medium length, your seam allowance will be 1/2" (so place the edge of whatever you are sewing at the 1/2"mark while you are sewing). Remove the pins as you go, so that you don't damage your machine (I'm really bad about this).
Ready to start snipping?
Now that all of your pieces are sewn together, you can start snipping. Find yourself a comfortable seat. Take your scissors and start "snipping"all the way along the seam allowance. Be careful not to cut into your sew line. I make a snip every 1/4", or so, all the way around. I just eyeball it the best I can.
Once you are finished they will look like this.
Then all you have to do is run them through the rinse cycle again and throw them in the dryer. This will make the snipped edge "fuzz". Which is the look we are going for.
The best part about these burp rags and bibs is that the more you use them, the softer they become.
I love this gift b/c it's home made, practical, and new moms love it! Want to know the best part? If you get your fabric on sale, this gift will cost you less then $10. Even less then that if you happen to sew and you have lots of fabric already. These burp rags and bibs are a great way to use up all those small pieces of fabric you just couldn't bear to throw out.
I hoped you liked my tutorial. Let me know if you have any questions. I am off to think of something for next week!
Today I am going to mix things up a bit. Most of you that have been following me for awhile, know that I love to sew. I thought it would be fun to mix things up a bit and start adding in some easy sewing tutorials, every couple weeks.
You will need to have some basic knowledge about how to operate your sewing machine. I will not be doing tutorials on how to thread or operate your machine.
The first project, is my most favorite baby gift to give.
1. 2 yard's of a cotton flannel
I normally get two coordinating fabrics - 1yd of each. I always buy the quilters cotton flannel from Joann's when it's on sale. This will be enough to make 4 burp rags and 2 bibs.
2. 1 yard of a light weight batting (Warm and Natural)
In lieu of Warm and Natural, you can also use a 1yd piece of white flannel, it's a little more affordable and does just as good of a job.
3. Coordinating spool of thread
4. Sewing Machine
5. Good pair of Scissors
Never use your fabric scissors to cut paper, it will ruin them.
6. Pins
7. Bib pattern (Here is a free one)
8. Burp rag pattern (Here's a free pattern, it's the one I use in this tutorial.)
Let's get started!
The first thing you will need to do is wash and dry your fabric, this will pre-shrink it. You don't have to worry about the batting, it may shrink a tiny bit, but not enough to worry about. Although if you choose to use white flannel instead of the batting, make sure you wash and dry it too. Once this is done, you're ready to cut everything out.
Let's get to cutting, shall we?
1st fabric (face fabric)- 4 burp rag pieces and 2 bib pieces
2nd fabric (back fabric)- 4 burp rag pieces and 2 bib pieces
Warm & Natural or White Flannel - 4 burp rag pieces and 2 bib pieces
Now that everything is cut out, we can get everything pinned together and ready to sew.
You are going to layer all of your pieces like this:
1. Take a back piece and lay it facing downward so that the wrong side of the fabric is facing upward toward you.
2. Place the batting or flannel piece next. Get them lined up as best you can.
3. Take a front piece and place it on top of the other two pieces, just make sure the face of the fabric is facing up this time. Again, make sure to line them up the best you can.
4. Pin them together to keep them in place.
Look at my photos for an example of pin placement.
Once you have your machine threaded and ready to go, sew all the way around the edge of each burp rag and bib. You will use a straight stitch, medium length, your seam allowance will be 1/2" (so place the edge of whatever you are sewing at the 1/2"mark while you are sewing). Remove the pins as you go, so that you don't damage your machine (I'm really bad about this).
When you are finished sewing all your pieces, they should look something like this.
Now that all of your pieces are sewn together, you can start snipping. Find yourself a comfortable seat. Take your scissors and start "snipping"all the way along the seam allowance. Be careful not to cut into your sew line. I make a snip every 1/4", or so, all the way around. I just eyeball it the best I can.
Once you are finished they will look like this.
The best part about these burp rags and bibs is that the more you use them, the softer they become.
I hoped you liked my tutorial. Let me know if you have any questions. I am off to think of something for next week!
Thanks for stopping by, I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
