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I Made 10 Waterproof Baby Bibs for My Niece and Here's Every Supply
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items My sister spent $15 per bib at boutique shops and I couldn't watch it anymore. I figured out how to sew waterproof baby bibs for a fraction of the cost, and once I made one, I couldn't stop. If you're a beginner sewer who wants to make a practical ba...
Sections
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Waterproof Fabric for Baby Bibs
Thread and Notions for Bib Sewing
Cutting Tools for Clean Bib Edges
Sewing Machine Supplies for Thick Fabrics
Bib Patterns and Templates
Finishing Touches and Bib Packaging
Waterproof Fabric for Baby Bibs
Regular cotton bibs are basically decorative napkins. Liquids soak right through. I wasted my first batch before I switched to these waterproof-backed fabrics and finally stopped ruining tiny outfits.
Grab this if you want the bib to actually block liquids. I tested it by pouring applesauce on a scrap and nothing soaked through. It's the same stuff cloth diaper makers use.
Babyville PUL Waterproof Diaper Fabric, 21" x 24" Cuts
Use this for the side that touches baby skin. Soft enough that my niece didn't fuss, and it wicks moisture away instead of sitting wet against her chin. Wish I'd known about it for the first three bibs.
Procool® Transwick™ Supima Cotton Sports Jersey Silver
Pick these up for the cute outer layer. I went with the animal prints and my sister literally framed one of the bibs before using it. For anyone who wants the bib to look handmade but not homemade.
Fabric Tradtions
Toss a layer of this between your fabrics for extra absorbency. It fuses with an iron so you're not wrestling three separate layers under the needle. Saved me about 20 minutes per bib.
Pellon 987F Fusible Fleece Fabric 45" x 10 Yards, Black
Switch to flannel for winter bibs. It's thicker and cozier than regular cotton, and when you pair it with PUL backing, nothing gets through. My niece wore these through an entire Thanksgiving dinner unscathed.
RTC Fabrics 42"/43" 100% Cotton Flannel Solid Color
Snag these if you want character prints like Disney or Peanuts. I made two Winnie the Pooh bibs and they became the only ones my sister reaches for. Stock up when prints rotate because popular ones disappear fast.
Springs Creative 18" x 21" Cotton Hocus Pocus Trouble
Thread and Notions for Bib Sewing
I ran out of thread halfway through bib number four and had to pause everything. Now I buy double what I think I need. These are the notions that kept my assembly line moving without a single trip back to the store.
Keep a spool of white and a spool of whatever matches your print. This thread held up through 30+ washes on the first bibs I made. For anyone tired of seams unraveling after two cycles in the machine.
Dual Duty XP General Purpose Thread, Coats & Clark
Ditch velcro entirely. Babies pull velcro open in seconds, but these plastic snaps stay closed and don't scratch skin. Took me five minutes to figure out the pliers, then I was snapping like a pro.
Brand: Kam Snap
Use these longer pins to hold PUL fabric in place. Regular pins kept slipping out of the slippery waterproof layer and I almost sewed my finger. These grip better and the flat heads don't get in the way.
Dritz 1-3/4" T-Pins, 40 Count , Nickel-Plated Steel
Grab this before you cut a single piece. I eyeballed my first bib and it looked like a lobster bib for an adult. Measuring the neckline curve properly is the difference between cute and ridiculous.
SINGER 50003 ProSeries Retractable Tape Measure
Dab this on any raw edges before you finish the seam. PUL fabric doesn't fray much, but the cotton side will start looking ragged after a few washes if you skip this step. Learned that the hard way.
Dritz Fray Check Liquid, Clear Seam Sealant
Try these instead of pins on the curved neckline sections. Pins pucker waterproof fabric and leave tiny holes. These just clamp on, hold everything flat, and pop off right before the presser foot reaches them.
Clover Jumbo Wonder Clips-24/Pkg
Cutting Tools for Clean Bib Edges
My first bibs had edges that looked like I cut them with safety scissors during an earthquake. Getting the right cutting tools made my bibs look like something you'd actually buy in a store.
Swap your scissors for this on straight edges and you'll never go back. It slices through PUL and cotton together without shifting the layers. Perfect for anyone whose hand cramps from cutting multiple bibs in one sitting.
Fiskars 45mm Loop Handle Rotary Cutter
Get the big one. I started with a small mat and had to reposition fabric constantly, which meant crooked cuts. This size fits a full bib pattern without folding anything over.
Fiskars 24" x 36" Self-Healing Double-Sided Cutting Mat
Use these on inside seam allowances to reduce bulk. The zigzag edge keeps cotton from fraying without seam sealant, and it shaves off a step when you're cranking out bib after bib on a deadline.
Fiskars, Pinking Shears, 8 inch, Pointed Tip for Fabric Cutting
Keep a pair just for trimming curves and snipping threads. These stayed sharp through all 10 bibs and the handles didn't dig into my fingers during hour three of my sewing marathon.
Westcott 8-Inch Titanium Bonded Adjustable Glide Scissors
Trace your pattern with this instead of chalk. The lines are thinner and more precise, and they vanish in about 48 hours. I accidentally left marks on a bib once and panicked before they faded on their own.
Dritz Disappearing Ink Marking Pen
Pair this with your rotary cutter for perfectly straight binding strips. I cut all my bias tape in one session using this ruler, and every strip came out exactly 2.5 inches wide. No more wobbly edges.
Creative Grids Acrylic & Quilting Rulers in Notions
Sewing Machine Supplies for Thick Fabrics
My old machine jammed every time I tried sewing through PUL fabric. Turns out I was using the wrong needle and the wrong foot. These fixes cost less than one boutique bib and solved everything.
Switch to size 14 needles the moment you start sewing waterproof fabric. My size 11 needles bent and skipped stitches on the PUL layer. These punch through without leaving visible holes.
SINGER Needles Size 90/14 Universal Regular Point
Get this if your machine keeps bunching the waterproof layer. A walking foot feeds both layers evenly so you don't end up with a puckered mess. Took me three ruined bibs to figure this out.
SINGER® Even Feed / Walking Presser Foot
Dab a drop on your bobbin case after every five bibs. PUL fabric sheds tiny plastic particles that gum up the works. I ignored this and my machine started making a grinding noise halfway through bib eight.
Singer All Purpose Sewing Machine Oil 80cc Minyak
Try these specifically for the topstitching on the cotton side. They make cleaner, smaller holes than universal needles, so your decorative stitching actually looks intentional and professional.
Schmetz Microtex Sharp Sewing Machine Needles
Wind at least six bobbins before you start. Nothing kills momentum like stopping to rewind mid-seam. I learned this during my first batch when I ran out on the neckline curve and the whole thing shifted.
SINGER® Class 15 Bobbins-Plastic, Transparent, 4 pack
Grab this if you're over 30 and your eyes aren't what they used to be. Threading a needle at 11 PM during bib number nine was making me cross-eyed until I started using this little tool.
Dritz Machine Needle Inserter and Threader
Bib Patterns and Templates
I freehanded my first bib and it didn't fit any baby on earth. Having an actual pattern turned a frustrating craft project into something I could repeat perfectly every single time.
Start here if you've never sewn a bib before. The instructions assume you know nothing, and the pattern includes three different bib shapes so you can figure out which style your baby actually tolerates.
Simplicity Baby Accessories Pattern, 1 Each
Use this one for the bandana-style drool bibs. My niece is a heavy drooler and these cover more chest area than traditional bibs. The pattern pieces are clearly marked so cutting goes fast.
McCall's Sewing Pattern M8416 Toddlers' Romper in Two
Pick this up if you want to make bibs plus burp cloths as a matching set. I made a gift basket with coordinating fabrics and my sister cried. Not exaggerating. Actual tears at the baby shower.
Baby One Pattern
Trace your favorite pattern onto this and you'll have a permanent template. Paper patterns rip after three uses, and I was taping mine back together like a maniac. This plastic version survived all 10 bibs without a crease.
(5 pack) Dritz Quilting No
Use these to trace onto template plastic. Regular markers smear and stain your fabric. These wipe off the template clean with a damp cloth so you can reuse it for the next round of bibs.
Expo Vis-a-Vis Wet-Erase Markers, Ultra Fine Tip, Black, 12ct
Transfer pattern markings onto fabric without cutting into the original pattern sheet. For anyone who wants to keep the pattern intact for different sizes later. Saved me from buying the same pattern twice.
Tracing Wheel 6" - Serrated
Finishing Touches and Bib Packaging
After spending a whole weekend sewing, I wasn't about to hand over bibs in a grocery bag. These finishing supplies made my homemade gifts look like they came from a small business, and my sister asked if I was selling them.
Pair this with your coordinating fabric to make custom binding. Store-bought bias tape never matches, and this tool folds the fabric perfectly while you iron. Took my bib edges from amateur to polished in one step.
4 Sizes Fabric Bias Tape Makers Kit For Sewing Binding
Press a monogram onto each bib so daycare doesn't mix them up. My sister had three bibs disappear at daycare before I started adding initials. Takes 30 seconds with an iron and they survive the wash.
Dritz Iron-On Letters Soft Flock Block 1"-White
Wrap each bib in tissue paper before placing it in the gift bag. Costs almost nothing but makes the whole presentation feel special. My sister unwrapped each one individually and it turned into a whole event.
6000 ct. (72000 total) Primary Tissue Paper Square Pack
Slide a folded bib into one of these and tie with ribbon for individual gifts. I handed these out at the baby shower as party favors and people thought I bought them from a boutique. Nobody believed I sewed them.
Way To Celebrate, Clear Treat Bags, Small, Plastic, 4 x 9.5 IN
Tie a bow around each packaged bib. Get a color that matches your fabric prints. I used a sage green ribbon on floral bibs and the presentation alone got me three requests to make more sets for other babies.
Offray Ribbon, Brown 5/8 inch Football Grosgrain
Stick one of these on the packaging with a handwritten care instruction. Write ‘machine wash cold, tumble dry low’ so the recipient doesn't accidentally ruin the waterproof layer with hot water. Learned this after my sister's first wash.
Avery, Kraft Brown Round Labels, 2" Diameter, 180 Labels