Baby Gift Tutorial

 It seems like there is always someone having a baby!  A friend, a relative, a co-worker, a somebody and lately NOT me!! (phew!)  If you're like me, you like to find something useful,  very adorable, inexpensive, and appropriate when searching for a baby gift. What do I mean by appropriate?   What I mean is...


 Does the Mama need this or has she requested it?
 Is this her 1st baby or her 5th baby...
Is this the first boy/girl after having  a child of the opposite sex?  


Maybe I'm obsessive, but these are all the things my brain thinks about before I settle on a gift for a baby.  Sooo, I'm always on the hunt for "the perfect baby gift", because "perfect" for one baby may not be "perfect" for another! That is....

UNTIL NOW!!!  

dun, da, dun, dun!!!  TA-DA!~! 

Introducing the very adorable and very useful Burp Cloth !

After all, when feeding that baby and its burping time, ya gotta grab somethin'!!

Old cloth diaper, towel, t-shirt...gimme anything!! Right?

So, here are a few that I've made recently....

Pretty Colors & Patterns....For a sweet little darlin'

Robots....For a sweet little dude

These are quick to make and reasonably inexpensive. 

So much more fun than just a  pack of burp cloths from the store.  

I'm told that they're a favorite item of people that I've given them to,

 so they must be proving useful! 

Here is a list of the materials that I used...

Essential:

1/2 yd. Cotton Flannel (Print) 

1/2 yd. Cotton Terry Cloth (Solid)

Coordinating Thread

Extras:

1 pkg. Rick Rack, Medium or Small in coordinating color

Ribbon -to tie up the bundle when finished

Now for the Directions...

Step 1:  Wash and dry all fabric.  Press with iron if wrinkled. (never mind the circle imprint on my terry cloth...pardon me) Cut to desired size, the one pictured here was 13 X 16 inches.

Make sure that the edges are even and feel free to use a salvage edge.  The lower right of mine is a bit off, but it was the end of the bolt, so I trimmed it up and made it even.  Below you can see the right side trimmed and ready to go.

Step 2:  With the printed side down, pin the fabric together all the way around.

Step 3:  Using a small seam allowance (I used 4/8), sew three edges, pivoting and turning to make one nice continuous stitch.

Step 4: Sew 3/4 of the way across the fourth side, leaving an opening to turn the fabrics right side out.
  **This step is important, and if you miss it because your 3 year old starts screaming about water flowing out of the toilet, you will have to rip the sewn up part out and begin again. 
Free fyi tip.

Step 5:  Snip corners and any heavy edges that will make it harder to turn out the cloth to lay flat. 

Then, turn it out...Stick your old hand in there and pull 'er out!

See?  Isn't that nice?  I think so too.

Step 6:  Fold under and pin your "turn out gap"...that's probably NOT the official sewing term, but I'm no pro and it works in my mind. 

Step 7 :  Iron everything 'til its nice and flat.  Be sure that your "turn out gap" is pressed nicely so that you can easily close it up in the next step.

Step 8: Using a 3/8 seam allowance, sew allllll the way around the outside edges of you burp cloth.  I like to use a coordinating but contrasting thread, but that's just me, you can use whatever you like!

Step 9:  At this point you can choose to add rick rack or ribbon to your centers, but its not necessary. You can just sew down the center lanes and call it good. I've done both and they look fine. Mark your center lanes approx.  4 1/2 inches apart and either sew it down or pin on your embellishment at the top and bottom.

Step 10:  Sew it down, baby.  If you use rick rack or ribbon, be sure to anchor it down at the ends. 

And there you have it! 

  Below you can see both finished sides and how I fold them up for giving.  

Fun, cute and pretty easy!

I tried to include all the steps I took, but if I've left something out or you have any questions, please leave a comment and I'll get back to you.  




**Feel free to link to this tutorial.  However, please keep in mind that you may not copy or use these images or this tutorial without my consent and giving proper credit.  ...Which I would be happy to do...just ask!!