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How to Make a Recycled Bib

Linda Permann, contributor

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These bibs make great gifts. You should easily be able to get at least four bibs from two pairs of pants.

Linda Permann

Pin the template to a straight section fold of the leg of jeans and cut out. You'll need two bib pieces; I cut one from jeans and one from old corduroys.

Linda Permann

With tailor's chalk and a ruler, mark one line 2 inches up and another 5-1/2 inches up from the bottom edge of the bib. Cut out the section you just marked.

Linda Permann

These bibs make great gifts. You should easily be able to get at least four bibs from two pairs of pants.

Photo: Linda Permann

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I'm always looking for ways to recycle old clothes that are a bit too worn to refashion. I've been making lots of patchwork baby bibs lately, and I thought they'd be the perfect way to reuse a little denim and corduroy. The results are cute, durable, and don't even scream "recycled," so I think they make great gifts. It's surprising how many bibs parents go through while teaching kids to eat, and these will stand up to washing again and again.

Materials:

• Bib Template (PDF)
• Pair of old jeans (or corduroys or both or fabric to cut the template from)
• Scissors
• Tailor's chalk
• Three scrap fabric remnants
• Sewing machine and thread
• Snap stud and socket and snap setter (or needle and thread)

Pin the template to a straight section fold of the leg of jeans and cut out. You'll need two bib pieces; I cut one from jeans and one from old corduroys.

Please note that you need to increase the length of the bib template by 2 inches after printing it out (I did it this way so that it didn't need to be printed on legal paper). Simply cut out the template, cut on the dotted line, and insert a 2-inch strip just beneath the dotted line to connect the two pieces of the template.

With tailor's chalk and a ruler, mark one line 2 inches up and another 5-1/2 inches up from the bottom edge of the bib. Cut out the section you just marked.

If you don't want to add a patchwork section to the bib, you can skip this step and appliqué something on the bib or otherwise decorate it.

Next, make a 4-inch-wide x 10-1/2-inch-long strip of patchwork. You can do this intuitively (as I did) or follow these directions:

Cut one 4-inch x 6-1/2-inch piece of fabric. Cut two 4-1/2-inch x 2-1/4-inch pieces from two other fabrics. Stack the two smaller pieces togehter, with right sides facing. Using a 1/4-inch seam allowance, sew the two smaller pieces together along the 4-1/2-inch edge and press open. Sew the 4-inch edge of the piece just created to the 4-inch edge of the large piece and press open.

Sew the long edges of the patchwork section to each long end of the bib. Press.

Trim the excess pieces of the patchwork section to round up off the bib, if necessary.

Place the bib front and bib back together, right sides facing. Sew all around the sides and upper edges of the bib, starting and stopping at the bottom edge of the bib (the pins in this photo indicate the starting and stopping points for sewing). Leave the bottom open for turning.

Clip the edges close to the curves and turn the bib inside out. Use a point turner to turn out all of the edges and press. Press the bottom (open) edges under by about 1/2 inch and pin in place. Sew all around the outside edge of the bib.

Topstitch along the straight edges of the patchwork section.

Apply a snap socket and stud to the bib using a snap setter or sew them in place by hand.

Your bib is complete! These make great gifts, and you should easily be able to get at least four bibs from two pairs of pants.

See more of my projects on my personal blog, and look for my new book, Crochet Adorned, in stores August 11, 2009.

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Comments (8)

LindaPermann writes: French pea- I'm sorry the sizing was off, and not sure how to fix that. You could trace a bib you have to use as the pattern, or, draw a curve that takes up about 3/4 of a 8.5 x 11" piece of paper, then place 1/2 of a CD about 3" down from the top of your curve and use that as a neck opening. That should give you a "close enough" bib. Or, you could enlarge the one you printed till it looks about right.
Posted: 6:10 pm on June 11th

Frenchpea writes: Your bib is so cute, and a really lovely gift idea. I just tried to make one, but think my printer settings must have been off - the pattern was smaller than you say and so I can't really turn it inside out! It looks like prem baby size :p
However, I loved the material I used: old PJ brushed cotton as CraftyDame suggests, with bears on and then denim and gingham on the reverse. I changed it slightly so that the denim is all at the top, and the gingham from the cut line down to the bottom. I will persevere and do another!
Posted: 12:48 pm on June 9th

Romeroli writes: Hi Linda! haces unas cosas hermosas!!!
Te felicito.
Este babero ya lo pondre en practica.
Posted: 11:12 am on May 30th

toady51 writes: Great idea! I have LOTS of scraps from sewing for my daughter (who's 25 now). How great to make bibs with memories from the stuff I made for her for her kids' bibs. Thanks!
Posted: 12:50 am on May 5th

LindaPermann writes: The template has been fixed! Thanks for making me aware of the problem.

Posted: 4:55 pm on April 27th

LindaPermann writes: MeredithP-- shoot-- I'm sorry about the template. I'm going to make it a pdf and get a better link up there. The actual template should take up the better part of the length of a regular 8.5" x 11" piece of paper (and then you still need to add 2" in the middle. I like my bibs nice and big so the kid can wear them for a while! I'll post again when the template is updated.
Posted: 12:07 am on April 27th

MeredithP writes: This is SO cute. I had trouble printing out the template on anything but legal paper. Perhaps the posted template doesn't need the two inches added. Could it still be actual size? I'm not really familiar with bibs, except I know they make excellent and useful gifts.
Posted: 4:24 pm on April 26th

craftydame writes: super cute! i love making bibs, it makes so much more sense than making special baby clothes. if you make a funky bib as a gift they wear it for more than a few weeks!

old pj pants would be fabulous for the backing as well, i love using flanellette for the backs of bibs. it's soft and absorbent for wiping cute little faces!
Posted: 3:01 am on April 22nd

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