cute DIY sleeve bib

practical bib for little spillers to sew yourself with a cute toadstool appliqué, perfect for upcycling old towels and fabric remnants

Children and spillages simply belong together. So why not sew a practical sleeve bib yourself to keep the sleeves clean and reduce the amount of laundry? With these simple instructions, you can conjure up a sustainable and cute bib with or without appliqué from old towels and small scraps of fabric. In just four simple sewing steps, your child will look clean and cute at the same time when eating.

To sew a sleeve bib yourself, you need:

• An old towel or a piece of towelling fabric
  

• Muslin bias tape
  

• Sewing machine, thread in a matching colour
  

• Pins and/or sewing clips
  

• Scissors
  

• Scraps of fabric for the toadstool appliqué (red fabric with white dots and white fabric)
  

• Fabric glue or fusible web for ironing on if necessary
  

Step-by-step instructions

• Cutting the bib to size: Firstly, measure the size of the bib and the sleeves. You can use a loose-fitting jumper as a template to find the right size. It is better to cut a little larger so that there is still room for the clothes under the bib later. You can see the shape of the pattern in the first photo. The advantage of this cut is that you only need one piece of fabric and two small seams. If you use an old towel, you already have an absorbent material that is perfect for a bib.
  

• Sewing the sleeves: In the second photo you can see how to close the sleeve seams on both sides. It is best to use an overlock stitch here, which overlocks at the same time.
  

• All that's missing now is the bias tape, which is sewn all the way round from both sides as shown in the photos. First place it on the wrong side of the fabric at the edge. In the second step, fold it over to the right side and topstitch it in place. This completes the outer edge, including the neckline.
  

• You can either do the same with the sleeve openings and also sew a bias tape around the edge or, like me, use jersey cuffs and sew them onto the sleeves. You can find instructions for this in the blog post "Self-sewn children's shirt made from jersey", for example.
  

• You can close the bib later with press studs on the back flaps. Depending on how firm and stable your fabric is, you can either attach the press studs directly or sew on a small reinforcement. I took a small piece of bias tape, ironed the ends inwards and topstitched once around the square. The press studs can then be attached to this.

Optional: Instructions for a cute "lucky mushroom" appliqué

• Appliqué the toadstool: Now comes the creative part! Cut out the shape for the mushroom's hat twice from the red (or pink) fabric. Cut out the stem from the white fabric. With very thin fabrics (e.g. muslin as shown in the photo), it is helpful to iron on thin fusible web behind the top layer so that the shape remains more stable. With very thick fabrics (e.g. waffle piqué as shown in the photo), a double layer is a bit too thick - in this case I used fusible interfacing with adhesive on one side as a second layer.
  

• Place the two layers of fabric on top of each other, right sides facing (in this case, with adhesive fleece, the right side corresponds to the adhesive side: the adhesive side therefore faces outwards when sewing) and now sew once around the outside with a straight stitch. Don't forget to leave a turning opening: on the stem, this is simply at the top. On the mushroom hat, leave it open where the stem then starts. (see 1st and 2nd photo)
  

• Now turn once and iron over. If you have used fusible web as a second layer, the back of the fusible web will now stick firmly to the front and the stem will be nice and flat and stable.
  

• Now iron the appliqué fusible web onto the back of your shapes (the paper can then be removed as with a sticker) or use fabric glue. Place your lucky mushroom in the desired position on the front of the bib. Insert the stem into the turning opening of the mushroom hat. Make sure that the edges of the fabric at the turning opening are facing inwards before ironing. Iron the mushroom onto it.
  

• Now sew once with a straight stitch just around the edge (use a matching thread colour so that the seam is barely visible) - your cute toadstool appliqué is finished!
  

Of course, this appliqué technique is not only suitable for toadstools and not only for bibs :-). Choose a shape, a figure, a symbol or an animal that you and your child like and get creative! Such appliqués can turn any jumper, dungarees, bag, jacket or hat into a very special piece of personal jewellery in no time at all.

Congratulations, you have created a practical and sustainable sleeve bib! This bib is not only easy to sew, but also helps to keep your child's sleeves clean and thus reduce the mountains of laundry.

These bibs make great gifts for friends and family. You can personalise them as you wish with different appliqués or fabric patterns.

Have fun sewing and trying it out!

If you fancy more sewing projects for children, take a look at other sewing ideas (you can find them all here), for example:

• Practical cover for the car seat

• Wrap blanket and bunting for the baby car seat

• DIY clutching toy with beads

• Patches for children's trousers

• DIY hooded towel

• Self-sewn cover for wet wipes

• Self-sewn bag for toys

• DIY robber scarves for children

• Self-sewn muslin cloths

A hug and see you soon!