Let's talk about being limited to a store's choices! Anyone out there hear me? Blech. This is frequently my story if I'm shopping for anything other than groceries: I get a hazy picture of an idea, I can't find anything anywhere that looks like my original thought, and then it's just another (very minor) exercise in dealing with disappointment. When it comes to kid gear, I am singing this tune all the time, and when it comes to fabric for kids, I'm surprised you can't hear my groans from in front of the stove, where you are standing, apron-clad, stirring a pot of black beans or marinara.
A friend asked me to make some non-babyish bibs for her daughter. I knew the fabric store would not have the right prints we wanted, so in a way I felt defeated before I even got started. I decided to look somewhere unexpected, and hunted through my own stash, which had about one known piece of knit in it. That's when I saw some (forgotten) brand-new t-shirts that I had purchased for sewing experimentation/transformation! And this is what became of them:
OK, I had to buy a few more t-shirts. I didn't have all of those at the ready!
I had a simple bib pattern. I cut two of each fabric and sewed them together with my knit-fabric strategy, which includes a ball-point needle, a slight zig-zag stitch and lots of holding of the breath. I turned them right-side out, top stitched them, then added Velcro for a closure. I made fabric flowers and used both hand-stitching and machine-stitching to secure them to the bibs.
My favorite part was detailing the plain red bib. I took strips of t-shirt, pulled them tight so they would curl up, then sewed them on in a slight curve. I did this before putting the back and front of the bib together. So what do you think? Take that, boring stores!
*Next time I make bibs, I will try adding an absorbent layer, like thin terry cloth, in between. And I'm ending that sentence with a preposition, which is almost killing me.
4 comments:
The bibs are super cute. I understand about the preposition angst but apparently the latest grammar rules say it's okay! Who would have guess the world would come to this?
Great idea! They turned out very cute! Not to mention, marketable too :)
I feel your pain about limited options out there. So often the "girl" colors make me wonder who they do their market research on. (preposition). Sure a little pink and purple is ok but give me some reds and greys and greens. The bibs you've made are so much better !
SO very cute!! Melissa
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