If you have missed part 1 (or want to remind yourself of the incredible important thoughts about the perfect bib) then have a look here. And please remember, we are going to talk about apparently disgusting things, so please do not continue to read if you happen to be sensitive to any kind of material coming out of babies.
I think we have all agreed on the fact that there is no such thing as the one perfect bib. It will always depend on the circumstances.
So lets have a look at different shapes today, starting with triangular types.
We had the fancy reversible one here – this is definitely a very good present for a new(ish) baby, quick to make, uses up scrap fabric and looks incredibly stylish.
I have just made a few more actually:
They have one patterned and one stripy side and will be teamed up with a matching hat, both made from klimperklein patterns:
Another triangular version would be even quicker to make: When I run out of posh bibs I often end up folding a muslin square in half. It is a little bit bulky, especially if you try to tie a knot at the back of a tiny baby neck. However, it doesn’t just cover the front, it protects the shoulders easily, too. And obviously due to the amount of fabric involved, it soaks up a lot. Saliva. Snot. Vomit. Or any mixture of the above mentioned.
If there is no need for huge amounts of fabric, you could just cut a muslin square diagonally in half and finish the open edge with a rolled hem or fold it twice and stitch.
I guess this is quite a good solution if you need many bibs but maybe not for enormous amounts of whatever. They are very practical, easy to wash and dry, cheap and the neutral colour matches any outfit. However, as I said, they are not necessarily able to soak up as much as other bibs. I went quickly back to the original sized muslin square folded in half. Sometimes I actually use that version to cover a cute bib from getting spoiled before we have been able to show it off 🙂 And the baby looks sort of cute with it too. So instead of a young Shakespeare (see part 1) he reminds me more of a young John Wayne.
So a definite thumbs up for a folded muslin square.
As you can see on the picture, the muslin triangle is rather deep. Or high. Which might not be needed if you are aiming for stylish looking neck wear without any purpose other than looking stylish. So, if you wanted to make your own single layered triangular baby scarf, then I would take a nice stretchy fabric, jersey or interlock, cut out a triangle, about 70cm long and in the middle about 20cm wide, roll hem around the whole thing (easier if the third edge of the triangle is not actually a edge but rather a curve. Done.
I haven’t made this one. We bought it six years ago for our first child. When I still thought any kind of bib will do for a vomiting child (I guess, it wasn’t as bad as this time round). It looks very nice. And stylish. Even on older children. So, I do not regret the purchase of it. But I will definitely not bother to make another one right now. It would be a waste of time.
So, that is the triangles done. Lets have a look at the classic bib shape.
There are the ones with a binding around all edges which will then become the fastening.
I have only seen them in a rather rectangular shape. We got a few as presents, they were handmade by someone and are really cute. And they have been excellent for slightly bigger babies and toddlers when eating.
The big one is about 40cm long. Great coverage of the whole child 🙂 I might make some more in a couple of months. I am not sure about the straps to be tied at the back.
Velcro is another option but other items will get stuck to it in the washing unless you actually had actually bothered closing it. So my personal favourite are definitely snap fasteners.
But back to bib shapes.
The bibs which usually come with these newborn sets that you get everywhere are tiny. I am not even sure for which purpose they are destined…. but it is definitely not reflux.
Just look at the difference! We own quite a few of these tiny ones. Clearly I hadn’t taken the search for the perfect bib seriously enough with child No 2.
By now you are probably not only extremely bored but also wondering why I keep showing you things that I haven’t even made myself. Right. So the first one I have made myself (apart from the muslin triangle) was this one.
I had searched online what people suggested. For this one I followed a tutorial by Hamburger Liebe.
I found another interesting freebook at farbenmix – a great idea to use up old t-shirts. It is a very different look, rather cool than cute and I guess a great idea for personalised gifts for bigger babies and toddlers. So click on the link and have a look there. Who knows, I might make one of these one day.
But back to the one I made. I don’t think having the fastening at the back is ideal for a tiny baby as they tend to lie on their back the whole day. So I adapted the shape for our needs and put the fastening on the side.
This is much better. Almost perfect actually 🙂 I think it could be a bit wider on the sides to cover the shoulders but to be honest I haven’t tried that out yet.
(As some people – who were rather impressed by the amount of vomit that seems to fit into my son – have pointed out, the perfect shape would actually be an apron with sleeves, similar to the ones they have for arts and crafts in nursery. Protectionwise that might be true, a considerable percentage actually goes down the sleeves. But it just looks wrong. Slightly obsessed. And I am definitely not obsessed.)
Enough for today, next time we will look at the perfect fabric choice for the different textures potentially ejected on those bibs. . Stay tuned 🙂
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