Preppy Bib

For the big craft show in May, I decided to make bibs. I pulled out some of our old clothes in the 'recycle' pile and saw one of Brad's cute blue polo's. I then had the idea to make the bib out of the top part of the shirt so it included the buttons and collar. Here is how it turned out and the steps to make it. It is NOT perfect and I certainly can't sell it (hope John likes it since it is his now!). But it is the thought that counts, right!?

1. I used a bib I already had to trace around the shape of the bib. Originally I kept the entire collar in one piece thinking I could just fit it over a kid's head. You could easily fit it over a kid's head, but then the opening was too big and the bib sat all wrong on the body. So I cut it to make two neck pieces.



2. I decided I didn't want the collar flapping around so I pinned it down and then sewed it in place on the right side of the bib.



3. I placed the bib on the backing material, right sides together. I used a soft white dot material since I had tons of it. You could also use terry cloth from an old towel too! Pin around, leaving an opening to turn the bib right side out after sewing.





4. Sew around the bib, remembering to leave the opening open! :) (This is also when you might curse at your sewing machine for gathering the material as it was sewing. What is up with that, Mr. Sewing Machine? You are not my friend anymore!)

5. Trim the backing material and clip the corners.


6. Turn right side out. This is when I realized that this didn't turn out as nice as I thought it would, but figured I might as well finish it and see what happens. Plus, it doesn't help when Mr. Sewing Machine makes it gathered along the edges!!!

7. Top stitch around the bib, making sure to close the opening as you sew. I didn't sew around the inner collar because it was SO thick and I didn't think my machine could handle it.



8. Sew in some velcro or add in snaps for closure. (I didn't have either on hand, so this is where I stopped!) And then you are done!



I still really like the idea, but just am not quite the seamstress yet to pull it off completely. I think if I did this again, I would use a different polo with thicker shirt material but thinner collar material. It might be easier if I used a larger kid polo instead of an adult, especially if you want to keep the entire collar in one piece.

If you try this, let me know it goes and share any tips to make it better!