How to Make Embroidered Burp Cloths Out of Diapers

Decorating burp cloths is a simple way to add a personal touch to your baby supplies.

Embroidery can make a plain burp cloth into a beautiful and personalized gift for a new mother. There are many options for the material, decorations and style you choose. The simplest and most common choice for material is a plain white pre-folded cotton diaper. These diapers can be acquired at most stores that sell baby supplies, or can be ordered online. You can make a beautiful embroidered burp cloth in an afternoon.

Things You'll Need

• Pre-folded cotton diaper
• Stabilizer (optional)
• Coordinating fabric
• Embroidery thread or floss
• Needle and thread
• Embroidery pattern
• Sewing machine (optional)

Instructions

1. Wash and dry the diaper to ensure it will not shrink.

2. Center your embroidery pattern on the center fold. Many people prefer to place the embroidered design about a third from one end, with enough room for the baby's face to rest on the plain end. Although pre-folded diapers come in various sizes, a newborn size-- 11 inches wide by 14 inches long--is easy to work with for this project. Place the design about 3 inches from the bottom of the diaper and about 5 inches from either size. The exact placement can be shifted slightly depending on the size of your embroidery pattern.

3. Pin or baste around the area you will be embroidering to prevent the folds from shifting during stitching.

4. If you are using a machine for your embroidery, iron the stabilizer onto the back of your diaper.

5. Embroider your design. Many sewing machines have embroidery features which can expedite this process, but hand-embroidery will work just as well.

6. Cut a piece of the coordinating fabric that is the size of the center fold of your diaper, plus 1/2 inch in length and width. For a newborn diaper, the center fold will be 14 inches long and 4 inches wide. Therefore, cut the coordinating fabric 14 1/2 inches long by 4 1/2 inches wide to account for seam allowances.

7. Fold in the edges of the coordinating fabric 1/4 inch on all sides, and pin it to the back of your diaper. This fabric will cover the backside of your embroidery, hiding the stitches.

8. Sew the coordinating fabric to the center section of back of the diaper. Use a tight zigzag stitch if you are using a sewing machine or a blind stitch if you are hand-stitching. Sew around all four sides of the decorative fabric to secure the fabric completely.

Tips & Warnings

• Pre-folded diapers come in several sizes and thicknesses. The size you choose is a personal preference, but for ease of embroidery, choose the thinnest diaper you can find.

References

• Embroidery Library Projects: Baby Burp Cloth
• It's Sew Karren: How To Make Diaper Burp Cloths (and turn them into bibs)