How to Make a Stylish Burp Cloth

Stylish, absorbent burp cloths can be made at home with minimal effort.

All babies burp and spit up, especially after nursing or taking a bottle, so it is important for parents to have an absorbent burp cloth handy. Burp cloths are a necessity for new parents and can make great gifts for baby showers. Unfortunately, most store-bought burp cloths are plain-looking. Making a homemade burp cloth opens up limitless design possibilities. It is easy to make stylish burp cloths at home with minimal sewing experience.

Things You'll Need

• White, cloth diapers
• Patterned fabric
• Pins
• Scissors
• Thread
• Needle
• Iron
• Tape measure
• Pencil
• Paper

Instructions

1. Wash a cloth diaper in fragrance-free detergent and machine-dry to pre-shrink.

2. Lay out one diaper on a table or the floor. The diaper will make up the bulk of the burp cloth.

3. Measure the length of the diaper and write it down. The diaper will look like it is divided by seams into three sections. The middle section is the center fold. Measure the width of the center fold and write down the dimensions.

4. Lay patterned fabric out with the pattern side facing down. Cut the fabric 2 inches longer than the length of the longest part of the diaper, and 2 inches wider than the center fold of the diaper. The result should be a rectangular piece of cloth.

5. Iron the fabric so that you no longer can see its frayed edges. With the fabric facing up, fold under an inch of fabric so that the frayed edges are underneath. Iron the edge of the fabric so that the fold stays in place. Repeat with the other three sides.

6. Center the cloth, pattern side up, in the middle of the diaper and align with the edges. Pin down the cloth with sewing pins to stabilize the fabric.

7. Sew the fabric onto the diaper. Using a needle and thread or a sewing machine, sew around every edge of the fabric. If you are using a sewing machine, go around the burp cloth once with a straight stitch and again with a zigzag to add another element of design. Tie off the ends of the thread.

Tips & Warnings

• Add ribbon or lace to the edges of your burp cloth for an even prettier design.

• A diaper is an ideal size for a burp cloth and extremely absorbent -- perfect for spit-up.

References

• Chickpea Sewing Studio: Diaper Burp Cloth Tutorial

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish