How to Make Tea Towel Bibs

Protect your child's clothes with a tea towel bib.

A bib is defined by Dictionary.com as “a piece of cloth, plastic, or paper that covers the chest and is often tied under the chin of a child to protect the clothing while the child is eating.” Some bibs are small and "underestimate the messes babies can make,” according to the Martha Stewart website. Bibs made from tea towels are larger than most store-bought bibs giving more protection from messy accidents.

Things You'll Need

• Tea towel
• Tape measure
• Fabric pencil
• String
• Craft scissors
• Hook-and-loop closure
• Hot glue gun

Instructions

1. Lay the tea towel flat on a surface. Arrange the towel so the shorter edges of the towel run horizontally in front of you.

2. Fold the tea towel in half. Pull the top edge of the tea towel toward you until the edges line up. Smooth the towel with your hands to ensure it is even on all edges.

3. Measure around the child's neck with a plastic tape measure to determine the size of the opening needed for the bib. You can also use another bib's opening as a guide if you are uneasy about measuring the child’s neck.

4. Divide the width of the tea towel in half to find the center measurement. Most tea towels are 18 inches wide so the center would be 9 inches from either edge. Mark this location with a fabric pencil.

5. Mark the neck hole opening on the bib using the fabric pencil. The center mark on the tea towel will be in the center of the neck hole.

6. Tie a string around the end of the fabric pencil. Place the tip of the pencil on one of the neck hole marks.

7. Pull the string tight and hold it so the string runs over the middle mark on the tea towel. Press the string against this mark with your index finger.

8. Move your pencil in the form of a circle until you reach the other neck hole mark. Keep the string tight, this will form a half circle that will be the neck hole for the bib.

9. Cut through both layers of the tea towel using craft scissors. Use the pencil mark as a guide when making the cut. Discard the circle cut-out. Unfold the tea towel bib and lay it flat on the work area.

10. Cut a vertical line on the back of the bib. Start at the bottom edge of the bib and find the center point. Cut a straight line from this location to the circle cut-out in the bib.

11. Glue a hook-and-loop closure to the back of the tea towel bib using a hot glue gun. The tabs should be on the corner of the bib where the edge of the bib will meet behind the child’s head.

Tips & Warnings

• It is better to cut the neck hole too large than not large enough.

References

• Dictionary: Bib
• Martha Stewart: Towel Bib