Button Down Rehab Day 8: The Button Down Bib (with free pattern!)

For day 8 of Button Down Rehab, I have something else boy-related for you. And of all the projects I've done using button down shirts lately, I think this one may be my favorite!!

Using very few materials, I came up with an adorable Button Down Bib for my little guy.
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Ready to make one (a bib that is)??

Supplies:

• Dowload my free pattern HERE
• Button down shirt
• Coordinating fabric for the back of your bib
• 1 package of double fold bias tape
• Straight pins
• Scissors
• Sewing machine and thread

**A quick note about buttons: Please make sure to check that your buttons are sewed on tightly to avoid a choking hazard. If you're concerned about safety, remove the buttons or use some strong glue like E6000 to secure the buttons before wear.

This is the original shirt I used. My husband actually wore this one on our honeymoon cruise to the Caribbean and 3 years later it's living a new life as a bib for our son. How crazy is that! :)

Step 1: Cut out your pieces.

Make sure your shirt is buttoned. Print out the free pattern I provided HERE and place it on top of your shirt over the pocket and button flap (see second picture below). Trace and cut out your front piece. Make sure you don't cut too close to the buttons themselves because you'll be lining the bib with bias tape and you dont want the buttons hiding under the tape.

Use the pattern to cut out a second piece of fabric for your lining. Now you should have 2 pieces:

Step 2: Add decorative stitching.

This step is purely optional, but I love how it makes the bib look! Using coordinating thread, I set my stitch length and width to 3, then zig-zag stitched along the pocket and button flap.

Step 3: Line the outside with bias tape.

Place your main fabric piece on top of your lining fabric, wrong sides together. Then, take your package of double fold bias tape and line the outside of your bib, enclosing the raw edges of your fabric inside of the bias tape. At the top of the neck line, extend your bias tape out some, you'll trim this later.

Make sure to pin it really well (I kind of go crazy with the pins, but I don't want anything to move around when I sew.)

Using your zig-zag stitch again, stitch all the way around the outside of the bib. At the neck line, snip the extra bias tape so it lines up with the neck.

Step 4: Line the neck.

Now to line the neck of your bib, cut a strip of your bias tape approximately 32 inches long. Fold the strip in half to find the middle, and then pin the middle of your bias tape to the middle of your bib with the raw edge of the fabric inside of the tape.

Enclose the neckline of the bib inside of your bias tape and pin.

Now, zig-zag stitch along the neckline to enclose the raw edges. Make sure you tuck the edges of the bias tape that you sewed on the outside of the bib into the neckline bias tape.

I stitched along the entire length of the neck to the ends of each strap I liked the look of the zig-zag stitches on the straps, but you don't have to stitch past the neckline if you don't want to.

Now you have a brand new bib made out of an old shirt, and little man is ready to eat in style!!

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Tomorrow, Rebecca of Searching Out Simple will be guest blogging with a great tutorial for a little girls' bib dress from a button down shirt.

Check out the other posts from the series below:

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Linking up!

Show and Tell Wednesday at Blue Cricket Design