Along with baby wash cloths, burp cloths would have to be one of the easiest items to make for a newborn baby. And, they are such a practical gift for a baby. You'll know for certain, your present is going to be used often.
When my kids were little, they wore cloth nappies (diapers) - squares of thick, absorbent, cotton terry towelling, done up with nappy pins. Disposable nappies were around, but most definitely not the norm.
Those white, square nappies came in handy for all sorts of things - burp cloths being one of them. Fold in half, throw over the shoulder and you had a very effective way to cover yourself from baby messes.
With the proliferation of disposable nappies around now-a-days, most young parents don't have cloth nappies lying around the house, and so it has become necessary to add another item to the growing list of must have items for a newborn.
Having said that, modern day burp cloths are so much prettier than cloth nappies, a baby blanket, or whatever we had that was close at hand. And they are so easy to make!!!
They are literally two rectangles of absorbent fabric stitched together. Some are even contoured to sit comfortably on the shoulder - no bunching up or falling off.
Given that I come from the era of grab what you can burp cloths, I have chosen to make simple rectangular burp cloths. Basically, here's how I made them...
- Cut two pieces of absorbent fabric 11" x 18"
- Place right sides together.
- Sew together leaving a gap for turning. I sewed a ⅜" seam.
- Turn right side out.
- Topstitch about ⅛" from the edge, all the way around, closing up the gap.
- Add second row of topstitching about ¼" from the first - optional
I made my burp cloths with two layers of flannelette - the fabric is soft, absorbent, and it's what I had on hand. Looking through the tutorials listed below, everyone has their favourite combination of fabrics...
- nappies for backing
- flannelette (flannel)
- terry towelling
- towels
- chenille
- knit jersey
- minky
- quilting cotton one side with absorbent fabric on the other
Most are two layers of fabric, but some have an inside layer for added absorption.
Looking through the Everything Baby link party here at Threading My Way, I found several tutorials with step by step instructions...
There are lots of detailed tutorials online...
- The Easiest Burp Cloths You Will Ever Sew
- Terry and Flannel Burp Cloths
- Burp Cloths for the Beginner Sewist
- Simple DIY Burp Cloths
- Best Ever Burp Cloths
- Burp Cloth Gift Sets
- The Best Burp Cloths
- Easy to Make Burp Cloths
- Contoured Burp Cloth
- Burp Cloths to Sew
- Easy Burp Cloths
- Quilted Burp Cloths
- Simple Burp Cloths
I'm sure I've made burp cloths but it's been a while and I don't actually recall any specifics! They would have been made with flannel on both side, and I would have added an extra layer of flannel to them for extra absorbency. I do that with all of my bibs, as well. We all know how messy the littlest ones can be, LOL!
ReplyDeletePam yep. A disposable nappy over the shoulder just wouldn't cut it...lol! I recall making flannelette nappies in sweet nursery prints for both of my older sons. I also recall dying towelling ones in bright colours which was sort of a trend back then! Disposables sure are easier, but not prettier. These look great. Love, Mimi xxx
ReplyDeleteI never used terry nappies for our boys but we still had muslin squares for the very necessary burp cloths. Your burp cloths are so much nicer than those old muslin squares :)
ReplyDeletea good idea I do not think burp cloths existed when |I had babies. Will have a go but must wash flannelette first as found it shrank when I made the face cloth
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