Cute DIY Sleeved Bib: Practical Long-Sleeve Bib for Messy Little Ones
- Jun 4, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Feb 7
A practical long-sleeve bib for babies and toddlers: an easy step-by-step sewing tutorial – perfect for upcycling old towels and fabric scraps with a sweet toadstool appliqué.
Children and mess simply belong together. So why not sew a practical sleeved bib that keeps little sleeves clean and helps you do less laundry?
With this easy DIY sewing tutorial for a sleeved bib, you can turn old towels and small fabric scraps into a sustainable and cute bib – with or without appliqué. In just a few clear steps, a long-sleeve bib is created that protects your child’s clothes while still looking utterly adorable.
Materials: What you need for your DIY sleeved bib
To sew your own sleeved bib, you’ll need:
an old towel or a piece of terry cloth
muslin bias tape
sewing machine and matching thread
pins and/or sewing clips
fabric scissors
fabric scraps for the toadstool appliqué (red fabric with white dots and white fabric)
optional: fabric glue or fusible interfacing
With just these few supplies you can sew an upcycled bib that is practical, washable and durable – perfect for baby days, the start of solid foods and the toddler years.
Step-by-step sewing tutorial: how to sew a sleeved bib
1. Cutting out the bib
First, measure the size of the bib and the sleeves. You can use a loose-fitting jumper or long-sleeve top of your child as a template to find the right size for your DIY sleeved bib. Cut the towel a little generously so that your child’s clothes fit comfortably underneath.
The shape you see in the first photo has a big advantage:you only need one single piece of fabric and two small seams – perfect if you’re looking for a quick and simple DIY sewing project.
If you use an old towel, you automatically get an absorbent material that is ideal for a bib for babies and toddlers.
2. Sewing the sleeves
In the second photo you can see how to sew the sleeve seams on both sides. Close the side seams in a way that creates sleeves that sit loosely and do not restrict your child’s movement.
An overlock stitch or zigzag stitch is perfect here – it finishes the edges while sewing, keeps the fabric from fraying and gives your sleeved bib a clean and robust finish.
3. Attaching the bias tape – for a neat finish
Now it’s time for the bias binding, which will go all around the outside of the bib.
Sew it on as shown in the photos:
Place the bias tape along the wrong side of the fabric and stitch it in place along the edge.
Fold the tape over to the right side and topstitch it close to the edge.
This way, the outer edge – including the neckline – is neatly enclosed. The bias tape gives your handmade bib a professional look with very little effort.
4. Finishing the sleeve openings
You can treat the sleeve openings in the same way and sew bias tape all the way around them too.
Alternatively – as in this tutorial – you can use jersey cuffs and sew small sleeve cuffs. These are especially comfortable for your child and give the DIY sleeved bib a soft, stretchy finish at the wrists.
If you’d like to see the cuff technique in more detail, you can follow the same principle you might use for a self-sewn kids’ jersey shirt – the basic steps are very similar.
5. Adding the snap fasteners
With snap fasteners on the back flaps, you can later close the sleeved bib quickly and easily.
Depending on how firm and thick your fabric is, you can either attach the snaps directly or sew on a small reinforcement first:
Cut a small piece of bias tape.
Press the ends inwards.
Stitch the piece on in a little rectangle at the position where the snap will go.
On this reinforced area your snaps will hold beautifully and your DIY bib will stay strong and stable for a long time.
Optional: how to add a cute “lucky toadstool” appliqué
If you’d like to decorate your sleeved bib with an appliqué, this is where the creative part begins.
6. Sewing the toadstool appliqué
Cut the toadstool shapes as follows:
From the red (or pink) fabric, cut the cap shape twice.
From the white fabric, cut the stem.
For very thin fabrics (like muslin) it can help to iron a thin layer of fusible interfacing onto the back of the top layer so the shape becomes more stable. For very thick fabrics (such as waffle fabric, as in the photos), two layers can quickly become bulky – here you can use a single-sided fusible interfacing as the second layer.
Place the two fabric layers right sides together (if you use interfacing, the glue side faces outwards while sewing). Sew around the edge with a straight stitch and leave a small opening for turning, as shown in the first and second picture:
For the stem, leave the opening at the top.
For the cap, leave the opening in the place where the stem will be attached later.
Turn both pieces right side out and press them flat with the iron. If you used fusible interfacing, it will bond nicely with the fabric and keep the shape flat and smooth.
7. Attaching the “lucky toadstool” to the bib
Now iron appliqué interfacing to the back of your mushroom pieces (you can peel off the paper later like a sticker) or use fabric glue.
Place your toadstool on the front of the bib exactly where you’d like it to sit. Tuck the top of the stem into the opening on the cap and make sure the raw fabric edges of the opening are folded neatly inwards.
Press the appliqué in place and then topstitch all around the edge with a straight stitch, close to the edge. Use matching thread so the seam almost disappears – this makes your toadstool appliqué look especially neat and lovingly finished.
This technique works not only for mushrooms and not only for bibs :-): you can use similar appliqués to turn sweaters, dungarees, bags, jackets or hats into truly personal favourite pieces. Choose any shape, figure, symbol or animal that you and your child love – and let your creativity play.
All done: your handmade DIY sleeved bib
Congratulations – you’ve sewn a practical and sustainable sleeved bib! This bib is:
easy to sew,
perfect for upcycling old towels,
practical for everyday life,
and utterly adorable – with or without appliqué.
It helps keep your child’s sleeves clean, reduces your laundry pile and quietly replaces one more thing you might otherwise have bought new – because you’ve turned something that was already there into something beautiful and useful.
These handmade sleeved bibs also make wonderful gifts for friends and family. You can personalise them with different fabrics and appliqués – from lucky toadstools to animals or little symbols that fit the child who will wear them.
Wishing you lots of joy sewing, gifting – and happily letting little ones make a mess.
More sewing ideas for babies and children
If this DIY sleeved bib has given you a taste for more sewing projects around babies, children and everyday family life, there are many ways to continue. In your sewing world (you can find all our sewing ideas here) you might also enjoy:
Step by step, you’ll build a little collection of sewing ideas for babies and kids that make everyday life lighter, softer and just a little more magical.
A hug and see you soon!
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