Bandana Bib Tutorial - With free pattern and giveaway

Bandana bibs are really popular at the moment and there is a very valid reason other than how cool they look.  As the fabric sits in gentle rolls around the neck it is the perfect design to stop all that drool that our cherubs love to drip all day before it hits their clothing.

Bandana bibs are really easy to make and are the perfect item to sew for a beginner.

In this tutorial you will be taken step by step throughout the process.

Step 1:  Print off the free pattern.  Link here.  It is very basic and hand drawn but it works, and did I mention it was free? :)

Step 2:  Pick your fabrics.  Now bibs can be made from most types of fabric but I like to use a cute quilting cotton print for the front and a staydry microfleece fabric for the back.

Step 3:  Cut out your fabrics.

Step 4:  Pin your fabrics together, inside out, and sew around the entire outer of the bib, leaving a gap of 3 - 4cm so that you can turn your bib out.

Step 5:  Turn inside out and pin the opening closed.  At this point you can iron your bib on the cotton side if it's a bit wrinkled.  It will give you a better finished product.  Then with a straight stitch and contrasting cotton, finish your bib by sewing all the way around the outside approx .5cm in from the edge.  Trim any loose threads.

Step 6:  Add a snap to each point.  Snaps come in several different types, if you are lucky enough to own a snap press then they work really well, if not you can purchase metal sew on snaps at fabric shops or even just use some velcro.  Any of these will work so go with what you have.  And voila!!  You've made a very funky bandana bib :)

GIVEAWAY:  If you would like to win this set of adorable Bandana Bibs please comment 'yes please' and a winner will be chosen on 12/5/14 but the foolproof method of pulling a name out of a hat!  Only available to Australia.

The frustrated crafter

Are you like me?

I have the most amazing ideas jumping around in my brain, so many great things I want to make, new crafts I want to try.  But I rarely find the time to sit down and do any of it.

When I had my own handmade business I found it much easier to justify as it was work.  It was ok if I spent hours or days perfecting a pattern or working on an intricate masterpiece but now that I do craft for the sheer love of it I find myself feeling guilty if I spend time creating instead of cleaning.

Pinterest has become my friend, I will pin instead, it doesn't create a mess and I can quickly flip the ipad cover closed if I am sprung.  That doesn't help my itchy fingers or frustrated creativity though.

Being a mother of 4 boys means there is a LOT of mess in my home (without my craft stuff) and it can become overwhelming very quickly if I don't spend several hours a day cleaning and doing laundry.  With only one child not at school I have found that setting him up at a table in my studio with pencils, papers, scissors and the mandatory glue that every preschooler seems to must have or it isn't really craft, means that I can get 40 minutes to an hour in every second day.  Not enough but I guess every little bit counts, right?

That youngest little man will be off to school next year so in the meantime will I keep stockpiling amazing fabrics for quilts I dream of making and delicious wool for half crocheted projects ;). Maybe next year, in between canteen and reading duty I will get to finish some things!