Rib Bibs

This little boy is getting so big!  He is crawling all over the place and getting into everything.  It is hard to believe that three weeks ago he was still rolling to get near where he wanted to go and now he is downright zipping across the floor.  He is FAST!  He can pull himself up but no standing yet.  Dear Lord, give us some reprieve before he starts walking!  Our living room is a constant disaster area because as soon as you pick up toys and tidy up, he comes barreling through again.

He sprouted his gopher teeth a week ago and looks just like Goldy Gopher in this picture.

He's also started pulling off his bibs so it is time to bring out the heavy artillery.  A gal at work made me 3 bibs like this made of hand towels and ribbed collars.  They slip over the head and are baby proof as far as pulling off.  Since they are made of towels, they can wipe down a filthy and sticky baby.

My sister used these for her kids and always had one or two tucked into the diaper bag.  I don't know who made them for her but we inherited them from her with her old baby stuff and I was thrilled to get them.

When I received this gift from my coworker, I immediately asked her how to make them.  You cut a 6 inch hole in the towel and I thought she told me to use 12 inches of ribbing but I ended up using 14 because I thought it was easier to work with.  I'd gone to Saver's looking for hand towels to use and found a bunch.  Joann's was the next stop to find ribbing but they were out of stock.  Not only that, but on their website, they sold only 6 colors of 6 inch wide ribbing and it was expensive.  I reported this to my coworker and she almost scolded me.  "Don't buy ribbing at the fabric store!  You go to Saver's and look for ribbed shirts!"  Holy cow!  Why hadn't I thought of that?  The next time I went to Saver's I picked up 12 ribbed shirts in a rainbow of colors and got them for 20% off since I donated items that trip.  I got TONS of ribbing for a fraction of the price I'd pay at a fabric store.  And I love the fact that I'm up-cycling and re-using items to keep them out of the landfill.  I cut 4 inch wide strips of ribbing and was able to get 2 neckbands out of each cut.

Serge the short ends together to form a ring.  Then fold the ring in half lengthwise with right sides together and pin in place around the edges of the hole cut in the towel.

Serge around to fuse the two pieces.  I'm happy to report that I can now thread my serger without having to watch a YouTube video!  I'm so comfortable doing it that I didn't mind at all changing colors for the different ribs and towels.

I think this one has to be my favorite.  I love the colors of it and it is a smaller size that fits him better right now.  The larger ones work just fine and he just turned 1 year old and will be using these for some time while he is growing.  This one frankly reminds me of the 1970's towels we had when I was a kid!  I'm pretty sure we had the same brand because the label looked familiar.

I tried to pick towels for their colors but also for decorative details.  The ones I received as a gift were solid colored and she stitched darling ribbons and trims onto them.  This one had a decorative trim already and didn't need any embellishment.

This is  my other favorite I think because I love the blue and gray of the bib and then I stitched this darling skunk ribbon on it.  I'm mad though because I wasn't paying attention and the join of the rib is in the front and not the back.  Had it not been for that, this would be going to the fair this summer!

This one might be my fair contender.  It has a darling ribbon I'd collected before I was ever even almost married and it ties the colors of the rib and towel.

Snow is melting and water is running in the streets which is always a welcome sight in Minnesota in March.  These two fellas have been hanging around the pond for the past week and their familiar honking is music to my ears.  Spring is coming!

We went on our first walk of the season and Marek rode in the stroller like a big boy and not in the car seat.  Lopi had a great time too and got filthy dirty.  We saw 8 neighborhood dogs on our walk and he'd get excited and squeal.  I can't wait to take him to the fairs to see all the animals!  This boy is growing so fast!