In anticipation of baby’s arrival, there was lots of crafting going. One of the most useful projects that I completed was burp cloths. Yep, burp cloths. Not very glamorous or challenging, but they are so indispensable. If I could recommend a single DIY baby sewing project, it would be burp cloths. All you need is a bunch of flannelette (it goes on sale quite regularly, so wait to get it at 40-50% off) and a serger. The best part, you can cut them any size you’d like. Or maybe the best part is that they will cost you a fraction of what stores sell them for. Or that you can pick out a whole pile of fun prints. No matter how you look at it, making your own burp cloths is pretty fantastic!
Now for most of them, I simple cut the flannelette out to the desired size (I made mine big enough to fold in half for extra protection) and then serged around all the edges. After all, burp cloths are fairly utilitarian. They don’t need to be perfect, just useful. However, I did take the time to make some slightly more “fancy”, aka double sided. I used the flannelette on one side and a solid cotton on the other, sewed them with the right sides facing each other (leaving a small opening), turned them right side out, stitched the hole closed and then quilted them together a bit. The burp cloths in the
second photo were made this way.
Looking for tutorials so you can make your own? Here’s a few:
- Made by Rae (using old t-shirts for one side, cotton for the other)
- Sew She Sews (thicker cloths for super pukers)
- Prudent Baby (backed with terry cloth)
- Simply Modern Mom (lovely blanket stitched cloths)
- Nature’s Heirloom (shaped burp cloths with ric-rac edges)