{diy} burp cloths

One thing I have decisively learned in having a baby is that you can never have too many burp cloths. I had splurged on a couple beauties when I was pregnant, loved them. I thought four would be a good number, you know, one per day. Ha. When I realized that I would need far more than four and that I would go broke buying the pretty ones, I decided simple diy burp cloths were where it was at.

MATERIALS: makes 14 burp cloths

• 2 yards cute fabric [I got my adorable yardage from Fabric Bubb]
• 2 yards terry cloth [I found some lovely organic, bamboo terry from Vancouver Bamboo]
• Thread
• Pins
• Cutting device
• Sewing Machine

SIMPLE STEPS: no sewing wizardry required

[1] Cut fabric and terry cloth into 9 by 18 inch pieces. The terry cloth is a little tricky because it has A LOT of stretch to it. Do the best you can. Perfect is not the goal. I found having a long straight edge to hold the terry cloth in place while I cut it helped. These cloths are a little on the smaller side, but it enables you to get the most bang for your buck on a half yard cut of fabric. I also prefer to have lots of smaller ones as opposed to a couple of big ones. Grayson pukes on half a big one and the whole thing is down for the count only half dirty. Two small ones is more practical.

[2 – 3] Place the wrong side of the terry and fabric together. Pin it. Sew, leaving a 1-2 inch gap so that you can turn the fabric right side out. HINT: To avoid any hassle with the stretch in the terry cloth, sew the burp cloth with the printed cotton side facing up.

[4 – 6] Turn the burp cloth right-side-out and prepare to top-stitch. Top stitching is awesome for 2 reasons: One, it means there is no careful hand-stitching to close the hole. Two, when you wash these over and over again, they don’t fall apart.

[7] Top stitch.

[8] Enjoy your beautiful new burp cloths.

I ended up spending around $45 for 14 burp cloths after splurging on the organic materials. Not bad for how much I love them. It is nice when the cloths that end up on your couch, floor, dining room table, crib, and kitchen are easy on the eyes.