My husband has a few coworkers who have recently become parents and he asked I'd like to make them some little baby shower gifts. He suggested burp cloths and although I made many of these when my own kids were babies, I've never made a tutorial for them. So here we are! How to sew easy baby burp cloths: a totally beginner friendly tutorial.
I realize this is a very simple project that most people can figure out on their own, but I wanted to create this easy sewing tutorial for those who may not really know where to start. In fact, this would be a great first sewing project for someone just getting started! We'll cover the best fabrics to choose for burp rags, whether or not to line it for extra absorbency, and what size to make them.
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I recorded a video tutorial to go over the entire process, but you can also purchase a printable version of this tutorial right here in my shop, so that you won't have to reference the video every time. AND, if you're sewing burp cloths for a gift, it sure would be so cute to include some bibs and a ribbon tag blanket too. Visit those links for the tutorials, or my shop for the printable versions of those patterns too! You can even purchase the whole four pattern bundle.
Sew for Baby PDF Pattern Bundle
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How to Sew Easy Baby Burp Cloths
Okay, let’s get to it! Baby fabrics have come a long way in the last few years, so we're going to discuss fabric choices in just a sec. First, though, here is the video tutorial:
The Best Fabrics for Sewing Burp Rags
If you've been around babies in the last few years, you may have noticed the rise of cotton gauze to the baby item market. I've seen blankets out of this fabric marketed as "muslin" baby blankets, but I'm not sure that's an accurate term. On the bolt, it's cotton gauze, or double gauze. It's a beautifully soft, crinkly fabric and since its arrival to the fabric store shelves, it's become available in all kinds of colors, both prints and solids. You can see in the video that I used this cotton gauze on one side of my burp rags, and flannel on the other.
You can use cotton gauze on both sides, of course, or flannel on both sides. You could use a cotton quilting print on one side and terry cloth on the other. It's really up to you! Cotton is best, though, and while I know a lot of people love minky, I don't think it's ideal for this project. It's polyester, after all, which means it can be sweaty and not as absorbent as cottons would be.
For the lining, I use a piece of solid flannel. You can get away without using a lining if you're using something thicker like terry cloth, but I put a layer flannel inside mine so they're extra absorbent.
Another helpful tool might be a walking foot, especially if you're adding extra layers or if you're using minky or a similarly shifty/stretchy fabric. A walking foot is something I recommend all the time on this blog, I know, but once you have one, you'll see why! A walking foot keeps the layers moving along under your machine at the same speed so that you don't have problems with your fabrics bunching and shifting. You can get a universal walking foot and they're not at all expensive.
I think that's all! Burp cloths make the fastest, easiest baby shower gifts, so sew some up for a friend, or for yourself if you could use them! I remember when my first baby was born, that was the one thing I did not receive any of as gifts. My baby was colicky and I sent my mom out to buy a bunch of burp cloths because I only had one, ha! Good times. She bought some flannel ones that were my favorites and those are the ones I copied many times over, and from which this tutorial was born.
Cheers🙂
Nikki
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