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How to Make Customized Baby Shower Gifts

Have you ever been invited to a baby shower and not known what to get the mom-to-be? You want something both personal and useful? I have the perfect personal gift that you can make yourself! I’ll walk you through how to make a soft & cozy baby bib or personalized burp cloth in just a few short hours.

Materials needed:

A note about my sewing machine – I recently got a machine that does both embroidery and regular sewing, it is the DESIGNER BRILLIANCE 80  –  her name is Beverly, and everyone calls her Bev. But if you don’t have the embroidery functionality, have no fear! I have included instructions here that enable you to make this bib even if you do not have an embroidery machine!

Personalize with Embroidery:

For my embroidery design, I got this floral wreath monogram and downloaded the file version onto my computer. Next, I saved the 4 inch size design into MySewNet cloud, connected Brilliance Bev to the Wifi  and pulled the design onto the screen. I used the smallest hoop that came with my machine: 120 x 120 mm.

Next, you’ll want to prepare your fabric piece for embroidery. I prefer to use Sulky Totally Stable or Iron-On Tear Away Stabilizer and put the prepped fabric/stabilizer into the hoop.

When putting your fabric in the hoop, be sure to keep in mind how the bib will be cut out and where you want the placement. Since the top portion of the bib is the part that goes around the neck, you’ll want to position the hoop towards the bottom half of the fabric.

I used various thread colors, and if you’re like me and love a wide variety of colors and choices, I highly suggest snagging an awesome embroidery thread set like THIS ONE.

Pro Tip: Download the MySewMonitor app onto your smart phone; It gives you an awesome way to monitor your embroidery progress while also getting other stuff done around the house! (I did mine while making breakfast!) An app like this comes in really handy with complex embroidery designs, because it sends alerts when it is time to change thread colors!

Feel free to use whatever embroidery design and colors you want! This is a great area to get creative and have lots of fun with it! I suggest looking through fonts and designs on various websites for inspiration!

Personalize with AccuQuilt Alphabet:

If you have an AccuQuilt Go! fabric cutting machine and the Carefree Alphabet dies, you can easily add a monogram to the bib with appliqué. You’ll want to follow very similar steps as for the embroidery itself, but also cut your desired letter in a fun print fabric of your choice.

I started by ironing on a piece of Sulky Totally Stable Stabilizer to the backside of a small square of accent fabric, and then cut it out with the AccuQuilt Alphabet die. (I used the letter H!)

If you have an embroidery machine, the embroidery files come with the alphabet dies so you can have your machine do the applique around the edges. If you do not have an embroidery machine, you can still make the personalized design using some iron-on interfacing and a simple zigzag stitch on your sewing machine to adhere the monogram onto your top fabric.

Constructing the Bib:

The first step in actually turning your embroidered fabric design into a bib is to cut out the pieces. AccuQuilt just released this Baby Bib die that works with my Go! Machine. (If you don’t already have the machine or dies, feel free to make your own template for the bib.) For mine, I positioned the minky fabric onto the die first right side up, and then placed my embroidered flannel right side down (so they were already right sides together). Be careful to position your fabrics so that both completely cover the edges of the die (where the bib will be cut) and so that your embroidered design is centered. I actually used a ruler to be sure the space on the sides were even.

Once your two bib pieces are cut, carefully pin them together around all edges. You’ll sew around the edges but leave a small opening at the bottom of the bib for you to turn it right-side-out. I used a 1/4″ seam allowance on mine.

Turning it can be tricky, I suggest using your thumb to start it off with the top of the neck strap. Eventually you’ll pull the piece out the bottom and then gently press around the edges until it is flat. Pin together the opening at the bottom and then sew a topstitch around the whole piece.

Next, you’ll want to cut off a 1″ piece of Velcro and sew it onto the bib so it can be easily put on and taken off.

Constructing your Baby Burp Cloth:

The instructions for sewing together the burp cloth are even easier than the baby bib! You’ll need slightly larger fabric pieces for the Burp Cloth – 10″ x 20″. Once you have your design personalized on the front piece of fabric, you’ll need to cut out both layers with your AccuQuilt Go! by using the Baby Burp Cloth die. Just like on the bib, I suggest positioning the fabric pieces right sides together before you put them through the machine and be careful to cover all edges of the die area. Make sure to center your design, using a ruler to be sure there is equal distance on both sides of the design.

After the two burp cloth pieces are cut, carefully pin around all edges and sew at a ¼” seam allowance, leaving a 3” space to turn the burp cloth. Once the piece is turned right-sides-out, top stitch around all edges.

These completely custom and personalized Baby Shower gifts only took me a couple hours from start to finish, and I am super happy for how they turned out! If you decide to make them too, please show me photos so I can see your awesome designs!

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