Bibs for My Babe

I never really understood the purpose of bibs until our 3rd child was born. I didn't see the point in lovingly stitching up something that was meant to get stained up. And apparently my first 2 children didn't "get" bibs either because they hated having them on and fussed the moment one was put on. But Dominic soon showed me another reason for bibs....Drool! He's my first baby to drool all over himself and who ever's carrying him. Some days are drier than others but on those drooling wet days the whole front of his sleeper can be soaked through. Mom thought it a good idea to buy him some bibs before the next cold front blew in. But why would anyone drive 2 minutes to Wal-Mart and buy a pack of bibs for $5 when one could spend hours mulling over expensive fabric choices and learning new skills to whip up 2 patchwork drool catchers? The next distant cold front was just the impetus I needed to get in gear. I put aside the crayon caddies I was in the process of making with their deadline of Thanksgiving break and set to work to make bibs for my babe.

It's amazing how many feelings can arise , how much pondering and inevitable growing can happen in the midst of making a little something handmade. I decided to put worn out towels to use for batting in his bibs. The towels I chose were ones we purchased from Walmart back in 2008 in preparation for Fulton's birth. I remember buying the cheapest ones we could find planning to throw them away after the delivery. I recall being amazed at how white they came out of the drier after following Beth's instructions to add 1 brown bottle of hydrogen peroxide to the wash cycle. No evidence whatsoever of Fulton's birth remained on those towels and we used them as our bath towels at a time when we were perfectly content with the gifts God had given us. I was overjoyed to learn that our family would have another growth spurt and that I'd be able to use those towels again for their original purpose. In all my meditations on the birth of Dominic, I never imagined and therefore never prepared myself for the delivery that actually took place. As I made the bibs for him I pondered the differences between the births of 2 brothers. I cut into those towels the way they cut into me to bring Dominic safely into the world. As I tried my hand at sewing curved seams for the first time I thought about how I was stitched up by a doctor with very capable hands and a gentle empathedic heart. And when the bibs were finally finished I presented my little one with a gift, grateful for the precious gift our birth team had given me. Months after his birth I finally felt at peace with our birth story. By the simple act of creating with my hands, my heart became open to God's grace and my soul was healed. And that is the power and the beauty of handmade.

Project Notes::

I loved this tutorial for patchwork bibs and heartedly recommend it for beginner sewists. It was very clear and easy for me to understand. It's a great project for learning basic techniques such as cutting patchwork into shapes as well as notching and sewing curved seams. I couldn't get my printer to make the template exactly the size it needed to be (it was off by 3/4 inch) so I simply cut a piece of paper and taped it in between the two pattern pieces to give it the extra 3/4 inch height it needed. Fabrics were a combination from my stash of Michael Miller, Good Folks, Katie Jump Rope and Moda's Happy Campground. I used flannel receiving blankets for the backing and worn out towels with history for batting.