August 24, 2017

My Little Sunshine Blog Hop, Fabric Giveaway, and a Flutter Sleeve Bib Tutorial

I’m so thrilled to be the next stop on the My Little Sunshine Blog Hop! Cherry Guidry has designed these adorable prints that are absolutely perfect for kids. The main print is a super fun with baby carriages, baby clothes, and bright suns. Her collection also has monkeys, lions, giraffes, and elephants, along with many great coordinates. I adore the elephants most! I love the retro feel and the bright, cheery colors. These are just a handful of the collection.

And the Words coordinates are so sweet.

You can see all the cute prints here on the Benartex website. Cherry created several quilt projects that are available on the Cherry Blossoms Quilting Studio website.

Bailee – quilt pattern by Cherry Blossoms Quilting Studio

Benartex is generously giving away a fat quarter bundle of Cherry’s My Little Sunshine fabric collection to one of my lucky readers. [The giveaway details are at the end of the sewing tutorial for a Flutter Sleeve Bib in this post.]

When I saw Cherry’s collection, I was immediately taken back to my time as a younger mom and remembered how much I loved sewing for my babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. (Ask my older two about the jungle dress. It was both their favorite and there were many skirmishes over who could wear it. They still talk about that dress. They would have loved this print!

“Animal Forest White” main print from the My Little Sunshine Collection by Cherry Guidry for Benartex

I also remembered how a bib is truly essential to their outfits when they start teething and drooling non-stop. For my babies, that was about 4-6 months old. I always found this especially hard when they were wearing their church clothes or at special occasions. The bib kept the clothes from getting stained, but most often didn’t really complement the outfit.

Remembering all this made me want to create a DIY Baby Shower Gift Set for a new mom, one that includes a bib pretty enough to wear to church or special occasions.

Wouldn’t it be nice for the bib to act more like a pinafore for a baby girl? This flutter sleeve bib is certain to complement a classic A-line dress. And of course a diaper cover with a ruffle bum is always a fun accessory to a pretty baby-size dress. Don’t you think?

For the dress I used an Ottobre pattern from their summer 2009 issue (3/2009 #5). It’s a classic look, especially since I didn’t add the contrast hem piece. You can read more about the dress in this post.

The bib mimics the look of a pinafore: functional and fashionable.

For the ruffle bum diaper cover, I used a pattern from Ottobre Spring 2003 issue (1/2003 #3B). I created the ruffles quite easily and this could be done to any diaper cover pattern really.

Materials Needed for Ruffle Bum Diaper Cover

1/2 yard main fabric
1/4 yard for each ruffle
1 yard elastic

Cut strips 1 1/2” wide x 30″ long and hem the long edges with very narrow hems. Making rolled hems with a serger would also work.

Sew gathering stitches and gather the ruffles to fit the back piece. Sew the ruffles in place before sewing the diaper cover together.

Flutter Sleeve Bib Pattern and Tutorial

It’s important to prewash the fabric that is intended for baby, especially if it’s to become clothing.

Materials Needed for Flutter Sleeve Bib

Fat quarter of main fabric
Fat quarter for lining (another coordinating print for a reversible design)
Fat quarter for flutter sleeves
Hook and loop tape or snaps for closure

Cutting Instructions

1. Download the pattern here and print the pattern pages with no scaling. Make sure the 1 inch square on each page measures 1 inch.

2. Cut out the upper and lower bib pieces and tape them together.

3. Use the patterns to cut out the fabric. Cut around the triangle notches on the upper bib piece or mark them with a fabric marking tool.

Sewing Instructions

All seams are sewn with a 1/4” seam allowance unless otherwise stated.

1. Pin and sew together the sleeve pieces, with right sides together, along the curved edge.

2. Cut notches in the seam allowances of the curved edges. I used pinking shears.

3. Turn the sleeves right side out and press.

4. Sew gathering stitches on the straight edges, sewing through both layers.

5. Pull the bobbin threads to gather the sleeves to fit the space between the notches on the bib piece.

6. Pin and sew the sleeves to the bib piece, with right sides together and keeping the raw edges even.

7. Pin and sew the bib lining to the bib piece, with right sides together and edges even, leaving an opening at the bottom for turning later. Note: When pinning the neck edge, fold and keep the sleeves out of the seam allowance, so you don’t accidentally sew them into the seam.

8. Trim the seam allowances and clip notches on the curved edges.

9. Reach inside the opening and turn the bib right side out. Use a long corner turning tool or a wooden knitting needle to poke out the ends. Press.

10. Press the raw edges of the opening to the inside and stitch closed. Also topstitch the entire bib.

11. Add closure to the ends, such as hook and loop tape or snaps.

I just love how this came out and how lovely these fabrics look with the simple chambray dress. The bib could also be made to be reversible. Just use 2 prints, instead of a plain white lining.

Here’s baby in her new outfit. She is so expressive and was so curious about me taking her picture.

And now for the giveaway!

Benartex is giving away a fat quarter bundle of the My Little Sunshine collection to one of my readers. This give away is open to US addresses only, so to win the fabric bundle you must live within the US.

Please comment on this post which My Little Sunshine fabrics you love best and what you would make with them if you win. Giveaway ends August 30 at midnight PST.

I will use Random.org to choose a random winner and announced the winner here on this post Thursday, August 31.

Update: The giveaway is now closed-thank you to everyone who entered.

The lucky winner is….Comment #17 Kathy E, who wrote, “All of the fabrics in this collection are adorable, but my favorite is the Sweetheart in White/Turquoise. I make a lot of personalized baby items, so this fabric would work itself into many bibs, burp cloths and play mats! So sweet!”