Looking to create a special and thoughtful baby shower gift for a friend who is expecting? You can easily sew a beautiful Chenille bib using this downloadable bib sewing pattern. It’s the perfect way to show your love and care for the new arrival.
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Chenille? Chenille Cut? Slash Chenille? Heirloom Cut Chenille? Faux Chenille? Fake Chenille? Whatever the name is, it basically slashes a few layers of flannels between the parallel stitching lines, fraying the raw edges to make the “caterpillar” piles that give the warm and smooth look that we want to touch and feel.
Making chenille is fun and looking at how beautiful the raw edges fray is exhilarating!!! Imagine how we used to hide our ugly raw edge by overlocking it and/or hemming it with various kinds of seam techniques… Now, we are exposing it and feeling proud of it!!!!
Initially, I planned to make chenille blankets for my kids, but after seeing a drooling baby, he really needs a super absorbent wonder bib urgently, so, I adapted the chenille technique into the bib and made some chenille bib for him 🙂 I used cotton flannels (flannelettes) so that they were not so warm, yet they were able to absorb ounces of saliva.
I made some and given away to my friends. This chenille bib is one of the quickest gifts I have ever made, and it is great as a baby shower gift, too. As you may have noticed, I have made some with binder edges, too. I am hoping to come out with the bias binder tutorial soon. So, stay tuned!
Chenille Bib Sewing Pattern
Materials (to make 1 bib):
(Pre-wash all fabrics before sewing)
1. Top fabric (cotton) (10″ x 14″)
2. White Muslin (10″ x 14″)
3. 3 pcs. of coordinating color cotton flannels/flannelettes (10″ x 14″), I used 2 white and 1 blue
4. Snap button or Velcro fastener
5. Bib pattern
Tools:
1. Sewing Machine (best with 1/4″ presser foot)
2. Matching color sewing thread
3. Sewing essentials
4. Chenille Cutter or Slasher (able to slash on 1/4″ slot, click the link to get from Amazon), or blunt point scissors
Trace your own bib pattern from your kid’s favorite bib, or print this letter-size pdf bib sewing pattern. Don’t scale the printing otherwise, the size may not be right. The size is suitable for babies 6-12 months (the drooling age).
Stack, pin, and sew the following (from Top to Bottom):
1. White muslin, draw a 45º diagonal line (top left to bottom right corner) at the center as a guide
2. White flannel,
3. Blue flannel,
4. White flannel
Sew parallel straight lines diagonally across the pile, 1/4″ apart (use 1/4″ presser foot as a guide). Accuracy is not very important, but don’t get them too close to each other; otherwise, your slasher can’t go in.
Insert the slasher into the “tunnel” with 3 flannels on top and muslin at the bottom, since we are only going to slash the flannels and not the muslin.
Hold the corner firmly and push the slasher along the way to cut through the layers of flannel.
Repeat until you have finished converting all “tunnels” into “canals”.
Carefully clear your slasher’s blade if there is excessive lint caught in there.
A closer look at the flannels after the slashing. If you don’t have a chenille cutter or slasher, you can always use a pair of blunt point scissors to cut.
If you wonder what a chenille cutter or a slasher looks like, they are similar to a rotary cutter but with a protruded guide attached to it. Use the guide to slot into the “tunnel” and slash whatever is above the guide. Click here to view the product.
Trace the bib pattern onto the wrong side of the top fabric. Remember to flip your pattern to the back if you are tracing on the wrong side with a fabric erasable marker.
Now, place your top fabric onto the chenille with the right side down.
Pin and sew. Leave a 2″ opening at the bottom for turning the bib right side out.
Trim the bib with about 1/4″ to 3/8″ seam allowance. Clip curve (snip on concave and notch on convex).
Turn bib inside out through the opening. Stitch up the opening.
Smooth out the curve and seam line. Press.
Topstitch near the edge. Install a snap button or velcro fastener.
Throw the chenille bib into the washing machine, wash, and fray it!!!! You may need to wash another 1 or 2 times to reduce the lint produced from the fray.
Rene
Thursday 13th of October 2022
what tool are you calling a "slasher?"
Craft Passion
Saturday 15th of October 2022
It is called Slash Cutter and the brand I am using is from Clover. I have updated the product link in pattern too.
Cortney
Friday 24th of June 2016
I made a bunch of these for my coming grandbaby. They're really adorable! I haven't sewn on a machine for years, & these were easy enough for a total beginner!
I would like to know how to do the bias tape edge. Do you have any instructions?
Craft Passion
Wednesday 29th of June 2016
Hi Cortney, Thank you for loving this bib pattern. You may refer to the Secret Garden Quilt tutorial for the bias tape instruction, they are similar. Hope this helps.
Angela Jackson
Thursday 13th of November 2014
It is nice that a snap button was used for this bib. But this type of bib is just not for me. The silicone bibs has served me well and I prefer it.
http://ghcbibs.com
Tiffany Hooper
Monday 5th of December 2011
I liked your site and have no sewing abilities at all much less a sewing machine. The baby bibs are my favorite in comparison to what I see in the stores here. Would you be willing to sew me some for my baby boy coming in February 2012, and if so let me know what the charges total would be for fabric and shipping, etc...your time. I would love to have about 10-12 in muted tones and loud colors as well-Let me know if this is possible!! Thank so much and keep the creativity flowing!!
Tiffany
Craft Passion
Tuesday 6th of December 2011
Hi Tiffany, congratulations on your incoming bundle of joy. If time and situation permitted, I would love to sew some for you.... but as you might notice that I have to keep on creating new content for this site which means that basically it left me to no time to take orders. So, I would suggest that find someone near you to sew them (just show them this page) and that will save you a lot in shipping too.
Shannon Margaret Brott
Wednesday 15th of December 2010
I don't have any White Muslin to use...is there something I could sub for it...???? Please let me know....
Shannon Margaret Shannon . Margaret . Brott (AT) gmail (dot) com
Craft Passion
Wednesday 15th of December 2010
You can always substitute it with any light color plain fabric, as long as it won't show through :)