Baby Apron (Bapron)

Hello everyone! I was able to do a little more sewing this morning and man have I missed using the sewing machine! Unfortunately, my favorite iron died. It still lights up like it's working, but it doesn't heat up at all. Luckily, I still had the iron from my college days so I had a back up to use this morning.

A pair of our friends are about to have their first baby. They had a baby shower the same weekend that I was hosting a bridal shower, so I was unable to attend. I still wanted to send them something though, so I made a baby apron (bapron). I used this tutorial from Jess at Craftiness is not optional. It went pretty quickly and I bet I'll make some more of these at some point in time. I'm going to keep the pattern I made.

Our friends are having a boy, and I must admit I didn't have a whole lot of boy materials. The pattern calls for regular fabric for the front and some flannel for the back. The only flannel big enough that I had lying around was some left over monkey print from a quilt I made a few years ago. At least it was blue! :)

For the front, I used a gray and black geometric print. I think it kind of looks like chain mail or armor, and my husband actually said the same thing when he saw it. I think that will make the dad very happy. He likes playing video games and I think he'd like the idea of a baby bib/apron that looks like armor. :)

The back is the really cute part of it. And, you can actually use the bib either way. So, if mom wants to have the cute monkeys out front she can do that too. I think the cotton will be easier to wipe off than the flannel, but either side is soft if their baby is shirtless while he's eating.

I really like this pattern for quite a few reasons:

1) It's a free download and free pattern - awesome!!!
2) It was quick - it took me about an hour and a half only because I made my own binding. Otherwise it probably would have taken an hour or less. And now that I know what I'm doing, I'm sure the next ones will go even more quickly.
3) It's reversible! I really love that, especially if one side ends up getting stained or something.
4) It's big. You'll be able to use it when your kid starts eating solid foods, probably even a little before that, and as they grow. Plus it will cover their entire stomach and maybe even part of their legs depending on how big the child is. That means the bib gets stained and not their clothes!
5) The kid can't just yank the bib off. Since it's tied at the back and the arm holes are solid, the child won't be able to just rip it off in a fit and then dump food over themselves. The bibs with Velcro at the top just don't seem as practical to me.

So - if you're looking for a clothing protector, I highly suggest this one. The tutorial is awesome and you can use whatever fabrics you want to make it super cute!

I did make some changes to the pattern. I lightly quilted the bib rather than just sewing around the outside edges. I didn't want the back to separate from the front in the wash, so this way it will stay looking like a bib and not get separated. It took a little longer to do that, but I just did straight, vertical lines with black thread on the front and white on the back. I also changed the end of the neck straps. Instead of tying them in a knot I folded over the ends and sewed the rough edges under. If the stitches come out the mom can always tie them in a knot later, but I thought it might make them a little sturdier to be sewn down.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy sewing! :)