DIY custom burp cloths are a great personalized baby gift. Using cloth diapers and fabric of your choice, these will be a new mom’s go-to for the diaper bag.
When I was expecting Carter, I got a tip from a few mom friends who said that the best burp cloths were cloth diapers. They are more absorbent and larger than most standard burp cloths. I took that advice and bought a few packages. One of the best baby gifts one of my friends gave me was a set of these that had been customized with some fabric matching Carter’s nursery colors. It was nice to have some burp cloths that both looked good and functioned better! Now it’s one of my go to baby gifts to make for others too!
I made this set for a co-worker whose family enjoys camping. I figured they’d appreciate this outdoorsy print for their new little guy.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Prefold cloth diapers
- Fabric of your choice (I like a soft flannel or fleece).
- Coordinating thread
- Iron
- Straight pins
I made two different versions, one where the fabric covered the full burp cloth and one that the fabric covered only the middle panel. I’ll describe how to do both.
Prep: Prewash and dry your burp cloths. Then iron them flat and stretch them out so they are relatively even.
FULL PANEL:
For the full panel, you’ll need to cut your fabric just slightly bigger than the size of the burp cloth, about a half inch all the way around.
Then turn your fabric over while laying it on top of the burp cloth to use as a guide. Fold and iron the sides so the size of your fabric is about the same or just slightly smaller than the burp cloth. Turn your fabric back over, so the right side is on top. Then pin your fabric to the burp cloth all the way around.
Sew with your fabric facing up, a quarter of an inch in from the edge. First sew all the way around the edges. Then sew along the middle third area near where the prefold seams are sewn on the original burp cloth. You can use your iron to mark where you’ll sew. The burp cloths can sometimes be a little uneven, so I suggest using the iron “line” rather than the original line.
CENTER PANEL:
(I forgot to get pictures of all the steps using the same fabric, so you’ll see various patterns on this one between steps.)
Cut your fabric slightly larger than the center panel on the burp cloth. I suggest a half inch on each side. Then turn your fabric over and fold each side a half inch and iron down.
Turn your fabric back over and pin it to the center of the burp cloth. Sew all the way around your fabric a quarter inch in from the edge of your fabric panel.
Then you’re done.
I gave these along with a coordinating custom made tag blanket (check out my previous tutorial). I loved the argyle corduroy I used this time around!
I actually did two different sets at the same time I made this one. The other one had a sports theme, which I’ll share soon.
I like to give these along with a gift card to where the new parents are registered. How about you, what’s your go to baby gift?
