Tutorial; Burp Cloth Roll-up for the Breastfeeding Cover

Here is the Burp Cloth Roll-up for the Breastfeeding Cover.  I came up with this idea a few years ago after I ordered a cover on-line (before there were tutorials online for them).  It came with a little purse to put your cover back in after you used it.  I thought it was a cute idea and made one for a friend.  The next time I saw her I asked how she liked the little purse and she said she never used it because it was to hard to fit the cover in each time.  I knew there had to be an easier way to keep the cover tidy while in your diaper bag and decided everyone needs a burp cloth anyway and decided to put the two together.  I used this myself with my last daughter and really liked it and have heard from other mother's I have made them for who also like the idea.  It's an easy project and a nice gift to go along with yesterday's cover.


Materials:

Fabric(washed, dried, and ironed): 9"x18" and 2 pieces that are 2"x18" or 1 piece that is 2"x36"
Terry Cloth: 9"x18" (I like a very soft terry cloth)
Batting: 9"x18"
Thread: coordinating to your fabric
Cutting Mat
Rotary Cutter
Rulers
Starch (I like to starch my hem to get a nice crisp straight line)

Directions:

1.  Cut Fabric

• Cut 9"x18" of the main fabric, terry cloth and the batting
• Cut 2"x18" of the main fabric for the straps
 

 2.  Straps:

• Iron the fabric in half, open back up and iron both sides so they meet in the crease, fold again and re-iron the first crease.  You should have 4 layers of fabric measuring 1/2" wide

•  Sew a small seam allowance on the left and right side of the fabric from the top to the bottom.

 

• Iron the top down and then down again and sew a seam.

3.  Burp Cloth

• Put a crease at the halfway point of top of your burp cloth with the print side up. 
• Pin the straps up so that the straps stay within the burp cloth and you don't end up sewing them in on accident
• Lay the Straps within the burp cloth with a tail sticking out.

 

• Layer your fabrics; print side up with the straps, then the terry cloth down facing the print and the batting on the very top.

 

•   Pin well.  I will use a pin put in sideways to remind me to leave an opening.

• Sew a 1/4" to 1/2" seam around the burp cloth but make sure you leave your opening for turning it inside out.  I usually will back stitch over the straps.

• Remove pins and cut the corners.

•  Turn inside right and use a turning tool (skewer in my case) to make nice pointy corners.

 

•  Iron well and sew a small seam around the burp cloth.  Remember to pull the thread to the top before sewing the small seam allowance.

 

Finished!

• Make sure you have trimmed all loose threads and you are done!

Breastfeeding Cover Tutorial

There are a ton of tutorials on the breastfeeding covers so I had debated on creating another one. I have made many of these over the years and when a friend wanted to learn how I tried  to find a tutorial like the one I make but I ended up giving her more directions so I figured I would add to the numerous tutorials out there with making one of my own. I also included a burp cloth that you can roll your breastfeeding cover up in so that it stays nice and tidy in your diaper bag.  I hope that you find the instructions easy to follow!  Tomorrow I will be posting the tutorial for the Burp Cloth Roll-Up.

This project will take about 2 hours to complete.  

Materials Needed:

Fabric: 1 1/4 yards - this includes enough material to make the burp cloth (please wash, dry and iron)
D Rings: 1 1/4 inch
Boning:  12" to 16" depending on who you are making it for (not well endowed and on the thinner side 12", well endowed 16", use your best judgment) 1/2" Rigilene Polyester Boning (this is the only kind I will use, you may have to order it via internet)
Thread: coordinating to your fabric
Cutting Mat
Rotary Cutter
Rulers
Optional:
Terry Cloth: 1/2 yard (10" square for the cover and 18"x9" rectangle for the burp cloth, this fabric shrinks a lot.  I would purchase 1/2 yard to be on the safe side and you must wash and dry this before sewing it due to the large amount of shrinkage.)
Batting: 18"x9" for the burp cloth only (you will not need this for the breastfeeding cover)
Starch (I like to starch my hem to get a nice crisp straight line)
Card Stock with 1/2" line drawn on it (Thanks Martha Stewart)

Directions

1.  Wash, Dry and Iron your fabric and your terry cloth.

2.  Cut Fabric. 

• Straps 5"x25" & 5"x6"
• Cover 30"x40"
• Terry Cloth Pocket 10"x10"
• Boning 12" to 16"

Fold Salvage Edges (that is where the writing is) together.

Square up your fabric by taking a taking your square ruler and lining it up against the folded edge and butting your long ruler up against it as shown and cutting off the end.

 
Measure 30" and cut, this will be our cover.  Measure 5" and cut, this will be our straps.

Fold the cover again the opposite way so that you have 4 layers of salvage.  Measure from top crease down 20 inches (due to fold this will give you 40 inches).  Cut off the salvage and the remaining couple of inches.
Make sure you have folded this correct and are cutting off the SALVAGE edge.

 

 
I use my large square ruler to cut out a 10" square from the terry cloth material.

 Cut the boning 12" to 16".

We will leave the strap the way it is for now and after we sew it we will then cut it into two (if you already cut it's not an issue)

2.  Straps:

Iron the fabric in half, open back up and iron both sides so they meet in the crease, fold again and re-iron the first crease.  You should have 4 layers of fabric measuring 1 1/4" wide.

Sew a small seam allowance on the left and right side of the fabric from the top to the bottom.

If you have not yet cut your fabric do so at this time (25" and 6")

Fold down the top of the long strap 1/2" and iron.  Fold again 1/2" and iron.  On the smaller strap fold down 3/4" and iron and again 3/4" and iron again, insert the D rings within the fold.

From this point on you will always bring your thread to the top before sewing.

Sew a small seam on the top and bottom of the fold.  Sew two seams across the fabric as shown on the D ring strap.

3.  Cover:

• Take your card stock that has a 1/2" line and iron a 1/2" seam all around your cover (I like to use my starch spray to get a nice crisp line).  Then do it one more time.

• Iron your 10" square terry cloth material in 1/2.

• Sew a small seam at the top of the terry cloth.  This fabric is very stretchy and sometimes doesn't like to go through the sewing machine so I will normally start sewing a small piece of scrap material and then feed the terry cloth in.  You may notice some stretching after you have sewn it.  Get your square ruler out and square it back up the best you can.

• Lay your cover down so that the back side is facing you.  Place the terry cloth triangle in the bottom right hand corner and pin well.  

• Sew a 1/4 seam on both sides and the bottom (do not sew the top as of yet).

• Take the corner where the terry cloth is and fold it in half.  Take your ruler and a marking pencil and mark a 2" line on each side of the fold.  Bring your thread to the top and sew from your seam up to where the terry cloth ends for each line that you drew.

• Fold the top of the cover in half and make a crease.  Fold the boning in half a make a small crease.  Match the two up and place the boning inside the 1/2 fold you have already created.  Make sure that once the boning is in it is facing the correct way.

• Take both straps and fold them up 1/2" at the bottom and iron it. Tuck the longer one into the left side of the fabric so that half of it is under the boning and half is not and pin it. This should be the left side as if the mother was wearing it (unless she is left handed, then do opposite). Tuck the D ring strap into the right side of the fabric so that half of it is under the boning and half is not and pin it.  This should be the right side as if the mother was wearing the cover (opposite if left handed).

• You will be sewing two seams at the top.  Start sewing at right/left hand seam you started/ended with before, making a 1/4" seam allowance.  Then make a smaller seam allowance towards the top of the fabric.

4.  Finish it up!

• Make sure you have trimmed all threads.
• Wash, dry, iron and enjoy!
• See tomorrow's post for the Burp Cloth Roll-Up

Completed breastfeeding cover with terry cloth pocket and Burp Cloth Roll-up.

Breastfeeding cover all rolled up for easy storing in the diaper bag!

 Please leave a comment or link below if you make one!  
I love hearing from everyone!

Tutorial; Easy Applique Using Fusible Webbing

My sister was over the other day asking how to do an applique project. She wanted an explanation so that she could go home and do it herself. She is a visual person and likes directions so I searched for a tutorial that would help her out. I found several different ones but none the way I do my applique. I hope this helps make applique a little easier for her and for you!  Enjoy!

Materials needed:
Fabric (pre-washed without fabric softener)
T-shirt (or whatever you are going to applique onto, make sure it is also pre-washed without fabric softener)
Heat n' Bond Lite
Iron
Sewing Machine
Scissors
Coordinating Thread

Directions:

1.  Find what you want to applique. Today I am making a circle with the letter A to put on a onesie.   I made this in Word and printed it out and adjusted the size until it was the size to fit on a onesie.

2.  You will need your Heat n' Bond Lite Iron on Adhesive and a pen. You will trace your letter backwards to make the applique correct. You can do this by making a mirror image on a computer program or you can turn your sheet of paper over and trace it with a black marker (by doing this you will be able to see the letter through your Heat n' Bond). You will then put your Heat n' Bond Lite over top of that and trace both the circle and the letter.

3.  On the Heat n' Bond cut around the circle and the letter. This does not and should not be exact as you can see in my picture.

4.  Place the letter on the backside of the fabric that you have picked out. Iron it down as stated on the Heat n' Bond Lite directions. Do the same for the circle.

5.  Cut the circle and letter out. You will be cutting on the lines this time.

6.  Peel the backing off of the pieces you have just cut out.

7.  Place the circle on the t- shirt. At this point I usually use an applique pressing sheet or a piece of scrap fabric over top of the applique so that if there is anything on my iron I will not get it on my white shirt. 

8.  Place the letter on the t-shirt and the pressing sheet/scrap fabric on top of that and iron the letter down.

10.  Pick out your coordinating thread and sew a small seam with a straight stitch around the circle applique. You do not need to back stitch when you start your stitches because you will end up coming all the way around your applique and at that point you will sew on top of your beginning stitches and then back stitch. Change thread if you need to and do the same for the letter.

11.  I hope I have made applique a little easier to understand!