Baby Burp Cloth Tutorial

Jul 22nd, 2008 by Marie

As my baby is quite the little spitter-upper, there’s a burp cloth in every room, on the car seat, the bouncer, and 2 in the diaper bag, Ugh, spit up. I love to use cloth diapers as they soak everything up, but instead of leaving them white and plain, I thought I’d let you in on how I frilly them up for burp cloths.

I’ve had flannel burp cloths in the past, and even though they’re super cute, the spit up tends to roll off the cloth instead of getting sucked in. So I go for the cloth diapers sold in the baby section of almost all stores. I don’t think the “ply” matters much, there’s 3 or 4 ply and they both do the job.

Supplies for Baby Burp Cloths:

Cloth Diapers
Ribbon or Ric Rac
Quilt Binding
Sewing Machine with thread to match the ribbon

First, get out a cloth diaper. Then choose a ribbon to use and cut two strips to the length of the cloth. Starting at the top of one of the seams, sew right down the middle of the ribbon all the way down. Do this for both ends. I only sew ribbon on one side and if the thread shows through to the other side, that just adds color to the other side.

Next, measure and cut your quilt binding for the top and bottom. Fold it over and sew. I like to use a zig-zag stitch to give it a little flare. Then repeat with the other end of the cloth. I don’t worry about the open ends on each corner. (This bottom burp cloth is all wrinkly because it’s been washed.)

Now you’re done. But if you have a spitter like me, you’ll need to make about 7 more of these!

Posted in Sewing | 32 Comments

32 Responses to “Baby Burp Cloth Tutorial”

on 22 Jul 2008 at 6:37 am1 Karyn

I just got a sewing machine….I have no idea how to sew but this looks like a fun first project!!!
on 22 Jul 2008 at 7:00 am2 Lacie

I am amazed once again with the things you are able to accomplish with a little one. My guy was a horrible spitter….and if I had a crafty bone in my body I would have done somthing like that, but since I don’t….boo hoo, we just had plain ole spit up stained burp cloths :) LOL!
~ Lacie
on 22 Jul 2008 at 8:01 am3 Karen C.

this looks so easy and what a great gift idea!
on 22 Jul 2008 at 8:12 am4 Shana

LOVE it! I think I need to try this before my 3rd little one gets here in 8 weeks!
on 22 Jul 2008 at 8:21 am5 Cutzi

Ok - so the burp cloths are cute. But the baby?? Adorable!! Really. Once I got to her I was too distracted to even care about the burp cloths! ;-) And I totally agree - the spit-up does just roll off the flannel…. and usually right on to mama’s leg, or shirt, or hair….
on 22 Jul 2008 at 8:31 am6 Crystal

The same happened with my 3rd … cloth diapers it is for those massive amounts of spit-up. I actually gave all the pretty burp cloths away. ;) This is a great gift idea, because I sure don’t have the time or energy to pull it off now that the baby is here. :)
on 22 Jul 2008 at 8:32 am7 Crystal

Oh, and that face … she’s adorable!
on 22 Jul 2008 at 8:38 am8 Lauren Horsley

This is great! I have seen these around so often and thought - “that has to be so simple to make” but have never taken the time to figure it out. Thank you! How great are these for shower gifts?
on 22 Jul 2008 at 12:58 pm9 angela

Sheesh! Why didn’t I think of that?! I may have to steal this idea for an upcoming baby shower. :o)
on 22 Jul 2008 at 1:14 pm10 Marne

Great idea! Thanks for sharing.
on 22 Jul 2008 at 1:51 pm11 Delilah

Truly a great way to brighten up those blah white burp cloths.
Thanks for sharing the idea!
on 22 Jul 2008 at 2:01 pm12 Allison

I love, love, LOVE these. Can’t wait to make some. And your baby is so beautiful!
on 22 Jul 2008 at 2:50 pm13 Barbara

I have diapers on my baby list, I’ll have to bookmark this so I can dress them up when the time comes!
on 22 Jul 2008 at 5:47 pm14 Jamie Ivey

i recently got a sewing machine and this looks like so much fun to me. I would love to be able to do this!

:)jamie
on 22 Jul 2008 at 6:52 pm15 vanessa

he he well at least she is a cute spitter upper :)
on 22 Jul 2008 at 7:24 pm16 Laurel

I love your burp cloths! You gave me one when Ashton was born and it was my favorite. Sadly, very sadly, it was lost somewhere in Disneyland :(

She is soooooo cute! I can’t believe how much your kids all look alike!
on 22 Jul 2008 at 8:30 pm17 Shayla

Too cute! I’ve seen a lot of cute burp cloths, but these take the cake!
on 22 Jul 2008 at 10:57 pm18 Amy

Your girl is too cute - even if she does spit up!
on 23 Jul 2008 at 11:31 am19 Lisa

ok, can I just say that the little face of an angel at the end of the tutorial is sooo cute!
on 23 Jul 2008 at 1:42 pm20 Marie

Thanks for the sweet baby comments. We are having too much fun with our new little one.

For those with new sewing machines, this is a great project to start with for your sewing machine. Really, just cut ribbon and sew. Then cut the binding and sew. You can do it!

And these are great for baby showers and new mothers. My second baby didn’t spit up much, so it just depends on what you get for what you’ll need.
on 25 Jul 2008 at 10:27 am21 Lauren@ThingishThings

What great gifts these will make! I’m still not to handy with the sewing machine, but I think I can handle this!
on 26 Jul 2008 at 8:30 am22 Lisa

Thanks for sharing these! I’ve been looking for nice, cheap gifts to make for all the baby showers I’ve been going to! These are adorable!
on 31 Jul 2008 at 4:01 am23 Baby Patterns and Tutorials | Make and Takes

[...] Baby Burp Cloth - by Make and Takes, yes me! [...]
on 02 Aug 2008 at 1:11 pm24 Jamie

I am so glad I found this website! I loved your idea and just finished a set. They turned out so cute, I think this could turn into my traditional baby shower gift. Thanks for the idea!
on 07 Aug 2008 at 10:48 am25 Ramblings of a Writer · Ah, baby shower!

[...] cloth diapers that have been decorated with ribbon and quilt binding. I got the idea from the blog, Make and Takes, and it was just as easy as she said it would [...]
on 07 Aug 2008 at 10:54 am26 Claire

I just made four of these for a friend’s baby shower and it was so simple and easy, and they turned out great! Thanks for the wonderful idea! And I’ve posted pictures of mine on my blog and given you all the credit!

Thanks!
on 18 Aug 2008 at 6:32 am27 June

These are so cute! I am excited to add another cute baby gift to my repertoire. I am curious about how they hold up after wash. I have ribbon just like that to use but does the ribbon fray or get weird after a wash and dry?
on 28 Aug 2008 at 9:50 am28 Mrs. H

With my daughter, I used to stencil on the cloth diapers - put her name, designs, etc. Now that I have a machine, I’ll know what to do for next time! These would also make adorable gifts. Thanks for the tip!
on 05 Sep 2008 at 2:48 am29 Amber

I love the ric rak ones!
on 13 Sep 2008 at 11:41 am30 Weekend Reading 9/13 | Frugal Urbanite

[...] Baby Burb Cloth Tutorial at Make and Takes - Need something quick and easy to take to a baby shower? [...]
on 27 Sep 2008 at 7:40 pm31 Sarah

This way nobody will confuse your cute burp cloth w/ another ordinary one from church or a playdate!
on 21 Nov 2008 at 5:15 pm32 Clothdiapermama

I love these. They are so cute and a really great way to make something look expensive when it is not. Awesome and easy idea.