Ruffle Bib Boutique Shirt

So what do you do when you see an absolutely adorable boutique outfit for your daughter, but it’s outrageously too expensive for you?

You make your own, of course!

I swear, the pride of dressing my daughter in something handmade never gets old.  Although it’s still nothing compared to how much I want to smother those chubby little cheeks in kisses.  ^_^

I’ve broken this project up into three different sections so you don’t have to browse through an encyclopedia-size tutorial if you’re only looking for one particular part.  So let’s get going, shall we?

Additionally: You’ll need an iron.  I always forget something.  But other than that it’s pretty simple, right?  And if you have a decent selection of fabric (and your kid has a ton of clothes), you might already most of this stuff on hand.  But if you’re like me and have to purchase a matching top and bottom, don’t fret.

Ahhh… The joy of cheap.  I swear, you don’t have to buy an $80 outfit for your daughter to look cute.  Go ahead, read that sentence again.  Repeat it as your mantra.  Revel in it.  Now give yourself a pat on the back, cuz you’re a DIY-er, and you rock!

Ok, back to business.

step 1: I know it looks like it in this picture, but no, I’m not writing on the shirt, lol.  If you look closely, you can see the piece of scrap paper I’m using to create my template.  Place the paper directly over the front, and drag your fingernail underneath the decorative collar to make an indent in the paper.  Trace directly over that line with your pen, and draw your bib template in a way that pleases you.  (As you can see, I started over four times before I finally decided on what I wanted.)

step 2: Cut out your template.

step 3: Cut your contrasting fabric a little longer than your template, and twice as wide as you’d like it.

step 4: Fold your contrasting material in half, right sides together, and sew it closed down the side.

step 5: Sew only one of the short sides together.

step 6: Turn your tube of contrasting fabric right-side-out.

step 7: Iron your tube into a flat strip.

step 8: Flip your template upside down and trace it onto the wrong side of your fabric.

NOTE: You can also pin your template directly onto the wrong side of your fabric, which is what I normally do.  However, the fabric I was using for this project was oober stretchy, and I didn’t trust myself not to wonk-out my template by over stretching the fabric while I was pinning.

step 9: Cut out your fabric and pin it to your shirt.

step 10: Place your strip of contrasting fabric down the middle of your shirt.  I lined the short end of my strip that was sewed up along the collar.  If your strip is a little long, you can either trim it or tuck it under.  Once you have the placement down, pin your strip in place.

step 11: Sew your strip in place with a straight stitch down both sides.  Be sure to separate the top and bottom of your shirt so you don’t accidentally sew it closed!

step 12: Now sew all the way around the edges of your fabric bib and contrasting fabric using a zig-zag stitch.  (I started out using a straight stitch, but decided it needed more oomphf.  Plus, it has the added benefit of keeping your strip from fraying.)

step 13: Pin your first layer of lace trim to the shirt with a half-inch gap between it and the fabric bib.

step 14: Sew your lace trim into place using a straight stitch.

step 15: Pin your second layer of lace directly over your zig-zag stitch and sew into place.

step 16: Sew your buttons by hand onto the contrasting strip.

And that’s it!  You’re done!  Now all that’s left to do is put it on your little one and let her proudly model it for you.  :)

Stay tuned over the next few days for the matching Ruffle Leggings Tutorial, and the Ruffle Chiffon Flower Headband Tutorial.  Thanks for joining me, fellow DIY-ers, and I hope you and your daughter enjoy her new shirt!!

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