Make-Do and Mend: Burp Cloths from Scraps

As the nesting urge has come upon me, I've frequently found myself delving through the far corners of old forgotten cupboards, attempting to make space for all the new baby-shaped items that will be entering our home very soon. 

Whilst revisiting a particularly neglected shelf in our linen closet, I came across a bundle of 12 unopened washcloths that my husband had apparently accumulated as a house-warming gift, way before I was ever in the picture. Oh, the potential! Paired with a bundle of fabric scraps I've collected over my many years of crafting, and with the support of my rickety old 70's sewing machine, I embarked on a mission to make something both useful and frugal from my new treasure... burp cloths!

Not one to be tempted by the stereotypical pink/blue baby animal type designs that are out there, I figured I'd take this opportunity for exercising my creative license, and try to produce something that I felt was at least a little different and maybe even a fun to flash in public. Behold, the fruits of my labor!

The steps were super simple:

1. Trim all tags off of the washcloths. Pin them front to front with the fabric scraps you've chosen to work with and machine stitch all around the edge (about 1/2 inch in from the very outside), leaving about 2 1/2 inches to flip the whole thing right way round afterwards. Trim across the corners so they'll fold out nice an neatly.

Note: This is the time to attach a ribbon tag for 'aesthetic purposes' if you so desire - just fold a 3-4 inch piece of ribbon over on itself (design facing outwards) and slide between the pinned washcloth and fabric, so just the 2 ends are poking outside of the square - this'll be stitched in snuggly when you zoom past it with the machine. Take care to make sure the right amount of ribbon will be waiting for you on the other side of the burp cloth, all according to your personal taste of course!

2. Once flipped so that the fabric's design and the 'nice' side of the washcloth is facing outwards, fold the 2 1/2 inch opening edges over and in on themselves and pin in place so it looks like a nice, neat edge. Start here and secure the whole thing (and it's nice neat shape) with another machine stitched line, all the way around, about 1/2 inch inside the outer edge. 

And... DONE! This could not be easier. I knocked out 6 of these in an hour, that's how simple they are and I'm really happy with the results (especially the moustache ribbon tags - fun touch don't you think?) They're washable, reusable and durable, and it's one more baby thing I get to put my own stamp on...go on, give it as bash!