HEY! Hello visitors from Vanilla Joy and About.com! Thanks for visiting. If you have any problems or questions with this pattern I have created a new post with simplified step by step instructions so you might want to check it out too! It is available HERE.
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Someone asked me the other day for the pattern for the towel bibs that I make and I thought it might make a good blog post.
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The biggest challenge to make these bibs is finding the fingertip towels. I just call them ‘Tip Towels’ for short.
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Years ago, Wal-mart sold them in 5 packs. When they stopped carrying them and put them on clearance, I was lucky enough to get a good supply, so I haven’t done any shopping for them since then.
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I can tell you that the tip towels that I use are the same size that golfers use for golf bag towels. If you are unable to locate the size that you want, you might try a sporting goods store, but I have noticed that a lot of the golf towels have a grommet in one corner so you might not want those.
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I have made the bibs with bigger towels for bigger kids, just make the neck part bigger. I could always cut a towel to the size I wanted and hem the edges, but that is more work.
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As far as the construction goes, they are simple to make.
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1. Cut a piece of ribbing 10 1/2 inches by 3 inches, sewing it into a neck band, and pin into fourths.
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2. Place the circle pattern on the towel in the center and a couple for inches from the top.
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3. Trace around the circle, cut the circle out and pin into fourths.
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4. Pin neck band to towel and stitch. Finish the edge however, serge, zig-zag, so on.
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Now the fun starts. Add some ribbon or lace for a little girl, or an applique or iron-on for a little boy. Go crazy designing the bib and have a good time. Remember though to make your embellishments washable.
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If you try them please let me know how the bibs turn out for you here in the comments.
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(NOTE: I’ve added a follow up to this post HERE and another small update is HERE.)
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Sew Forth and Sew On 
We love using this kind of bib because it is harder for the child to remove themselves, but very easy to put on for an adult. I also like the size of them. It covers the child’s front and shoulders, so when the are going crazy with food all over themselves it stays on the bib.
I agree with Cammie. Ethan is a double-fistful type of eater and these bibs are a necessity for Spaghetti-O’s.
i love making these bibs but i’m having a hard time founding the ribbing do you know a website i might get it. thank you
As far as purchasing ribbing on line, fabric.com seems to have the best selection that I could find, (I searched their site for knit ribbing.) but I have not personally purchased any ribbing from them. Hancockfabrics.com also listed some basic color when I searched for knit ribbing. On the retail front, Joann’s carries several colors, but don’t waste your time looking at Walmart. Another option to purchasing actual ribbing is to use a nice interlock knit with a good stretch. Just make sure to cut the interlock a little longer than you would the ribbing before using it.
I see that you refer to the towels as “tip” towels … I was always taught that they were called “fingertip” towels. I bought many of them back in my counted cross stitch days, when you could buy the kind that had an area for doing counted cross-stitch near the bottom of the towel.
Yes I used to own several of the ones that had the cross-stitch aida cloth part on them too, but I just don’t cross-stitch much any more.
And yes “tip towels” is the shortened version of “fingertip towels”. I just didn’t want to give anyone the finger! 😉 But speaking of the finger stay tuned for my next blog where I go into detail about the F-WORD!
For a full definition of a fingertip towel here it is:
A fingertip towel is a small towel which is typically designed to be primarily ornamental, rather than specifically functional. However, such towels can technically be used to dry the hands after washing, and they are sometimes displayed in small bathrooms where hand towels would be too bulky, but a host still wants people to be able to dry their hands after washing.
You can also use the Golf Towels or Golfers Towels and I do quite often because the grommets don’t bother me, I just cut them out while making the bibs and they are a good size.
A fab blog this bib has been so useful for my little one as she attempts to feed herself with an array of finger food! Thank you.
I have had some luck finding fingertip towels at salvation army thrift stores.
Hi, I do not have any sewing knowledge but I thought this looked pretty simple until I got to the circle. Am I supposed to do something with the circle other than using it to make the neck hole cut out. I know this is probably dumb DUH!!! but I can’t figure out what to do with the circle after I use it to cut hole. Any help appreciated and maybe I can get this bib made.
Thanks.
SKM
Sharon thanks for the note. It sounds like you did just fine creating your bib. Once you have completed your bib’s you just throw the spare circle away if you no longer need it. I’ve kept my same one in my sewing drawer since I make several of these bibs a year I can just pull it out and whip some up and then put it back away until the next time I make bib’s. If this was a one time thing for you though just go ahead and throw that circle template piece away when you are done. I’m going to make a simplified bib post very soon so watch for it as it might help you out with some tips and tricks.
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We have been making these for years. I love these. My baby brother had them and when I started having kids just had to have them because nothing in the stores compare. We searched every where for them thankfully I found some in the target dollar section for awhile that worked. Wish I would of stocked up on more. Just found your blog, because of your PA Fabric Store post and trying to find store for my mom and grandma to visit. Can’t wait to keep exploring.
Thanks for the comment. Yes I too found that in real world use these bibs worked far better than anything else. They also make cleanup easier and are great to just throw in the washer and dryer and re-use.