This baby girl bib and skirt set sewing tutorial is a perfect baby gift for a new little one! Whip one up with these step-by-step instructions.
A family at our church recently had a new baby. We’re a very small church so this is very exciting for everyone in the congregation. Being a sewist, I knew I wanted to make them a special handmade something to welcome their sweet little girl. And what is sweeter than a little baby dress?
Except… I didn’t really want to make a dress. I wanted to make something a little more practical and flexible in sizing. And to be honest, I didn’t want to spend a super long time on it or mess with complicated closures.
So, instead of making a dress, I made a baby girl bib and skirt set.
The two pieces together, along with a plain white onesie, give the appearance of a dress, but without the hassle of putting baby in a dress. Plus, each of the items can be used separately.
Isn’t this baby girl bib and skirt set so sweet together? I think this is my new go-to baby gift for a girl! I’ve got a tutorial and free pattern for you below.
The baby girl bib is actually quite practical. It’s big enough to give good coverage without overwhelming the frame of a small baby. The terry cloth back is soft and absorbent, perfect for catching drool. And the side snap is easy to put on!
The main fabric on the skirt is the same as on the bib, but I’ve added a contrast trim and hem band to dress it up. The hem band also creates a nice clean finish on the inside!
Each piece is actually quite easy to sew. The bib has some tight curves, but that’s as complicated as it gets. The skirt is a simple elastic waist skirt that uses only easy straight seams. You could make both pieces in an afternoon, perfect for a last minute baby shower gift!
The bib pattern and my skirt cutting dimensions are sized to fit a baby 3-6 months. I think that’s a nice size to make for a baby gift. Finished dimensions on the skirt are 7” long and a 14” waist.
You’ll need a half yard of the main fabric to make both pieces, plus the notions and accent fabrics listed on each of the supply lists.
Supplies for Baby Bib
Main fabric (at least 7” wide x 12” tall)
Terry cloth (at least 7” wide x 12” tall)
Plastic snaps & snap setting tool
To make the baby bib:
Cut the bib pattern out of the main fabric and the terry cloth. If your terry cloth has a right and wrong side, be sure to reverse the pattern when cutting it from the terry cloth.
Place the main fabric and terry cloth bib pieces RST. Sew around all sides with ½” seam allowance, leaving it open between the marks on the pattern to create a turning hole.
Between the tight curves, narrow neck piece, and the deep pile of the terry cloth, I had to use a lot of pins to keep the layers from creeping. I also had better luck sewing it with the main fabric on top and the terry cloth on the bottom.
Clip curves. Turn right side and press the raw edges at the opening to the inside.
Top stitch around all sides close to the edge. The top stitching will sew the turning hole closed.
The bib is almost done! All we need to do now is install the snaps. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to install the snaps at the circles marked on the pattern. The stud side of the snap should go on the back of the neck band, and the socket side should be on the front of the bib.
Supplies for Baby Skirt
Main fabric – 1 piece 30” wide by 7.5”’ tall
Trim fabric – 1 piece 30” wide by 1.5” tall
Hem band fabric – 1 piece 30” wide by 4” tall
¾” non-roll elastic – 15”
Glue stick
Alternate fabric cuts for using fat quarters
You can make this skirt from fat quarters if you wish. You’ll just need to cut 2 pieces and then sewn them together.
Main fabric – 2 pieces 15.5” wide x 7.5” tall
Trim fabric – 2 pieces 15.5” wide x 1.5” tall
Hem band fabric – 2 pieces 15.5” wide x 4” tall
To Make the Baby Skirt:
RST = Right Sides Together, WST = Wrong Sides Together, SA = Seam Allowance
If you’re using the fat quarter cutting measurements, place your strips RST and sew down one short side with ½” SA to make 30” strips. Do this for the main, trim, and hem band pieces. Press seam allowances to one side and trim with pinking shears to control fraying.
Sew the trim and hem band
Fold trim piece in half lengthwise WST, to make a strip that is 30” x .75”.
Place folded trim across the bottom of the main fabric piece, raw edges aligned. Baste in place with a ¼” SA.
Now, place the hem band piece across the bottom of the main fabric piece, raw edges aligned. Sew across bottom with a ½” SA.
Press seam open, with hem band facing down and trim piece facing up (toward main fabric).
On the back, press SA toward hem band.
Fold in half the short way. Sew at the side with a ½” SA. Trim SA with pinking shears to control fraying.
Press bottom edge of hem band ½” to the back of the skirt.
Fold hem band to the back of the skirt so that the pressed edge just barely covers the seam between hem band and main fabric. Glue baste in place. Press with a hot iron to be sure the glue is dry.
From the front of the skirt, stitch in the ditch in the seam between the hem band and main fabric to secure.
Stitch in the ditch means to sew your seam in the “ditch” where another seam has already been sewn.
Sew the casing
Press the top edge ½” to the back.
Press the top edge over another 1” to the back.
Sew all the way around close to the edge to create a casing, leaving 1.5” open at the back to insert the elastic.
Thread elastic through the casing.
When I thread elastic through a casing, I put a large safety pin in each end of the elastic. I use one of them to push the elastic through the casing, while the other one keeps the end of the elastic from sliding up into the casing.
Overlap the ends of the elastic by 1”. Stitch together in a box and X pattern. You’ll need to pull the ends pretty far out of the skirt in order to overlap them and place them under the presser foot.
Now that the elastic is sewn together in a circle, let it get pulled back into the casing. Top stitch the opening in the casing closed.
Your baby skirt is done!
If you love this project then you will also love some of these sewing tutorials from Anne:
Tea Towel Origami Bag Sewing Tutorial
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[…] If you’ve ever made a skirt before, the doll skirt is made exactly the same – just in smaller dimensions. In fact, this skirt is an almost exact copy of a baby skirt that I shared last year. You can find the tutorial here. […]