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    Easiest Baby Burp Cloth Tutorial Ever.

    Last Modified: July 8, 2023 by Amy · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · 74 Comments

    Easy Baby Burp Cloth Tutorial featured by top US sewing blog, Diary of a QuilterThis is so easy it's going to knock your socks off.

    Easy Baby Burp Cloth Tutorial featured by top US sewing blog, Diary of a QuilterBuy cloth diapers. I found these at Target.  I always wash and dry them before I start sewing to pre-shrink.

    Easy Baby Burp Cloth Tutorial featured by top US sewing blog, Diary of a QuilterThen measure the space that you are going to want covered by fabric.

    I think I chose to make my cover 4" x 17".Easy Baby Burp Cloth Tutorial featured by top US sewing blog, Diary of a QuilterNow you will need a really high-tech tool called a cereal box.
    Cut your rectangular template to your desired size.

    Easy Baby Burp Cloth Tutorial featured by top US sewing blog, Diary of a QuilterFind a cute piece of fabric slightly larger than your template.

    Easy Baby Burp Cloth Tutorial featured by top US sewing blog, Diary of a QuilterCut it down to about ¾" bigger on every side.

    Easy Baby Burp Cloth Tutorial featured by top US sewing blog, Diary of a QuilterPut the template shiny side up on the back side of your fabric.
    Spray a little starch all around the edges.

    Easy Baby Burp Cloth Tutorial featured by top US sewing blog, Diary of a QuilterPress all sides down over the edge of the template.

    I love this method because I don't have to use that little slidy-sewing ruler.

    Much, much faster and with a nice crisp edge.

    Easy Baby Burp Cloth Tutorial featured by top US sewing blog, Diary of a QuilterCarefully tuck the edges in slightly on the ends, so they won't stick out when you sew them down.

    Easy Baby Burp Cloth Tutorial featured by top US sewing blog, Diary of a QuilterRemove the template and save it. I've used mine over and over.
    Pin the fabric right side up to the cloth diaper.

    Easy Baby Burp Cloth Tutorial featured by top US sewing blog, Diary of a QuilterCarefully sew down the outside edges of your baby burp cloth.

    Easy Baby Burp Cloth Tutorial featured by top US sewing blog, Diary of a QuilterIf you want to embellish your baby burp cloth a little, now's your chance.

    (You could also tuck ric-rac or something under before you sew down your fabric.)
    I like using grosgrain ribbon because it only requires straight lines and has a nice finished look.

    Easy Baby Burp Cloth Tutorial featured by top US sewing blog, Diary of a QuilterTuck the raw edges under and pin in place.

    Sew all edges down, just like the fabric.

    Easy Baby Burp Cloth Tutorial featured by top US sewing blog, Diary of a QuilterAnd that's it! Your baby burp cloth is done! 

    Now you can make dozens of them and impress all your friends at baby showers with your amazing domestic skills. And remember, don't stress too much about perfection. Their main purpose after all is to clean-up curdled baby barf. But that baby's mother will thank you for giving her such a stylish accessory to protect her formerly spotless clothes.

     

    Easy Baby Burp Cloth Tutorial featured by top US sewing blog, Diary of a Quilter

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Mauri

      January 20, 2010 at 9:19 am

      Thanks Amy, I'm going to be needing a lot of these. Now I know how to make my old burp rags look cute and cover up any unsightly stain. 🙂

      Reply
    2. Nedra

      January 20, 2010 at 9:23 am

      Amy- Thank you so much for the tutorial. I will be making some of these for my new grand daughter!

      Reply
    3. angela

      January 20, 2010 at 11:16 am

      Thanks! That thing with the cereal box is fabulous! I HATE the sliding ruler thing. I can see using that idea for all kinds of things that need the edge turned - like pants and elastic pockets...

      Reply
    4. felicity.quilts

      January 20, 2010 at 12:14 pm

      Thanks so much! I'm tucking this one away for future reference - it's a great gift idea for those people who aren't "A-list" and thus won't be getting a quilt, but for whom I'd like to make a little something.

      Reply
    5. Katie B.

      January 20, 2010 at 12:44 pm

      Fantastic idea! I just need to find someone to make them for...

      Reply
      • Rebecca Batts

        January 18, 2019 at 3:30 pm

        Any church nursery or daycare center or hospital nursery would be happy to receive a set of these, I'm sure!

        Reply
    6. Kimberly

      January 20, 2010 at 1:43 pm

      Fab! Now, if I only had another baby underfoot...

      Reply
    7. Patty

      January 20, 2010 at 3:02 pm

      What a nice gift idea. Love your hi-tech tools! :^)

      Reply
    8. Kate

      January 20, 2010 at 3:58 pm

      Oh, so brilliant!

      Reply
    9. Laurie, the girls and Scott

      January 20, 2010 at 4:16 pm

      You are such a fancy girl! I will be making these soon. Thanks for the tutorial.

      Reply
    10. amylouwho

      January 20, 2010 at 5:54 pm

      I've always seen these and never sat down to figure out how to do it! Thanks - now I don't have hurt myself trying to figure it out! Great meeting you 'fer real' today!

      Reply
    11. Deb

      January 20, 2010 at 6:24 pm

      I think my daughter will really like this tutorial...she's in the middle of making lots of diapers (for her hope chest!). Thank you so much!

      Reply
    12. Melissa

      January 20, 2010 at 6:29 pm

      I know it sounds simple, but I&#39;ve totally been doing it a MUCH harder way...<br />DUH! Why didn&#39;t I think of starch???

      Reply
    13. sharla@mylittlegems

      January 20, 2010 at 7:46 pm

      You are right it is the easiest. In fact I have tried every. burp. cloth. ever. made. ...and this is exactly how I have been making them for a while now. 🙂 I love this kind and my baby does too!

      Reply
    14. Calli

      January 21, 2010 at 12:58 am

      So cute Amy. And I love the method. I think I need to make a few as gifts.

      Reply
    15. Vicki

      January 21, 2010 at 1:27 pm

      adorable! I&#39;ve done the same thing, just without the template. 🙂

      Reply
    16. Anonymous

      January 21, 2010 at 2:19 pm

      This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Reply
    17. luvinthemommyhood

      January 27, 2010 at 10:00 am

      Love this Amy! I added this to the link luv roundup today. https://www.luvinthemommyhood.com/2010/01/link-luv-roundup.html

      Reply
    18. jaybird

      February 07, 2010 at 11:04 pm

      that was super easy!

      Reply
    19. natalie. beyond the reef

      March 07, 2010 at 12:16 pm

      Thanks for this - great ideas all around. I&#39;m headed out to buy a bag of those diaper thing-ies now!

      Reply
    20. Cindy

      August 28, 2010 at 10:06 am

      Way too cute! I have a neice, nephew and Friend expecting within the next few months. I think I will make many little burp cloths!!

      Reply
    21. Chrissie

      August 29, 2010 at 7:23 pm

      Love the idea for the template. I am confused when you say &quot;tuck rick-rack under before you sew&quot;. What does that do?

      Reply
    22. Heidi

      September 26, 2010 at 3:18 pm

      Love the tutorial! I&#39;ve made these before without the template and it was very tedious. I also like that you just use the ribbon across it and not on both long sides. So easy.

      Reply
    23. Rachel

      September 30, 2010 at 2:48 pm

      Oh man, what an ah-ha moment! I&#39;ve made a bunch of these much the same way but without the template, using the slidey ruler thing which I HATE! The template is genius to me:-) and now I&#39;m not dreading making more for all the baby gifts coming up this spring--thank you for sharing!

      Reply
    24. Miss Sews-it-all

      November 11, 2010 at 8:09 pm

      So simple and so wonderful, I love this idea! Thanks for sharing! I&#39;ll also share a little tip with you - try checking out http://www.WeAllSew.com for all kinds of sewing projects, tutorials, tips and tricks, and even meet some new crafty friends. 🙂

      Reply
    25. Joanna

      March 12, 2011 at 6:13 pm

      So I didn&#39;t read carefully enough and bought the thinner Gerber cloth diapers (no padded center strip) to make these. Any suggestions on craft projects I can make with a dozen of them?

      Reply
    26. amy smart

      March 15, 2011 at 9:24 pm

      Joanna, Rats! Sounds like something I would do too. I would just use them for the same purpose - sew on some decorative fabric - I think they will still work. I don&#39;t have an email address for you so I&#39;m hoping you&#39;ll see this reply here. Good luck!

      Reply
    27. Joanna

      March 17, 2011 at 8:19 pm

      Thanks, Amy! I got your response to my question (not sure why my email didn&#39;t show for you, am new to all this)

      Reply
    28. MaryJo

      April 05, 2011 at 11:50 am

      Hi - I just came across this tutorial - searching for items for my new grandbaby that&#39;s due in September!! These are perfect - and I thought I was the only one who used a cereal box for templates! I love the idea!!

      Reply
    29. seaschell

      June 01, 2011 at 5:01 pm

      So cute! I made a set of six for my daughter (due in August). Can&#39;t wait to look cute while burping her! I posted here: https://seaschell.blogspot.com/2011/06/more-baby-projects.html<br />Thanks for a great tutorial!

      Reply
    30. Shirley

      July 04, 2012 at 8:52 pm

      I made a set of these ahead of having a baby last year and they&#39;ve been AWESOME. (Blogged about it here: https://karnos.blogspot.com/2011/01/burp-cloths.html). Thanks for the tutorial on this!

      Reply
    31. jacey

      July 23, 2012 at 8:12 pm

      I made them and posted them on my blog 🙂 So easy and such a great idea!! Thanks for this 🙂 <br />beyoutifuldarling.blogspot.com

      Reply
    32. Kristan

      August 27, 2012 at 11:38 am

      Great tutorial! It seriously took me like 5 minutes to whip one of these out. About to make a few more. Thanks!

      Reply
    33. Lauren Lanker

      March 27, 2013 at 7:07 pm

      Gave you a shout out in my post tonight for your tip on creating a template out of a cereal box. Seriously, that genius, and made this project 100x easier than it would have been otherwise. Thanks! <br /><br />https://www.thinkingcloset.com/2013/03/27/burp-cloth-tutorial-for-the-beginner-sewist/<br /><br />Lauren

      Reply
    34. jocelyn

      September 30, 2013 at 11:22 pm

      Hi Amy,<br />I love your ideas especialy this one for the burp pads and the nursing cover which i have made for my DIL. <br />But i have been unable to find &#39;cloth&#39; diapers for these burp pads. <br />The fitted style cloth diapers are so popular i am afraid they don&#39;t sell the original anymore?<br />Any suggestions as to where i can find them.<br />jocelyn<br />

      Reply
      • amy smart

        October 01, 2013 at 8:36 am

        Hmm. I haven&#39;t looked for them for a little while. I found them at Target. They were in the aisle with the infant clothing, onesies, etc. They were on a bottom shelf and packaged by Gerber.

        Reply
        • Dardon Ann Hayter

          June 04, 2024 at 8:09 am

          do you fold the diaper sides under and sew down?

          Reply
          • Amy

            June 06, 2024 at 4:34 pm

            I don't sew the diaper sides down because I like that they give a bigger surface area for wiping and catching the results of burps. 😉 I just folded the sides for neater storage.

            Reply
    35. jocelyn

      November 18, 2013 at 4:45 pm

      k thanks Amy i will look again.<br />

      Reply
    36. jocelyn

      November 18, 2013 at 4:45 pm

      k thanks Amy i will look again.<br />

      Reply
    37. Patria Jase

      February 25, 2014 at 4:52 am

      Great idea! Thanks for the nice tutorial. I always use cloth diapers for my little pie. Now after reading your post i will try to make it at home for my sweet baby. Thanks for nice post.<br /><a href="https://bellylaughs.ca/&quot; rel="nofollow">Baby cloth diapers</a>

      Reply
    38. Savvy

      October 14, 2014 at 9:22 am

      Thanks, Amy!! This one may be &#39;older&#39;, but there&#39;s a NEW baby James next door!! The perfect &#39;little something special&#39;!!

      Reply
    39. Margo Yang

      October 15, 2014 at 10:22 am

      Great idea for baby gifts, thanks.

      Reply
    40. Rahul Surkund

      November 07, 2014 at 12:42 am

      Thanks for this - great ideas all around.

      Reply
    41. Brenda

      April 10, 2015 at 12:31 pm

      Saw these cute burp clothes in a local childrens store where I live.....16.00 A PIECE! My niece said, Aunt Brenda you could make these! I had already planned on making some burp cloths with chenille and fabric, but no one had chenille in stock where I shopped. I had some cute fabric! After finding your tutorial I headed to Walmart for a package of diapers! Thank you, Thank you! So easy and so cute!

      Reply
      • Amy Smart

        April 10, 2015 at 10:34 pm

        That's so great!

        Reply
    42. Ellen Merritt

      September 15, 2015 at 8:15 pm

      Thanks Amy! I cant wait to make some.

      Reply
    43. Rich H

      March 19, 2016 at 9:55 am

      Thanks for the tutorial — the sewing is simple enough this great-uncle can probably handle making these for his new grandnephew. 😀

      Reply
      • Amy Smart

        March 19, 2016 at 7:28 pm

        Congratulations! Enjoy that grandnephew!

        Reply
        • Debbie

          August 02, 2016 at 6:50 pm

          Hi, after washing the diapers I came upon a lot of lint. How did you deal with it. Thanks

          Reply
          • Amy Smart

            August 04, 2016 at 11:39 am

            Do you mean a lot of lint on the diapers themselves? I didn't have that problem with mine, so I'm not much help. I'm sure different brands of diapers wash differently. You could try a different brand of cloth diapers if the lint is bothering you, though I don't blame you if you don't want to buy more. I'd just remove it the best I could? Without seeing the lint, I'm not a lot of help. Sorry. 🙁

            Reply
    44. Jackie Zimmerman

      August 30, 2016 at 6:41 pm

      Ok, so really dumb question here....I'm assuming fabric side up when on your shoulder...because that is cuter; but diaper side would soak up 'spit' better. ???

      Reply
      • Margot

        October 19, 2017 at 5:57 am

        The flannel absorbs okay once it is washed and is so nice and soft against baby’s cheek.

        Reply
    45. cris

      August 01, 2017 at 6:24 pm

      Would you need a special type of needle due to thickness of diaper and material?

      Reply
      • Amy

        August 03, 2017 at 1:50 pm

        That's a really good question! I didn't think about it too much when I made mine - just used the needle that was already in my machine, but I'm sure a needle made for sewing through thick layers would probably make a difference.

        Reply
        • karla

          February 18, 2018 at 9:22 am

          What kind of fabric did you use?

          Reply
          • Amy

            February 18, 2018 at 9:34 pm

            I used 100% quilting cottons as the accent pieces.

            Reply
            • karla

              February 19, 2018 at 3:46 pm

              Thanks!

    46. Margot

      October 19, 2017 at 5:50 am

      I tie mine in bundles of three with a wide (1-1/2”?) grosgrain ribbon and have a couple of bundles stashed for quick gifts. Too cute!

      Reply
    47. kblsnanny

      June 20, 2018 at 2:12 pm

      I understand about the center panel of the diaper, but what do I do with the 2 thinner panels on the sides?

      Reply
      • Amy

        June 20, 2018 at 4:39 pm

        I just cover the center panel. So it's like a stripe down the center.

        Reply
    48. Nancy Ediger

      August 22, 2018 at 2:48 pm

      I just finished making 20 of these for my daughter-in-love to give her best friend who is having twins. I like to use decorative stitches and different colors of thread so it adds a little more color.

      Reply
      • Amy

        August 25, 2018 at 1:15 pm

        Awesome!!

        Reply
        • T McDonlad

          March 09, 2019 at 8:49 pm

          Wheres some good places to order cute fabric for girls to make burp cloths?

          Reply
          • Amy

            March 11, 2019 at 11:15 am

            Hi Teresa!

            If you're looking online, there's a bunch of great fabric websites. If you look on the right sidebar of my blog, there are a bunch of buttons under the word Sponsors. Many of them sell adorable fabric to make girls burp cloths.

            Reply
    49. Paula

      November 20, 2018 at 10:45 pm

      Do you only put the cute fabric on one side of the cloth diaper?

      Reply
      • Amy

        November 21, 2018 at 11:35 am

        I do. But you could definitely do both sides if you like!

        Reply
    50. Tara

      February 07, 2019 at 12:04 pm

      Hello! I came upon your post and thinks it’s adorable, however.. I don’t see. Could I use the same technique with a bond adhesive? I want to make something for my niece who will be having the first great grandchild in our family... my first great niece!! Thank you
      Tara

      Reply
      • Amy

        February 10, 2019 at 1:28 pm

        Congratulations! You could definitely try it. My only hesitation is wondering if it would hold up to a lot of washings.

        Reply
    51. Teresa McDonlad

      March 09, 2019 at 8:45 pm

      Wheres some good places to get or order cute prints for girls for the burp cloths? Thank you!

      Reply
    52. Kathy Holley

      February 05, 2021 at 6:50 pm

      Thanks for keeping your posts up Amy. Going to make these, might embellish if I feel energetic! Simple and colorful. Lovely!

      Reply
    53. Carole

      January 14, 2023 at 9:09 am

      I really like the idea of using diapers for burp cloths. But I must be a literal person, because I am not sure the size of the finished product. Do you recommend to sew the two sides of the white diaper behind the decorative middle? Thank you.

      Reply
      • Amy

        January 14, 2023 at 4:33 pm

        You can if you want, but I don't. I just sew the decorative part to the middle section. The finished stack has the sides folded behind the middle for stackability. But when in use I prefer the sides open for maximum area for coverage. 🙂

        Reply

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