30 years ago, a few years before I had babies of my own, I designed, sewed and sold CHIN UP BIBS. I found a box filled with left over seersucker bias strips, a stack of tags and one tuxedo bib–all that remains of my enterprise.
For a few years, I sewed hundreds of bibs of different styles, including tuxedos, shirt and tie, dress with pearls, clown, overalls, etc. They were backed with terry cloth and had liners cut out of shower curtains. A unifying feature was the bias edging, which I’ve since used for pot holders (see tutorial here).
In 1982, I asked the mothers of two Woods Hole babies to model the bibs for an advertisement. My art school friend, Carmine Fantasia took these wonderful B&W photographs of Ben and Hannah wearing the bibs.
I later stopped adding bead necklaces to the girl’s style bib, because of the potential choking hazard.
Ben and Hannah, who both turn 30 this year and are still friends, are delightful adults. Here’s a recent picture of Hannah at her sister’s wedding.
This is as close as Ben got to wearing a tie back in ’82.
And here he is, when he got all dressed up last month, in suit and tie, for the Woods Hole “mock” formal at the Capt. Kidd Restaurant.
The bibs were later in Better Homes and Gardens.
I also found some pattern pieces for the bibs in my file cabinet.
Thank you Ben and Hannah, for letting us dress you up and take your picture one morning in 1982!
SALLEY MAVOR 
That was a fun post!!! The bibs are so adorable (wish you still made them) and the babies so cute. Then to see them all grown up was great. You are so clever!! I just became a Grandma 2 days ago for the first time (hopefully not the last!) My only son (only one child, for that matter) and his wife had a little girl at 10:30 a.m. on the 28th and they named her Olivia Harper Jones. I’d be buyin’ several of your bibs if they were a “today” project and for sale. As it is, I have to hurry and get the burp cloths done that I promised mom. Thanks for the cute post!
Great to see some “retro” photos and also some of your past projects. Life is an amazing journey!
Oh these are cute and the fact you kept a box of all the memories is so special. Fun to see the toddlers are all doing well and grown up.
Love it!
what a fun post! isn’t it something when you find a blast from the past craft and remember back to that endeavor!?
they are the cutest.
Whenever I see one of your posts I know that I am going to be delighted and charmed, you didn’t disappoint me with your wonderful bibs.
Thank you for sharing.
Jenny
I’ll bet after this someone will be selling something similar on Etsy in a week or two – these are adorable! How fun to see the grown-up models.
Thank you for sharing this lovely walk down memory’s lane…your children are your treasures. Thank you for making me smile when my body is in recovery. Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart
That is so wonderful that you have all the old photos–and the new ones! Adorable bibs!
My late best friend and I had a business in the late 70’s and 80’s called “Apron, Etc..” We made and sold hundreds of tote bags and aprons. It never occurred to us to take photos. We both supplemented our family incomes and were glued to our sewing machines. We made bibs, aprons, totes for kids, too. Your post brought back some great memories of those times.
Ben and Hannah are wonderful looking adults and were adorable babies! Thanks for a really nice post.
I had one of the fancy lady bibs for my daughter- now 27. I am pretty sure it is still up in the attic 🙂
I see that Hannah is still wearing pearls. You must have been an early influence, Salley!
I loved seeing these wonderful bibs and the darling pictures. It was fun to see the children in living color as adults, too!!!!
Those bibs are awesome! I would love to find a copy of the Better Homes and Gardens magazine with the bib patterns. Do you remember what year and month it was?
Lynne, the bibs are in BH&G 100’s of Needlework and Craft ideas, Spring 1986.