Baby Bubble with Embellished Double Pintucks

Our finished baby bubble!

Baby bubble rompers are one of our favorite things to sew, and we love thinking of new ways to recreate the classic pattern. From ruffles to puffed sleeves to embellishments, a number of things can be done to make your finished baby bubble one of a kind.

In the following how-to, designer Michié Mooney will show you how to add embellished double pintucks to a baby bubble. This cute-as-a-button project first appeared in our March/April 2007 issue of Sew Beautiful.

The pleated-front baby bubble shown here is made of yellow handkerchief linen and features six sets of double release pintucks for a total of 12 pintucks. Each tuck is embellished with a hand running stitch using two strands of embroidery floss (the sample uses gray blue DMC Embroidery Cotton Floss [#159]). At the end of each set is a button (the sample uses a blue button with a swirl edge from Wendy Schoen Designs).

Embellished double pintucks

How to Create Embellished Double Pintucks:

NOTE: Apply tucks to a block of fabric before cutting out front. 

1. Starting 5/8 inch from center front, mark two tuck foldlines 1/4 inch apart and 3-1/2 inches down from neck seamline. Each set of double pintucks is 7/8 inch apart from first tuck to first tuck (fig. 1). 

Figure 1

2. Fold and stitch one release tuck at a time. With matching thread, stitch precisely 1/16 inch from fold, stopping at bottom of each line. Press tucks apart. 

3. Using two strands of DMC floss, hand stitch an even running stitch in space between pintucks (fig. 2). 

Figure 2

4. Sew a blue button at end of each tuck. 

5. Construct bubble as instructed in pattern. 


For more great technique and project tutorials, check out our newly released Sew Beautiful 2007 Collection. This collection features full-sized electronic versions of all six issues of Sew Beautiful from 2007 and includes printable patterns, tips and techniques, how-to articles and more. 

Sew On, Sew Well, Sew Beautiful, 
Cyndi and Amelia