freesewing/sites/orgdocs/docs/designs/bibi/readme.mdx

---
title: "Bibi: FreeSewing's Bibi Body Block"
sidebar_label: 'Bibi Body Block'
---

<DesignInfo design="bibi" />

:::note Bibi is a pattern building block
Bibi can be sewn as a simple top, but is mostly designed as a building block
for other patterns or custom designs.

You may want to finish the hem, armholes, and neck using knit bands, knit
binding or ribbing fabric. In this case, you may need additional material.
:::

## Designer Notes {#notes}

When I was designing my (in progress) Tina top, I originally was basing the
pattern on Teagan and Brian. However, Tina is supposed to work for people with
breasts and Brian is mostly designed for menswear and doesn't support much body
and bust fitting. So I created Bibi as a base for Tina.

For Bibi, I reused code from Brian mostly for the sleevecap and armhole
construction and added a basic front bust adjustment. Because Bibi is supposed
to be usable for very different lengths, I also changed the sideline
calculation to fit to the waist and seat measurements and added a sleeveless
option. After some fine-tuning, this is basically the result.

While Bibi was specifically made to support people with breasts, it also works
fine as a base for unisex clothes or t-shirts.

Essentially, Bibi _is_ just a simple T-shirt/A-shirt pattern that tries to fit
the body on default settings. You can use it as alternative to Brian to Teagan
for creating your own designs, especially if you need some basic bust support.

However, it's also important to talk about what Bibi is not:

Bibi can definitely be sewn as a simple top or dress, but it's mainly designed
as a building block for other patterns or your custom designs.

Bibi is highly customizable, but it does not necessarily represent a specific
garment or follow a specific style. Some option combinations might not make
much sense, and you may have to experiment with different options yourself to
find the design you're looking for.

You can make Bibi as short as a sports bra, or as long as a dress, but that
doesn't mean that Bibi creates a good bra or dress as is. A sports bra
probably needs more darts and lots of negative ease, and if you just make it
dress-length, it will probably look like a sack.

Additionally, when you make a dress with Bibi out of woven fabric, you'll have
to ensure yourself that there is enough room for leg movement. Depending on
the shape around the waist or the size of the neck hole, you also may have to
add buttons or zippers on the front or back so you can actually put it on.

Bibi is also not a standard block/sloper for woven fabric. It only does a very
basic front bust adjustment designed for stretchy knit fabric and will not work
well as a base for fitted shirts and blouses from woven fabric. You'll also
need to increase ease settings when working with non-stretchy fabric.

The name Bibi is a little joke and comes from _Bibi und Tina_, a German audio
play for children, where 13-year-old witch _Bibi Blocksberg_ is a companion of
_Tina_. So it kinda makes sense.

Jonathan

## What You Need {#needs}

To make Bibi, you will need the following:

- Basic sewing supplies
- About 1 - 3 metres (1.1 - 3.3 yards) of a suitable fabric (see [Fabric
  options](#fabric))
- A short crop top without sleeves needs probably less than a meter, a long
  dress with sleeves needs much more fabric.

:::tip A serger/overlock is nice, but optional
As with all knitwear and stretch fabrics, a serger/overlock will make your life
easier. If you do not have one of those, don’t despair. You don’t really need
it. All serged seams on Bibi can also be sewn with a short, narrow zigzag
stitch (~2 mm wide) on a standard sewing machine.
:::

## Fabric Options {#fabric}

Bibi is by default designed as a close-fitting top and is best suited to knit
fabrics with some stretch, such as jersey.

If your main fabric is elastic enough, can use strips of it to finish the
waistband, armholes/cuffs and neck opening. Alternatively, you can also use
rib fabric or store-bought strips of knit binding.

If you are making a default Bibi to see how it fits we recommend to start with
a cheap fabric, such as old bedsheets, that matches the drape and stretch of
the fabric you intend to make a finalised with.

:::tip
If you're new to sewing, interlock jersey is nice to work with, as it doesn't
roll up. Prefer jersey with a few percent spandex for better recovery.

Fabric weights can also help you make your choice. A weight of 130-200 grams
per square meter (or 4-6 ounces per square yard) is likely to be about right
for a basic shirt.
:::

:::note
Woven fabrics with good drape and thicker fabrics such as sweat could also
work. Increase all ease settings to at least around 15% and ensure the neck
hole is large enough to fit a head through. Alternatively, you can also add a
zipper or buttons to the front or back to make it easier to put on.
:::

## Cutting Instructions {#cutting}

- **Main fabric**
  - Cut 1 _Front_ on the fold
  - Cut 1 _Back_ on the fold
  - Cut 2 _Sleeve(s)_ mirrored (if enabled)
- **Ribbing**
  - Cut 1 _Neck Binding_
  - Cut 2 _Armhole Binding(s)_ or _Cuff(s)_ (depending on selected options)
  - Cut 1 _Waistband_ (if enabled)

:::warning Caveats

- There is extra hem allowance at the bottom hem if there is no _Waistband_
  part.
- There is extra hem allowance at the sleeve part if there is no _Cuff_ part.
- There is no seam allowance on the neck opening.
- There is no seam allowance on the armhole if the sleeve is disabled.
- There is no seam allowance on the long sides of the _Armhole Binding_ and
  _Neck Binding_ parts.
  :::

:::tip
You can cut the front or back parts on the fold, or you can cut the halves
separately and sew them together. This is especially useful if you only have
smaller pieces of fabric or if you want to add buttons or zippers to your
design. In this case, make sure to add sufficient seam allowance on the center
fold.
:::