Free Elf Quilted Baby Bib Pattern with Printable Templates

By Jan Bay

My free elf quilted baby bib pattern brings a cheerful little Christmas elf to your sewing table, complete with pointed ears, rosy cheeks, a green holly-trimmed hat and a bright red collar. A small pinwheel in forest green, sage and ivory fills the lower bib, giving it the same quilted style as my snowman and reindeer bib designs. I've included full-size printable templates and step-by-step instructions for sewing the appliqué, quilting the fabric and finishing the bib with a generous U-shaped neckline and button closure. Pair the bib with my adorable, long-legged elf lovey and watch the baby's eyes light up with delight.

See Supplies for This Project Here.

Free Printable Elf Bib Pattern and Instructions

This little elf has quite a few details, but you won't have to draw any of them yourself. The printable pattern includes his pointed ears, green hat, brown hair, red collar, holly leaves and all nine pieces of the lower patchwork fan.

The elf quilted baby bib pattern uses raw-edge fabric appliqué on an ivory quilted background. The colored fan pieces are stitched onto one continuous bib front, rather than sewn together into a separate patchwork section. That keeps the lower part of the bib from becoming unnecessarily bulky.

I've separated the full-size templates from the sewing instructions so you can print only what you need.

How to Print the Elf Bib Sewing Templates

Print the templates on US Letter paper. Select Actual Size or 100% in your printer settings. Turn off Fit to Page, Shrink to Fit and any automatic enlargement.

Measure the one-inch test square on every sheet you use. It should measure exactly one inch in both directions. If it doesn't, change the printer settings before cutting your fabric.

The complete bib outline is divided across four pages. Arrange A1 and A2 across the top, with A3 and A4 directly beneath them.

Each tile has a red trimming frame measuring 5 1/2 inches wide by 6 3/4 inches high. Trim along those frames, place the matching edges together without gaps or overlaps, and tape the sheets in place. Match the printed registration marks as you work.

Once assembled, the complete raw bib outline should measure 10 3/4 inches wide by 13 inches long.

Don't cut along the dotted lines inside the bib. Those are placement guides for the elf and fan appliqué. Only the solid outside contour is the bib cutting line.

The individual fabric templates are on pages 7 through 15. Page 16 contains the embroidery and closure guides.

All appliqué pieces are printed face up, just as they'll appear on the finished bib. If you use paper-backed fusible web, reverse the template when tracing onto the paper side. Turn the cut fabric right side up and compare it with the master before fusing.

No seam allowance is added to the appliqué pieces. Their printed outlines are the actual cutting edges, which you'll secure with narrow zigzag or blanket stitching.

Materials and Fabric Supplies

I'd choose soft quilting cotton for the elf bib, with a fairly plain ivory background so his green hat and red collar can stand out. You can bring in little Christmas prints through the binding, hat and lower fan without making the whole design too busy.

Forest green, soft sage, cream and cheerful red are the main colors. Brown hair and a peach face give the elf his expression, while the gold embroidery makes the collar look as though it has four tiny bells.

Those bells are stitched directly onto the fabric. You won't need actual metal bells, dangling ornaments or separate buttons for the collar.

Fabric Requirements

Ivory quilting cotton: One piece at least 18 x 21 inches. This gives you enough fabric for a 14 x 16-inch front working rectangle and the separate ivory background allowance around the appliqué.

Cotton backing: One 14 x 16-inch rectangle. A fat quarter should provide enough fabric.

Washable low-loft batting: One 14 x 16-inch rectangle. You may use a little extra thin batting beneath selected appliqué pieces for slight relief, but keep the finished bib flexible.

Deep-green cotton: One fat quarter, approximately 18 x 21 inches, for the elf's hat crown and five dark-green fan wedges.

Sage-green cotton: One fat quarter for the two upper neck-strap overlays and four light-green fan wedges.

Peach cotton: Approximately 8 x 9 inches for the elf's face and two pointed ears.

Red cotton: Approximately 9 x 12 inches for the zigzag hat trim, pointed collar and flat round hat pom-pom.

Brown cotton: A small scrap for the elf's curved hair and bangs.

Olive-green cotton: Small scraps for two holly leaves.

Green bias binding: At least 60 inches of prepared true-bias binding. A cutting width of approximately 1 3/4 inches is a starting point, but test the folded binding on your actual fabric and batting layers. The binding fabric is additional to the appliqué fabric requirements.

Embroidery floss: Black for the eyes, eyelashes, smile and bell crosses; peach for the nose; pink for the cheeks; red for the holly berries; gold for the collar bells; and green for the holly veins.

Sewing thread: Ivory, green, sage, red, brown and peach to coordinate with the appliqué and quilting.

Fusible web: Lightweight, sewable fusible web for positioning the appliqué pieces.

Interfacing: Two lightweight patches measuring 1 x 1 inch each to reinforce the neck-strap closure positions.

Button: One smooth red button measuring approximately 1/2 inch across. A compatible garment snap may be used instead.

Tools You'll Need

Have your sewing machine, scissors, ruler, iron, pressing cloth, washable fabric marker, hand-sewing needle, basting supplies and buttonhole foot ready.

A walking foot can help keep the quilt sandwich from shifting. You'll also need paper tape for joining the four full-size bib-outline pages.

Save a few scraps of each fabric for testing your appliqué stitch, quilting tension and buttonhole before sewing the finished bib.

Complete Elf Quilted Baby Bib Pattern Cutting List

The pattern contains 21 individual fabric appliqué pieces, not counting the front, backing, batting or binding. Cut one of each numbered or lettered piece.

Page B1, printable page 7: F, one peach elf face; H, one brown hair appliqué.

Page B2, printable page 8: K, one deep-green hat crown; Z, one red zigzag hat trim; P, one flat red circular pom-pom.

Page B3, printable page 9: C, one red pointed collar; E1 and E2, one peach pointed ear each; L1 and L2, one olive-green holly leaf each.

Page B4, printable page 10: T1, one sage left neck-strap overlay; T2, one sage right neck-strap overlay.

Page C1, printable page 11: W1, dark green; W2, sage green.

Page C2, printable page 12: W3, dark green; W4, sage green.

Page C3, printable page 13: W5, dark green; W6, sage green.

Page C4, printable page 14: W7, dark green; W8, sage green.

Page C5, printable page 15: W9, dark green.

Page E, printable page 16: Embroidery details and closure guides. These markings do not require additional fabric pieces.

The nine wedges use five deep-green fabric pieces and four sage-green pieces. Don't cut extra pieces to fill any ivory spaces shown on the placement map.

Keep the left and right ears separate, even though they're similar in shape. The two strap overlays also have their own outlines. Follow the labels rather than cutting mirrored duplicates.

The elf's black eyes, nose, cheeks, smile, three holly berries and four gold bell motifs are embroidery. They're not separate fabric appliqué pieces.

Before cutting everything, lay the paper pieces over the assembled bib outline. Check the colors, orientation and position of each one. The fan wedges especially need to stay in their numbered order.

Elf Baby Bib Size and Neckline Fit

The finished elf bib is intended to have a broad front, rounded lower corners and a comfortable-looking U-shaped opening. The two curved neck straps remain completely separate until you fasten them behind the neck.

That open neckline is an important part of the design. Don't sew the strap ends together or add a connecting band across the opening.

Pattern Size

Raw bib outline: 10 3/4 inches wide by 13 inches long.

Neckline: A generous open U-shaped cutout, with two separate curved straps.

Closure: One red button on the left strap and a matching buttonhole on the right, viewed from the front.

Fastening direction: The right strap overlaps the left behind the neck.

Edge finish: Green bias binding around the entire bib outline, neckline and both free strap ends.

The printed measurements describe the raw pattern outline. Binding wraps around those edges rather than adding another quarter-inch to the outside dimensions.

This is one digitally engineered prototype size. It hasn't been graded into separate newborn, infant and toddler sizes.

Check the Neck Fit with a Trial Bib

Before cutting your Christmas fabric, make a plain trial bib from inexpensive cotton and the same type of batting you'll use for the finished project.

Cut the actual U-shaped opening and both separate straps. Add the binding and a temporary closure at the marked positions.

Bring the right tab over the left behind a suitable fitting form. The tabs should overlap smoothly without pulling the front upward, twisting, or stretching the neckline.

Measure the actual fastened neck opening with a flexible tape and compare it with a bib already known to fit the intended wearer. The open paper neckline doesn't tell you the finished fastened circumference.

If the test bib doesn't fit, adjust and test another plain sample before working with the decorative fabric. Moving the button or changing a strap affects the finished fit, so don't assume that a paper adjustment is enough.

I wouldn't skip that test. It's much simpler to make a neckline correction on plain cotton than on a finished elf with all his appliqué and quilting already attached.

How to Sew the Elf Quilted Baby Bib

I like the way this elf's pointed collar sits over the little green patchwork fan. It gives him that Christmas-outfit look, but everything is attached to the bib itself. There's no separate skirt, no loose bells and no dangling trim to sew on afterward.

We'll make the background and fan first, quilt the main bib, then add the elf's face, ears, hat and collar. Finish the whole thing with green binding and the red button.

Step 1. Prepare the Ivory Bib Front

Cut three separate working rectangles measuring 14 x 16 inches: one ivory cotton front, one cotton backing and one piece of low-loft batting.

Lay the assembled A1 through A4 master template on the right side of the ivory fabric. Align the bib's vertical centerline with the fabric grain.

Trace the solid outer bib shape using a removable fabric marker. Include the entire U-shaped neckline and both separate neck-strap tips.

Transfer the interior placement marks for the green strap overlays, the nine lower fan wedges, hat, ears, hair, face, collar, embroidery and closure positions.

Keep the pieces flat while marking them. You don't want the neckline or lower curves stretched out of shape before you've started sewing.

Leave the extra fabric around the bib outline for now. We'll cut the final shape after the background quilting is complete. That gives us room for any small amount of fabric take-up caused by quilting.

Step 2. Make the Two Green Neck-Strap Sections

Find T1 and T2 on template B4, printable page 10. Cut one of each from the sage-green fabric.

These aren't identical shapes. T1 belongs on the left strap, and T2 belongs on the right, viewed from the front of the bib.

Fuse one lightweight 1 x 1-inch interfacing patch to the wrong side of the ivory front at each marked closure center. Round the interfacing corners so they don't leave hard square edges inside the finished straps.

Position T1 and T2 on their corresponding marked outlines. Their upper portions follow the curved strap ends, while their lower edges slope across the ivory bib shoulders.

Use lightweight fusible web to hold each green section in place. Stitch its exposed sloping lower edge with a narrow zigzag or blanket stitch.

Baste the appliqué along the neckline and outside strap edges approximately 1/8 inch inside the bib cutting line. The final binding will cover those raw edges.

Check the neckline again. Both straps must remain completely separate, and the open U between them must stay clear.

Step 3. Arrange the Nine Green Patchwork Fan Wedges

Now we'll make the lower fan that coordinates with the snowman bib's pinwheel design. The elf version uses forest green and sage, with the ivory background remaining visible beneath the fabric.

Cut all nine wedges using their individually numbered full-size templates on pages 11 through 15.

Use this color arrangement, moving from left to right across the bottom of the bib:

W1: Deep green.

W2: Sage green.

W3: Deep green.

W4: Sage green.

W5: Deep green.

W6: Sage green.

W7: Deep green.

W8: Sage green.

W9: Deep green.

Lay the nine cut pieces on the ivory bib front, matching each one to its same-numbered position on the assembled master.

Some of the wedge templates are rotated on their printable sheets to fit the paper. Turn each fabric piece until it matches the master, but don't flip the fabric right side down to make it fit.

The longer curved end of each wedge follows the lower raw bib outline. The shorter curved end points inward toward the center beneath the elf's face and collar.

The inner ends stop before they all meet in one thick point. That small center area will be covered by the elf appliqué later.

Keep the ivory base fabric intact beneath the entire fan. We're not cutting the bib into separate triangular sections or adding traditional quarter-inch patchwork seams.

Check that neighboring wedge edges meet without stacking over one another. Their long outside curves should follow the rounded lower bib outline.

When you're happy with the arrangement, use lightweight fusible web to hold the wedges in place. Stitch every exposed edge with a narrow zigzag or blanket stitch.

Baste the long outer wedge edges within the future binding area. Make sure every wedge tip stays flat.

There shouldn't be a separate fabric skirt hanging from the bottom. The fan is part of the bib front, and the finished green binding will enclose all nine lower edges.

Step 4. Quilt the Main Bib Layers

Lay the 14 x 16-inch backing rectangle wrong side up on your work surface. Add the low-loft batting, then place the decorated ivory front on top with its right side facing up.

Smooth the three layers and baste from the center outward. You can use a walking foot for the quilting if you have one.

Quilt the open ivory background using a loose meandering stitch or a simple diagonal grid. Keep the quilting light around the areas marked for the elf's hat, face and collar.

For a little Christmas detail, add a few tone-on-tone snowflakes in the open ivory areas. Stitch each snowflake using three intersecting lines with short paired branches near their ends.

Use ivory thread so the snowflakes are subtle. I'd rather let the elf's cheerful face and red collar get the attention.

Quilt the green and sage fan wedges with spaced lines running roughly along their length. Follow each wedge's direction toward the fan center instead of quilting straight across the entire lower bib.

You may stitch a few small snowflakes on the dark-green fabric if you'd like to match the example image. Keep them flat and use light-colored thread.

Avoid dense quilting near the neck-strap tips and closure marks. Those sections need to stay flexible.

Once the background quilting is finished, place the assembled A1-A4 template over the sandwich again. Check that the marked outline still fits and that every fan wedge reaches its intended lower binding edge.

If the quilting has shifted a wedge enough to leave an exposed gap at the binding line, correct its position before trimming.

Now cut through all three layers together, following the solid raw bib outline. Cut away the entire U-shaped neckline between the two straps.

Lay the trimmed bib flat. You should have a broad, rounded lower front and two completely separate curved straps. That's the foundation for the finished elf.

Step 5. Embroider the Elf's Face

Cut F, the peach-colored elf face, from template B1 on page 7. Also cut H, the brown hair piece, but keep it separate until the facial embroidery is finished.

Transfer the eye, eyelash, nose, cheek and smile markings from the master and embroidery guide onto the face fabric.

Use black embroidery floss to make two rounded open eyes. Work them with small satin stitches or another closely filled embroidery stitch so they appear as solid black eyes.

Add the short black eyelashes at the outer edges, following the printed markings.

Stitch the curved smile beneath the nose using black stem stitch or split stitch. Keep the curve smooth and fairly fine.

Embroider a small peach-colored nose between the eyes and smile. Use short, closely spaced stitches to fill its oval outline.

Fill the two cheek areas lightly with pink embroidery for the rosy blush shown in the finished design.

Secure every embroidery thread on the wrong side of the face fabric. Those ends will be hidden once the face is appliquéd onto the bib.

Don't use separate plastic eyes, beads, buttons or glued cheek circles. Every facial feature in this pattern is stitched directly onto the peach fabric.

Set the finished face aside while you prepare the remaining elf pieces.

Step 6. Prepare the Hat, Ears, Holly and Red Collar

Cut the remaining elf shapes from the full-size templates:

K: One curved deep-green hat crown.

Z: One red zigzag hat trim.

P: One flat round red hat pom-pom.

E1: One peach left pointed ear.

E2: One peach right pointed ear.

L1: One olive-green holly leaf.

L2: One olive-green holly leaf in the second shape.

C: One red pointed collar.

Cut each piece exactly on its printed outline. Don't add extra seam allowance.

The hat crown should curve across the upper part of the elf's head, and the red trim has several pointed peaks. Use the master diagram to keep the trim's peaks and lower edge in the correct position.

I'd use a small-scale Christmas print for the red trim and collar. It adds detail without hiding their distinctive shapes.

The red pom-pom at the end of the hat is a flat fabric circle. Don't stuff it or attach a separate yarn pom-pom.

Before attaching the holly, embroider the leaf veins with green floss. Use a main stitched line toward each pointed tip, then add short branches.

The three berries are small red embroidered dots. Use closely spaced satin stitches at the placement marks, keeping the stitches secured to the underlying fabric.

The pointed red collar needs four little gold-colored bell motifs. These are embroidery, not actual bells.

Transfer the four bell positions from the E detail guide onto collar C. Fill each circle with gold satin stitches, then add a small black embroidered X across the center.

Make all four bells the same size, following the printed outlines. The black crosses give them the familiar look of tiny jingle bells without adding separate objects to the fabric.

Secure the embroidery ends on the back of the collar before attaching it to the bib.

If you want a little raised quilting like the example, cut very thin batting insets for the large face, hat crown and collar. Keep each inset approximately 1/8 inch inside its fabric outline.

Trim padding out of areas that will sit beneath another padded piece. Don't pad the ears, berries, holly, small pom-pom, fan tips or neck-strap ends.

Keep the extra loft slight. The finished bib should still bend easily.

Step 7. Assemble the Elf Appliqué on the Bib

Bring out the assembled master placement map. Work from the upper hat toward the red collar, checking each piece's position before attaching it.

It's worth laying everything out once before sewing. The red zigzag trim needs to sit over the brown hair, and the collar needs to cover the lower face and the inner ends of the green fan.

First, attach the green hat crown K. Position it below the U-shaped neckline, following the master outline. Leave the printed clearance between the hat and neckline. Secure its perimeter with a narrow zigzag or blanket stitch.

Next, add the holly leaves and red pom-pom. Position L1 and L2 on the upper-right portion of the hat, with their pointed ends facing the directions shown on the master. Stitch their edges completely.

Place the red circular pom-pom P at the end of the hat and stitch around its entire edge. Finish the three embroidered red berries at the holly cluster if they weren't completed earlier.

Now attach the pointed ears. Position E1 on the left and E2 on the right. Their pointed tips should extend outward from the face. Secure their edges before adding the face over their inner roots.

Add the embroidered face F. Center it over the marked face outline, allowing it to cover the inner ear edges and the lower portion of the green hat as shown on the template. Stitch all around its perimeter.

Place the brown hair H. Arrange the curved bangs across the upper forehead, following the printed outline. The hair should sit over the face rather than disappearing behind it. Secure the entire appliqué edge.

Attach the red zigzag trim Z. Position it across the lower green hat and over the upper edge of the brown hair. Make sure every pointed peak is visible. Stitch carefully around each peak and along the lower edge.

Don't shift the hat upward to make extra room for the face. Its position was planned to leave the neckline open.

Finish with the red collar C. Place it beneath the elf's face, covering the lower face edge and the inner ends of the patchwork fan. Let the pointed collar sections spread outward just as they do in the finished example.

Check that all four gold embroidered bell motifs remain visible before stitching the collar down.

Secure the entire collar perimeter, including every pointed tip, with narrow zigzag or blanket stitching.

The order matters here. Stitch each fabric layer before placing another piece over its edges. You don't want a loose appliqué edge trapped where you can't get to it later.

After attaching the large pieces, add their quilting details. Use loose horizontal lines across the green hat and a few soft curved quilting lines on the elf's face.

Keep the embroidery uncovered and don't quilt over the eyes, smile or gold bell motifs.

Lay the bib flat and compare the finished arrangement with the example image. The elf should have a complete green hat, pointed ears, brown bangs, a smiling embroidered face and a red pointed collar above the lower fan.

Finishing the Bib, Adding the Button and Caring for Your Project

With the elf appliqué complete, the remaining work is fairly straightforward. You'll bind the entire outline, add the red button and check that the two neck straps fasten without pulling on the bib.

I'd use a deep-green bias binding with a small Christmas print. The green edge ties the hat and patchwork fan together, while the red button picks up the color of the collar.

Step 8. Bind the Entire Bib

The calculated raw-edge perimeter is approximately 47.2 inches, including the entire U-shaped neckline and both separate strap ends.

Prepare at least 60 inches of continuous true-bias binding. That gives you extra length for easing around the curves and joining the ends.

A binding strip approximately 1 3/4 inches wide is a starting point. Test your chosen fold and seam allowance on a scrap sandwich made from the same cotton and batting before binding the bib.

The finished binding should cover roughly 1/4 inch on both the front and back, without pulling the quilted layers together.

Begin on a relatively straight outside edge of the bib. Leave enough free binding at the beginning for joining the ends later.

Open one fold of the binding and sew it to the front of the bib using approximately a 1/4-inch seam allowance.

Work slowly around the rounded lower corners, easing the bias fabric into place without stretching it.

Continue up the outer sides, around each rounded free strap tip and through the entire inside U-shaped neckline.

Follow the actual raw fabric edge. Don't connect the two strap tips or create a fabric bridge across the opening.

If the concave neckline curve needs help lying flat, make tiny clips into the binding seam allowance, stopping before the stitching. Don't clip through the bib's finished seam.

Fold the binding over the raw edge toward the back. Turn its remaining fold under and stitch it securely, catching the backing, batting and front fabric along the entire outline.

Join the binding tails with a diagonal seam, trim the excess and finish stitching the remaining section.

Check that the binding completely encloses all nine patchwork wedge ends, both green strap overlays and the edges around the neckline.

There should be no exposed raw edges, loose wedge tips or puckers that pull the bib out of shape.

Step 9. Add the Red Button and Buttonhole

The example bib has a red button on the left neck strap and a matching buttonhole on the right, viewed from the front.

Before making the permanent closure, check the overlap on your bound trial bib. Bring the right strap over the left behind a suitable fitting form, keeping both right sides facing outward.

Match the closure-center marks and make sure the straps meet without twisting, stretching or lifting the front of the bib.

Use the trial fit to confirm the closure positions. The marks on the printed template are starting guides, not a substitute for checking the fastened neck opening.

For the specified 1/2-inch button, a buttonhole approximately 5/8 inch long is a starting estimate.

Make a test buttonhole on a scrap containing the same cotton, interfacing, batting and backing layers as the real neck strap.

Test it with the actual red button. The opening should allow the button to pass through without excessive force and should remain clear of the green binding.

Work the reinforced buttonhole on the right strap, following the printed center and direction guide. Open the stitched hole carefully after sewing it.

Overlap the right strap over the left again. Use the finished buttonhole to confirm the exact button position on the reinforced left strap.

Sew the red button securely through the reinforced fabric using suitable thread and repeated passes through its holes. Bury and secure the thread ends.

Check that the button doesn't rock, pull loose or distort the strap fabric.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's Resellers Guide identifies easily detached buttons, snaps and decorations as possible choking hazards on children's clothing. Take particular care when attaching and inspecting the closure.

Optional Snap Closure

You can use one compatible garment snap instead of the button and buttonhole.

Keep the interfacing reinforcement at both closure centers. Choose a snap suitable for the thickness of the finished fabric layers and use the installation tools and instructions supplied by its manufacturer.

Position the snap so the right strap still overlaps the left when closed. Check that both halves engage correctly.

Don't add a decorative red button over the snap. Use one closure or the other.

Check the snap attachment before using the bib, just as you would check the button.

Step 10. Inspect the Finished Elf Bib

Spread the bib flat and look at the entire design.

The green hat should sit below the neckline, with the red zigzag trim, brown bangs, holly leaves and flat red pom-pom in their proper positions.

The pointed ears should extend outward from the face, and the embroidered eyes, cheeks, nose and smile should remain clear and visible.

Check all four embroidered gold bells on the red collar. Every collar point should be firmly attached.

Look at the lower patchwork fan. Its nine alternating green and sage wedges should lie flat, and the green binding should enclose every outer end.

Now inspect the back of the bib. Check for loose embroidery threads, missed binding stitches, exposed batting or fabric edges, and any stitching that has pulled the layers too tightly together.

Fasten the straps on a suitable fitting form and record the actual closed neck opening, overlap, bib width and length.

The bib should hang without the closure pulling the front upward. Don't rely on the paper pattern's open neckline measurements to establish fit.

Step 11. Wash and Check the Sewn Sample

Wash and dry the trial bib using the care routine you expect for the finished project.

Check the measurements again afterward. Look for fabric shrinkage, dye transfer, puckering, loose appliqué stitching, fraying or changes in the button or snap attachment.

The low-loft quilting should remain flexible. If the bib becomes stiff around the face, collar or neck straps, review the padding and stitching before making another one.

Use a bib only during supervised feeding and remove it for sleep. Stop using it if the closure, embroidery or any appliqué piece becomes loose.

The supplied pattern has been digitally checked, but actual fit, laundering performance and closure strength still need to be established with a sewn sample.

Make a Matching Christmas Baby Gift

The forest-green hat, red pointed collar and little green patchwork fan make this elf a cheerful companion to the snowman and reindeer bib designs.

I'd keep the three bibs coordinated through the same ivory quilted background, colorful lower fan and neat fabric binding, while letting each character have its own Christmas details.

For another project in the same winter color family, take a look at my free snowman quilt pattern. Its winter fabrics and patchwork details make it a natural companion to the bib designs.

You don't need to add anything else to the elf. His pointed ears, zigzag hat, embroidered bells and green fan already give the design plenty of character.