I searched racks and racks of Christmas clothing to find something simple for Noodle to wear in her Christmas photos this year. All those fluffy dresses are cute, but Noodle is so tiny she would be buried in ribbon and tulle if I went that route. The simpler outfits had sayings that wouldn’t really be appropriate for our yearly Christmas card. I needed another solution– FAST!
After a short trip to T.J. Maxx and JoAnn’s Fabric, I had the materials for a Very Merry Onesie! Best part? No sewing was required. Here’s how I made it, step by step.
Total time: under an hour
Total cost: $4.99 for the onesie (T.J.Maxx) and .99 for the ribbon (JoAnns). I had the other materials on hand, so the cost was $5.98 total. This project could be FREE if you already have the onesie and ribbon!
MATERIALS:
plain onesie
ribbon
no-sew iron tape
iron
fabric scissors
photo paper and printer (optional– see step #8 )
DIRECTIONS:
1. Prewash onesie. I used a turtleneck onesie to hide the end of the ribbon, but any plain style will work. I like white, but again, you can get spicy with the colors if you wish.
2. Measure and cut your ribbon. One strip goes horizontally and one vertically. I left about an inch on each side to give me room to work with; you’ll cut the extra off at the end. Make sure you have enough ribbon left for the bow.
3. Measure and cut your no-sew iron tape to fit behind the ribbons. At no point should the tape show past the ribbon, because this will damage your iron.
4. Decide how you wish to attach the bow. There are four options. I’ll show you how to complete option #1, but I’m sure you crafty peeps can figure out the last three!
- leave a gap in the middle of the ribbon “cross” on the onesie to tie the ribbon (I chose this option)
- put a snap on the bow and the middle of the onesie
- use velcro– one on the bow and one in the middle of the onesie
- use extra-long horizontal ribbon pieces so that they tie in the middle– this makes the bow non-detachable
5. Pin the horizontal ribbon with the no-sew iron tape behind it to the onesie. Iron it. I played with how to finish the ends, but in the end found it was best for me to just iron them down and clip any stray ends.
6. Pin the vertical ribbon with the no-sew iron tape behind it onto the onesie. To attach the bow using option #1, I then placed two pins on the vertical ribbon where it met the horizontal ribbon. Then I took a pair of small scissors and carefully cut the no-sew iron tape under the vertical piece where it went over the horizontal piece. This left a small gap into which I could slip the ribbon for the bow in step #7. Iron the vertical piece. If you have a turtleneck like I did, it hides that top end niceley!
Carefully cut the fabric tape behind the vertical ribbon to create a gap for the bow
7. For bow option #1, slip a piece of pre-cut ribbon into the gap. Tie it into a bow, fluff, and you are ready to go. Say CHEESE! {note: gotta get a photo of the kid IN the actual onesie…}
8. OPTIONAL: Noodle’s first bow onesie, given to me by a friend last year, had the words “good things come in small packages” on the bottom. You can achieve the same look by typing a phrase on the computer, and printing it backward onto iron-on transfer paper. Iron it on, and WOOT! You have bum letters. 😉
I haven’t gotten a chance to take photos of Noodle in her onesie this year yet {it’s on my massive to-do list} but didn’t want to delay posting this tutorial in case you wanted to make one this Christmas. Here are two photo from last year that show the general idea (this bow is attached using a snap). You can add fun details like ruffle around the legs or a bow on the bottom, too.
Let me know if you make one; I’d love to see what ideas you have for adding your own touches. It would be fun to have a gallery of Very Merry Onesies to show off!
that’s adorable! How crafty are you?!
And BIG congrats on the new baby – what a wonderful miracle! As another mom who has struggled through infertility, I know how that can be! Yippee!
this is so stinkin’ cute! I’m going to save this in my “crafty” favorites folder! xo!
stoppin’ by from SITS! have a great day!
That is SO ADORABLE. PERFECT for our little nephews!! 🙂
Just stopping by from SITS. Great blog!!
VERY cute idea! She looks precious 🙂
That is the most adorable thing I have seen in a long time. I just might have to make matching ones for my kiddos. Hmmm….do I have it in me? I’m not very crafty!!
Your daughter is BE-A-UTIFUL!!! She definitely *is* a gift 🙂
I am not crafty at all… but even I think I could pull off that onesie. Thanks for such a cool idea!
~Elizabeth
http://confessionsfromaworkingmom.blogspot.com
PRECIOUS!!!!! And, it looks easy, too bad I don’t have little ones, oh wait, I have a new niece that needs one. I better get to crafting. Thanks for the idea.
The Park Wife
Ok – that is adorable!!
That is adorable! Your baby looks so cute in last years. I think this is a great idea to dress up a plain onesie.
I don’t think I have ever seen anything as cute as these!!! I am featuring this at somedaycrafts.blogspot.com Grab my “featured” button. This will send some traffic your way!
Oh my… so so sweet! Such a small addition for amazing impact.
Wish it were that easy for ME to get a new Christmas outfit! 🙂
Thanks for linking up to SNS!
FJ Donna
OMGOSH!!! I love this!! I don’t have a little one, but I LOVE doing fun things to onesies and this idea is GENIUS!!
Blessings…
nori
i love this and i wish i had a baby to put this is!
This is just too, too cute! How adorable. I think I like this much better then the ruffles and flounce!
That is so sweet, oh how much I love it!!!!!!!!
Oh my that is just so cute!!
My followers are loving this! You have got over 20 viewers to come to your site in less that 2 hours through my link. that’s awesome!!! Such a cute idea!
How adorable! I love this idea.
This is such a cute idea!! I featured your tutorial on Craft Gossip Sewing:
http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-no-sew-christmas-present-onesie/2009/12/19/
–Anne
Hi there
This is sooooo cute :):)
Love it
Noodle is darling what a great model!
I also LOVE the cute cute socks? slippers? elf shoes on her feet. Do you have a pattern?
How darling
Thanks so for sharing
Catie
cathycurrie@comcast.net
These are so cute. I’ll have to remember these for my twin grandsons for next Christmas. they will be born in May.
This is just so sweet! Wish we’d thought of this when my daughter’s preemie quadruplets were born. I’ve linked to this on our SewingBusiness blog: http://sewingbusiness.com/2009/12/21/wrap-your-baby-in-a-gift-onsie.aspx Thanks for the tutorial.
Sarah J Doyle
http://PatternsThatFitYou.com
http://SewingBusiness.com blog
Hey there. I totally LOVE THIS!! I am visiting all my favorite hot spots to ask if you would help me get the word out about my all new Linky party on Tuesday’s. This Tuesday will be my first one and I am just hoping for some help getting the word out. Plus it would be perfect if you would post this on there!! I would totally appreciate it!! It’s called Tute’n Tuesday.
Much Love ~ Nikki
http://bestpartofbelieveis.blogspot.com/
This is seriously one of the cutest christmas onesies I’ve ever seen! I featured you today on my baby gift roundup as part of my Christmas in July series 🙂
http://sunshineandchaucer.blogspot.com/2011/07/baby-christmas-gift-ideas.html