Crafty Christmas: A Very Merry Onesie!

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!