Four Ways to Decorate a Onesie

Recently I posted an easy, yet creative, yet affordable baby shower gift called Peas in a Pod with baby washcloths. Today, I'm keeping with the theme of babies and baby showers. I wanted to show four easy and creative ways to decorate a onesie that will save you a lot of money if you just make it rather than buy a similar one online! Two are gender neutral and two are for boys (though honestly, if I were a baby, I'd want to wear all four).

Onesie #1 and #2 - The Moustache and The Crescent Moon

When I saw this baby gift set, I thought it was adorable until I saw the price tag. The onesie alone could be between $18-$37 for a freakin' moon on it?! No. Way.

For the moustache onesie, I saw this one on Etsy for $13 and again, I thought the price tag was ridiculous.

Here's how to make the exact same onesies. You'll need:

1. A bodysuit/onesie
2. Fabric paint
3. Freezer paper
4. X-acto knife
5. Paintbrush

Print out your moon, moustache, whatever you want on the onesie on the dull side of freezer paper and cut out the inside of the pattern with your x-acto knife. If you choose not to print onto the freezer paper itself, you can print your moon/moustache/etc. on regular paper, put it under freezer paper, and then trace the outline with a marker so as to cut it out.

Here's where I recommend putting a piece of paper or cardboard inside the onesie so paint doesn't seep through. Iron the outline onto your onesie shiny side down for a few minutes. I did it for 3 minutes, just to make sure it was completely stuck. Make sure the edges are ironed flat to the bodysuit, otherwise paint will seep out and it will look unprofessional.

After you've ironed, paint on a layer inside the template and let dry for 2-4 hours. Add another layer of paint if necessary.

Once dry, slowly remove the template, then take a towel or washcloth and place it on top of the onesie. Take your iron and "set" the pattern in for a few minutes. This will guarantee the pattern won't fade away after the first wash.

And you're done! Enjoy the money you saved by making another one!

Onesie #3 - The Home State

This is much like the first two, however the word "home" ups the difficulty level. Note that it's still cheaper than buying it for $28 online (if it looks familiar, it's the same company that Kristin Cavallari wore when she debuted her baby bump... why do I know this?...)

Just like before, find an outline of the state of your choice, print it out on freezer paper, and cut it out with your x-acto knife. I found it was easiest to print out "home" on freezer paper and cut out each letter individually.

Just like before, iron the freezer paper to your onesie and make sure there's a piece of paper or cardboard inside the onesie.

Paint over the word "home" and wait until the paint dries. Try not to paint off the freezer paper (I did a little at the top... whoops!)

Once it dries, add another layer of paint if you wish (I kept with 1 layer since it was a light-colored onesie). Slowly remove the paper and the letters. Hopefully you ironed it down well enough so it didn't bleed too bad!

Original for $28 versus what I made... I didn't keep the period after "home" but other than that, can you tell any difference?

Onesie #4 - The Switch-Out Bow Ties

This is a little different... you're going to be making bow ties that can be switched out with the help of some snaps or, in this case, velcro. An easy way to dress up a onesie and a versitile option too!

Here's what you'll need:

1. A bodysuit/onesie
2. Felt
3. Needle and thread or glue
4. Velcro or snaps
5. Ruler
6. Scissors
7. Pen or marker

First, measure and cut two strips of felt. Strip #1 should be 3/4" x 2 1/2". Strip #2 should be 3/4" x 9 1/2". Fold Strip #2 into thirds - fold one end in about 2/3 of the way, then fold the other side on top.

Pinch in the middle to make the center fold.

Take Strip #1 and tightly wrap it around the center. Either sew or glue the ends together in the back.

Take your velcro and apply one side to the tie and the other to the onesie. Make sure if you're making multiple ties to apply the correct side to the tie every time.

And that's it! I only made two ties but the possibilities of color are endless!

And there you have it! Four onesies for the price of one you would buy online. Go out there and be creative!

TOTAL COSTS: About $25 to make 4 onesies

$1.99 for Disney Bodysuit 4 Pack for on Amazon

$7.99 for freezer paper from Vons  (for 150 sq. ft!)

$5.99 for fabric paint from Michaels

$6 for felt from Fiddlesticks in San Francisco (click here for another baby project with felt)

$2.75 for velcro from Vons

X-acto knife, paint brush, ruler, scissors, needle & thread, and pen on hand

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: Depends on project

Depending on the amount of paint you use and the color of the bodysuit, it varies how long it might take for the paint to dry. 

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): Depends on project

The tie is the easiest to make (especially if you don't know how to sew, you can just use glue). I'd rate that a 1 out of 5. 

#1 and #2 are the second easiest, I'd rate them 2 out of 5. 

The home state is the hardest but you just need to go slow and steady when cutting, ironing, and painting. Even still, I'd rate it a 3 out of 5. Not hard at all but not a walk in the park.

How to Make a Book Purse

I thought this might make a nice gift - a book converted to a purse (or clutch if you remove the handles). I had given one as a gift off of Etsy in the past for $51 and I thought, "I could make one of these for a heck of a lot cheaper!" Little did I know, this would be  one of the largest projects I've ever tried to undertake. I followed this post I found on Instructables and the list of things you'll need is a bit long:

* A book (hardcover with a great cover!)

* Needle/thread or sewing machine (HIGHLY recommend a sewing machine... I don't have one and the sewing took forever)
* X-acto knife
* Ruler
* Tape
* Scissors
* Glue (I used the same as what the original post recommended - E6000)
* Fabric
* Velcro
* Paper
* Pen or marker
* Handles (optional - if you're making a clutch, you won't need them)

Step 1: Take your book and your x-acto knife and cut out all of the pages of the book. In my case, it was a new book so the glue holding down the pages was still fresh and easy to rip off.

Step 2: Take your fabric and cut out a piece the size of the book. Once it's cut out, measure 1/2" around the borders and iron them down.

Step 3: If you're making a clutch, you can glue the fabric to the book and let dry. If you're making a purse, grab your handles and some extra fabric, put the fabric through the handle slits, and sew the bottoms to create straps that will be glued to the inside of the book.

Step 4: Glue the straps to inside of the book

 and then glue the fabric you cut and ironed to the inside of the book as well, on top of the straps.

I put something heavy on top of the fabric and let it dry overnight, just to make sure there wouldn't be any problems. The original post doesn't call for it to dry overnight but they do emphasize not moving forward until it's completely ready.

Step 5: Next, you need to make a template so you know how to cut the fabric for the inside of the purse (all you've done is cut the fabric for the lining underneath!). Using four pieces of paper taped together to make a giant square, put your book in the middle and trace around it, making sure to mark where the spine starts and ends.

Step 6: Measure the width of one side of the book (mine happened to be 5 3/4") and "at a 75 degree angle" (which of course I eyeballed), draw a line of that measurement from where you marked the beginning of the spine. The smaller the angle, the wider the purse will open.

Step 7: Cut out the bottom of the square and the line you just drew and fold the paper over width-wise. By doing so, you're creating a duplicate line on the other side. Make sure the squares line up and trace the line created by the triangle. Once traced, unfold and cut out the top of the square and the line you just drew.

Step 8: Now fold the pattern over length-wise, trace the line created by the triangle, and cut out the bottom of the square and the line you just drew. Make sure to make the triangle on the other side, just like before.

Step 9: Once your design is completely cut out, it will look like a rectangle with two triangles attached. Put the pattern on top of your fabric and cut out two of these.

Step 10: Take one of the designs you just cut out and with the right sides facing each other, sew the edges of the triangle to the edges of the square. This is going to feel awkward but trust me on this. You're going to be doing this 8 times - twice for each triangle. This is where a sewing machine would really come in handy. If you don't have one, like me, get ready to do a lot of sewing! If you don't know how to sew, take a look at this post I did, as this is the same exact stitch I used this time around.

Once you're done, flip one of the patterns inside-out.

Step 11: Take the pattern you just flipped inside-out so the right side is facing out, and put it inside the wrong-side out piece. Sew around the top edges, but leave a hole big enough put your hand through, as you'll eventually be flipping this inside-out.

If you find that your sides (the triangles) came out much longer than the joining sides, you can trim them down and sew them together.

Step 12: Once all the sides are sewn together, place your hand inside the hole you left and flip the pattern inside out. You'll need to fold it on top of itself to make it the appropriate size. Sew the hole together.

Step 13: This is where I not only love the invention of velcro, but the invention of adhesive as well. I found this stick-on velcro at the store and I'm so glad I did, because otherwise I would have had to sew the velcro to the inside and I was not having that!

Step 14: You're almost done - just grab the book and some glue and adhere the pocket you sewed to the book. Again, I'm giving it some time to dry before putting anything inside, just to be safe.

And there you have it kids! Your very own book purse!

TOTAL COSTS: About $32 (still cheaper than what Etsy offers!)
$10 book from Wacko's
$7.99 for fabric from JoAnn's Fabrics
$5.75 for handles on Amazon (but now they're on sale for $4.19!)
$5.80 for glue from Michael's
$2.75 for velcro from Vons
Paper, scissors, pen, tape, ruler, needle and thread already on hand

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: About 4 hours plus 2 nights to let glue dry
30 minutes to pull pages, cut fabric, and iron
20 minutes to make and sew strips
15 minutes to glue strips and fabric backing to book
(dry overnight)
20 minutes to make template
25 minutes to cut out fabric from template
22-24 minutes/triangle to sew by hand (and there are 4 triangles = about an hour and a half)
35 minutes to sew two patterns together along top
15 minutes to sew hole, add velcro, and glue to book
(dry overnight)

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 4 out of 5
If I didn't know how to sew, it may have been more difficult but as it was, I had no idea there were going to be so many steps involved! Overtime and with practice I'm sure they turn out better but for a first go, the results aren't too bad! Just find a hardcover book that has a great cover, grab some fabric, and make something unique!