Cute Little Baby Gifts

This post is not about the adorable Heidi Sage, but it is going to help you give the cutest gifts at the next baby shower you attend. Our friends Marisa and Rafa, from Florida, are expecting a baby boy in February. We are seeing them this weekend, so it's only natural we show up with CUTE gifts.

You don't need any sewing knowledge to make these cute little onesies. I started by buying a package of onesies and a package of knit cargo pants.

Besides onesies and knit pants you will also need:
-freezer paper
-fabric paint
-embroidery floss
-sew-on googley eyes in two sizes
-a small swatch of cute fabric

The first onesie uses the technique of reverse applique. The first step is to find a cute design to work with, I chose a fish since our friends live in Florida. You can find ideas by looking at images and clipart online.  After you choose a design, you need to make a stencil. I drew my design on the dull side of a small piece of freezer paper.

You want to choose a very simple design to start and it will get embellished.

Cut the design out with an exacto knife or scissors.

The design is cut out.

Iron the freezer paper to the onesie, in the proper position, shiny side down.  This will hold your stencil in place for painting.

Use fabric paint and paint in your design.  I used two shades of blue.  When painting, make sure to put something between the two layers of the shirt/onesie.  You can use wax paper, freezer paper, cardboard, etc.

After paint has dried, peel off the freezer paper to reveal your cute design.

The painted design.

Cut a small piece of fabric slightly larger than the painted area.  I used the center that I cut out of my stencil as a guideline.  If you use knit fabric there is no need to finish the edges because knit won't ravel.  I used a woven fabric so I serged the edges so they wouldn't ravel.  You could also zigzag the edge if you don't have a serger or bind the edge with bias tape.

Turn the onesie inside out and pin the fabric to the back side of your painted design. 

Turn the onesie back the correct way making sure your fabric is covering the whole design, and make adjustments if necessary.

Take a piece of embroidery floss and divide it into three strands.  It is six strands to start with but I want to make it thinner so I simply divided it, as shown.

Thread the needle and put both ends back together and tie a knot.  This means the string is doubled back to six strands.

Start from the back side and sew a running stitch, a simple up and down, around the fish attaching the fabric to the onesie.  When the design is completely sewn around tie off your thread on the back side.

The painted design with stitching around the edges.

Now you are going to cut out the center of the design on the top layer ONLY. Cut into the design making sure not to cut the under layer.

Cut around the edge of the design close to the stitching, about 1/8" away from edge.

When you cut out the center the cute printed fabric is revealed.

Pair the onesie with some cute knit pants and you have an adorable outfit for a baby boy!

The second onesie is simply a stencil with a little embellishment.  I started by drawing a cute little monster on the dull side of freezer paper. Then cut out the design with an exacto knife or scissors.

 Iron the shiny side of the freezer paper to the onesie.

Paint in the stencil with fabric paint.  When the paint dries remove the stencil.  Since there are multiple pieces I had to stencil in two parts.  I did the blue first, then the black.

The completed stencil.

Sew on the googley eyes, I used different sized googley eyes for a fun touch.  Make sure the eyes say sew on, you don't want to glue these on.

Add some cute pants and you have a perfect little boy outfit!

Cute little onesies packagee in a take-out box.

Tie it up with a pretty bow and you have a great little baby gift.

Happy Baby Gifting,


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