Onesies and Burp Cloths and Babies…Oh My!

What, besides love, does a baby need more than onesies and burp cloths?  It seems that a new mother cannot have enough of these two items.

We are very fond of giving these as gifts to a brand new baby and have great fun creating our own designs.   We are going to share with you how you, too, can do this.

Untitled from Two Chums on Vimeo.

Firstly, you need to buy plain white diapers (which is what the burpcloths are) and plain white onesies.  We find Gerber onesies are great but any brand name is fine as long as they are one hundred percent cotton.  Then, we are going to dye them.  Yes, dye them!  Really easy and lots of fun.  If the new parents-to-be have found out whether they are having a little girl or a little boy, you can use those colors i.e. pink or blue….or perhaps, you know that the mother prefers green or yellow or, maybe primary colors would fit the bill better.  Whatever color you feel would be best for this new little one, buy that color dye.  We buy Rit dye, in the liquid form.  You can find Rit dye at Walmart, Joanns, and at a lot of drug stores and craft stores.  Next, put about 1 quart of hot water into a transparent bucket.  We prefer a transparent bucket as you can see what the color of your water is becoming.  Put just a few drops of your dye into the water and stir.  You just need a few drops as you can always add more if you want the color to be deeper but you cannot take it away!  Then drop your onesie into the water for 15 seconds and take it out.  If it is the color you want it to be, you are set.  If you would like it to be a little brighter or darker, put it in again.  You may want to add some more dye to the water but do this in small increments.   Do the same with the burpcloth.

Once you have your onesie and burpcloth dyed, pop them in the dryer to get them nice and dry.  Then, you are going to add your “embellishments”!  This is the fun part.  You can pick up ribbons in colors that you know the new Mom will love and add them on.  A bow looks pretty for a little girl or perhaps a piece of pretty lace. Here are the steps for adding the ribbon:

You will need 1 1/2 yds. of ribbon for the burp cloth and about 1/2 yd for the bow.  Run your ribbon down both sides of the burp cloth forming a “U” at one end as in photos above.  Turn up the “U” and fold the corners into diagonal folds as in the last two photos above.  Repeat this on the other end of the burp cloth.  Pin ribbon in place and stitch with a small stitch around the outside edges.  Repeat this on the inside edges and then the diagonal corners.  Remove pins and press with a warm iron.

Here are the steps for making the bow for the embellished onesie:

To make the bow, first make two loops as in the first photo.  Holding one in each hand,  cross one under the other as in the second photo.  Next tie them in a knot as in photo 3.  Then adjust bow to size and length of tails that you need.  See last photo above.  Pin bow into place on onesie and stitch around the edge with a small zigzag stitch.  You will end up with a very cute little set for a sweet baby girl.

Some ribbon, in the shape of a tie, looks very cute for a little boy.

Always pin your embellishments on before you sew them on to make sure that you like the placement.  Pin them carefully on, making your corners neat and then you are ready to sew.  Use a thread as close to the color of your ribbon as possible.

Another way to embellish the burp cloth, is to put a strip of fabric down the center panel of the diaper and then trim the edges of the fabric with ribbon as in the instructions for the burp cloth above.

If you do not have a sewing machine, this might be a great time to invest in one.  I have an inexpensive sewing machine that I bought at Target for $100 and it is wonderful.  Ever since,  I learned to sew at boarding school in England, (many moons ago) I have only ever had inexpensive sewing machines and they do the trick.

Another really sweet thing to do which will bring a huge smile to a new Mum’s face, is to have the baby’s name or monogram or initial embroidered onto the middle of the burpcloth.  Most malls have a place where you can have this done, relatively inexpensively, and it really does add a lot!

What new Mom is not going to feel the love that you have put into this gift?  She will love it.