I found quite a few tutorials and pictures for onesie gowns online, but none of them were quite what I wanted so I ended up combining several ideas.
My biggest concern was keeping the stretch of the onesie--I don't make many clothes for bitty babies because I want the clothes to be as comfy as possible and to me, that means knits. I just prefer to have soft, stretchy, cotton fabrics against a baby's skin when they're still little. That problem was solved by attaching the skirt fabric to some stretchy elastic and sewing it on top of the onesie--the knit is the layer closest to the skin and the elastic ensures the tummy area won't be restricted or tight.
My secondary concern was appearances. I planned to monogram the onesie, but I thought the gown would still look too plain without something near the skirt/bodice seam. I saw some super cute versions that had ribbon sewn around the seam (the skirt wasn't overlapped on the bodice in those versions), but that eliminates the stretch (see concern #1). Solution: I made a cute little belt of sorts out of some ribbons and elastic.
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| I think the belt would also make a cute headband! |
The gown can be worn either way--I tried to stitch as neatly as possibly (while stretching elastic, no easy feat!) so that the belt is optional. I didn't want anything that would tie (safety concern) or be restrictive. I made some elastic ribbon by layering two kinds of ribbon on some elastic and sewing it to be the same length around as the onesie so it would stretch equally.The belt needed a little something more, so I made an organza flower. I am now totally addicted!
These are just different sized circles, layered and sewn together with some pearls in the middle. I used primarily organza but then I read you can use any synthetic so I threw in some hot pink satin as well. You use a heat source (candle, lighter, etc) to melt the edges enough so that they are sealed and the circles curl up. Super easy, super fun! (I might have run out and bought a dozen colors of organza after making my first flower...)
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| Font is the 2" size Monogram 1 from 8Claws |
As you can see, I also added some embroidery to the onesie. I cut the onesie off and monogrammed the baby's initials before attaching the skirt. It was much easier to embroider that way, but a little trickier to determine the placement (this is why I like patterns and instructions--I'm not a big fan of trial and error--too much rework!)
I love the finished result, almost enough to want to have another baby to sew for! I will stick to sewing for friends--several of them have new babies or babies on the way ;)
