Hellobee

In my quest for colorful, fun, affordable baby clothes, I’ve been dying and appliquéing plain (cheap) white onesies. In the last post I covered the dying process – this time, we’re going to talk about appliquéing.

Appliqué is a quilting technique where fabrics are layered on top of one another and then stitched down in some way. The word comes from the French verb appliquér, which means “to attach to” – it sounds much fancier than it really is.

In order to appliqué a onesie, you’re going to need the following supplies:

– Fabric. You don’t need much – ¼ yard should do it. It will probably cost you $2 -$3. You want something that’s woven, and not stretchy. Think 100% cotton. If you’re shopping in a place like JoAnn Fabrics, head over to the section labeled “Quilting Fabrics.”  For a “fancier” looking appliqué without a lot of work, buy a fabric with a large-scale print. You can just use one section of the design (see elephant onesie below for an example). If you don’t want to buy anything, you could use material scavenged from old bandanas or men’s dress shirts. The material should be washed and dried in the same manner you’ll wash and dry the onesies once in use. SKIP the fabric softener.

– Iron on adhesive. I used the brand “Heat’n Bond.” If you absolutely hate the idea of sewing, look for Heat’n Bond Ultra – it will last through a few washings even if you don’t sew it down, though don’t expect it to last forever. If you’re okay with a little sewing, Heat’n Bond Lite should do the trick. Surprisingly, I found it at Walmart – I think it was around $4.00 for a little over a yard’s worth.

– Thread. If you’re a beginner, and sewing by hand for the first time, pick thread that’s the same color as your fabric – it will help hide your learning curve. If you’re sewing by hand, you can try using thicker embroidery thread, rather than general purpose thread, as it’s probably easier to work with.

– Needle or Sewing Machine.

– Patterns. You can make a pattern by just tracing objects you have lying around the house. For example, coins, bowls, etc. make great circles. As an alternative, print images you find online. When you do a Google image search, include the word “silhouette.” This will give you shapes with strong outlines that translate well to appliqué. If you’re a beginning sewer, start with simple things like a star or heart. I’ve found that images between 4 and 6 inches wide are the most appropriate for a newborn onesie – resize on your computer if necessary. A final option is to use fabric with a large scale design – no pattern needed. You’ll just cut out one section of the image you want to use (like I did with the elephant onesie).

Creating the Appliqué

Step 1: Cut out a square of the fabric that you will be appliquéing. Cut out a slightly smaller square of Heat ’n Bond.

Step 2: Preheat your iron to medium, no steam. Place your fabric right side down on your ironing board, and place the Heat ’n Bond on top of it. The adhesive side should be touching your fabric, with the paper backing facing up. Cover the Heat ’n Bond with the iron, and press it in place for two seconds. More is not better — stick to two seconds. If necessary, reposition the iron and press again until you’ve covered the whole area of paper.

Step 3: Trace your pattern onto the paper backing of the Heat ’n Bond. Keep in mind that the design will be reversed once you flip your fabric over, so if you’re doing letters, trace them backwards.  Now cut out your design.

Step 4: Peel the paper backing off the fabric shape – it helps to use your fingernail around the edge.

It’s killing me that my ironing board cover doesn’t coordinate with the fabric . . .

Step 5: Give your onesie a quick iron to get rid of any wrinkles. Position the cut out shape on the onesie. The adhesive side should be down and the right side of the fabric should be up. With your iron still on medium, press and hold for six seconds on top of the appliqué. Once again, six seconds is enough – don’t overdo it. Reposition the iron and press again if necessary. If I’m working with multiple layers of fabric, I will sometimes flip the onesie over and give it a quick iron from the back.

Step 6: It’s time to sew. You need to sew the appliqué for two reasons: A) the Heat ’n Bond won’t last forever, and B) you need to do something about the raw edges of the fabric so it doesn’t fray.

Sewing With A Machine

Set your machine to a stretch stitch or use the buttonhole setting. If you don’t know how to do this, get out the manual. I use a stretch stitch that looks like a zig-zag. Stitch around the edge of the fabric. I find it’s easiest to start in the middle of a straight edge. Put your needle down and pick up your presser foot when you get to a tight corner so you can make a clean turn. I don’t think anyone is going to be inspecting your onesies with a magnifying glass, so a few mistakes probably won’t be noticeable. I’m still perfecting my techniques, so I find it helps to set my machine to the slowest speed. Backstitch and then cut your threads when you return to your starting position.

And the finished product:

I’m still trying to figure out how to photograph these without the wrinkles – this has been ironed. Anyone have tips?

Sewing By Hand

I’ll try to walk you through the steps, but honestly, it’s probably easiest if you just watch this YouTube video.

Thread your needle and knot it so the thread is doubled. If you’re using embroidery thread, a single strand is fine.

You’re going to make a blanket stitch around the edges of your appliqué. Insert your needle from inside the oneise at a position about a ¼” above the outer edge of the appliqué.

Reinsert your needle about a ¼” inch lower, and then pull it almost all the way through, leaving a little loop. Reinsert your needle again ¼” above the edge of the appliqué, this time also moving it a ¼” to the right or left .

Now take the needle and go through the loop of thread you left in a previous step. Pull tight. Continue doing this around the entire edge of your appliqué.

The secret to a great looking blanket stitch is to keep your stitch length and the distance between your stitches even. If you look closely, you can tell that I’m still something of a beginner when it comes to hand sewing!

And that’s it! From start to finish, when I use my sewing machine, I can do a less detailed appliqué in around a half hour. It’s not quite instant gratification, but it’s great when you need a quick creative outlet.

FYI: I’m not a big fan of this onesie – I just don’t dig the rusty orange.

Here’s some more inspiration:

I used ric rac trim to mimic a chevron pattern on this one.

I appliqued a few before I discovered the joys of fabric dye.

I like adding shapes behind the silhouette for added dimension.

So what do you think? If you’re a new(er) sewer, are you brave enough to give appliqué a try? It’s the perfect starter project if you’re feeling brave.