Crafty Baby Gifts: Dyed Onesies/Snapsuits with Attitude

There is a small baby boom in my corner of the world, and this week I’m going to share the gifts I make to bestow on all the new little princes and princesses!

Cathie Filian wrote a whole book (101 Snappy Fashions) on upcycling baby Onesies/snapsuits- but this version wasn’t in the book. (go figure!) So today I’m sharing MY version of Tie-Dye Onesies/Snapsuits. Except that it’s not really tie-dye, it’s much neater and easier– it’s Simply Spray! (Review coming soon!)

This first version is all about ‘tude…. attitude, that is! The little dude who will wear this one has a daddy who is a rocker…so of course, that was the theme I chose.

I am lucky enough to have a Slice Machine by Making Memories, and it’s my tool of choice to cut stencils. Because I am lazy. BUT! If you don’t have one of these awesome machines, never fear! You can trace and cut a shape by hand, or trace a cookie cutter (another lazy-gal’s fave) or try my friend Vicki O’Dell’s trick and use vinyl stickers to create your image.

The secret to my “Onesies with ‘Tude” is freezer paper. Yup, the stuff from the grocery store. It cuts really well, and the “waxy” side allows you to iron your stencil/mask right the fabric!

If you are using the Slice, make sure you place your freezer paper waxy side “up”- the waxy side doesn’t stick so well to your sticky glass mat. Now, it may not matter if your images faces left or right, but it DOES matter with letters- so remember to reverse them if you are making a monogram:

Make sure to use the “mirror” option for monograms

By the way, I used “Just Chillin’ Teen” card to make the rockin’ onsies pictured above. For more info on ideas to cut your own freezer-paper stencils, read my post HERE. It also gives you another version of snapsuits to make!

So, just a quick note about terminology here. If we are using the actual image to keep an area from taking the dye/paint, we are making a “mask.” If we are using the negative space around the image, then it’s called a stencil. Just thought you’d like to know!

Once you’ve cut your mask, just iron it on to the snapsuit (waxy side down, of course!) using the cotton setting on your iron- no steam. It only takes a minute or two. Place your snapsuit on newspapers or paper towels to get it ready to dye!

I like to lightly mist the onesie with water before dying to get a more “tie-dye” effect. You can also mist with water after your dies are applied, but be careful- too much water and the dye will seep under your mask. Which kind of defeats the purpose!

Next, start spraying with your Simply Spray. You can make bull’s eyes, rainbows, or just a cool mottled effect. Since I’m impatient, I flip my snappies over and spray the back side right away. I don’t mind if the colors bleed through a bit. I forgot to take a pic of my onensies in progress, but here’s some camis made the same way, out in the sun to dry:

Love the saturated colors!

Let your onesie dry, and then I like to press with a hot, dry iron to set the inks. Because these are intended for babies, I then wash them with baby-specific detergent, like Dreft & dry them in the dryer. Simply Spray is great because there is very little fading or bleeding in the wash!

So there you go- SO cute! AND…this is a great technique for recycling onesies, too. I had a lovely fresh batch of them, all crisp and white for my son….but then when my daughter came along, they were a little dingy and stained. A little Simply Spray later, POOF! Good as new. Better than new, in fact!

OK, kids! That’s what I’ve got for today…