Baby Onesie into Doll Onesie -- TUTORIAL

A few weeks back I got an email from Crystal, asking how I made the doll onesie in this post. I finally have a tutorial put together! The basic idea is pretty simple, although it takes a lot of photos and explaining. It is somewhat similar to my Baby Clothes to Doll Clothes tutorial, but definitely more involved. You don't need a pattern -- you will custom fit your onesie to your particular doll. Don't be scared!




What you need:

~ a doll to dress
~ a onesie to remake
(I found this onesie at the dollar store, but you could use a thrifted or outgrown onesie.)
~ pins
~ sewing machine
~ small piece of velcro
~ patience


STEP ONE: Carefully cut your onesie apart at the seams. You will end up with four peices -- front, back, and two sleeves.

STEP TWO: Lay your front and back pieces over your doll, right sides facing the doll, starting with the back and then the front. (This way they will be on the correct sides when you turn it right side out.)

Pin at the shoulder seams. Very gently pull it over your doll's head. This is a good way to be sure it will come off and on!

NOTE: If your doll has a really huge noggin, making the neckline of your onesie giant and unflattering for Dolly, try pulling it down and off instead of over the head!

This is what it will look like when it is laid flat.

STEP THREE: Sew the shoulder seams slightly to the outside of your pins. You will only need to sew from the edge of the ribbing on the front to the edge of the ribbing on the back.

STEP FOUR: Decide whether you want short sleeves or long sleeves. (I chose to do long sleeves this time.) Place a sleeve on the doll and mark at the top of the shoulder where the shoulder seam should be.

Cut the sleeve all the way across at that length, making sure to add a seam allowance. (I didn't cut mine very straight!!)

STEP FIVE: Determine how wide you want the sleeve. Mark each side with pins...

...and cut a sleeve shape. Don't forget the seam allowance! (I did; the sleeves ended up a little too tight!)

STEP SIX: Here's where I missed a photo. I put the onesie back over my doll's head, inside-out as usual, and marked with pins where the underarm seam would be. I then cut away some of the excess fabric, leaving a seam allowance, as shown in this photo.

STEP SEVEN: Attach the sleeve! Pin the sleeve in half and mark the center. Line it up with the center meeting point of the front and back of the onesie. Lay them right sides together, matching the pins, and pin the sleeve on. You may need to stretch the sleeve piece a little to make it fit the arm hole.

STEP EIGHT: Go ahead and sew the underarm seam of the sleeve, stopping at the armpit.

STEP NINE: Back on the doll again, inside out! Pin the side seams down past where the leg holes will be -- approximately mid-thigh.

Sew!

STEP TEN: Back on the doll again, inside out, then AFTER checking to make sure the fit works, trim away the excess fabric.

NOTE: If you like, you can stop here and make a little gown! Cut the length down past Dolly's toes, make a quick little casing, thread some narrow elastic through, and you are done! I've made a few of these, and they are just so cute -- that's what JellyBean wore to bed up until she was 3 or 4 months old!

STEP TEN: Trim one side of the front to create a onesie shape. You do not need to leave a seam allowance.

Remove the onesie and fold it so the side seams are together, then trim the other side of the front to match. You can then trim the back approximately the same, leaving it full length in the back.

STEP ELEVEN: On the doll AGAIN. :o) Trim the back to a more appropriate length. Remember that the back will need to overlap the front.

STEP TWELVE: (Bad picture!!) Using the smaller of your two leftover onesie scraps, cut two strips, approximately 2" wide. Sew them together to create one long strip.

STEP THIRTEEN: Open one of the side seams a couple inches.

Begin sewing your strip to the lower raw edge of your onesie, right sides together. Give your strip a little stretch as you go. You'll have to fiddle it around the curves.

STEP FOURTEEN: This photo shows how I folded the raw edge of the strip under, also leaving it overlapped a little bit. (Look at the left side, under my thumb.) Life would have been much easier for me if I had pinned the whole thing before sewing. But I didn't. You will sew all the way around the lower edge. Then re-sew that side seam you opened up.
(If you are putting in a little brand-name tag at the bottom, like on the butterfly onesie pictured at the top, you will stick it in during this step.)

Now you just need to decide whether you want your onesie to velcro together back-over-front, as onesies traditionally do...

...or front-over-back. I chose to do mine this way, because it obviously looks SO MUCH better! Pin to mark where your velcro pieces will go, and sew them on.

TA-DA!!
This long-sleeved onesie looks very much like a leotard -- I think a tu-tu is in Dolly's future!!

Trust me, the second time around (if you can stand to do it again!) goes much more quickly and easily than the first one you make. If you end up being brave enough to try this out, I'd love to see a photo!

Keep that other piece of the original onesie. You could make a cute little newborn hat using Wendy's Newborn Doll Hat Tutorial at her blog, Old Days - Old Ways!

What I've learned:
~ I prefer the look of the short-sleeved onesie.
~ My butterfly onesie was 100% cotton; the dollar store version was 65% cotton/35% polyester. I definitely prefer the cotton one.
~ On this onesie I should have cut the bottom edge a little higher for a much cuter fit.

EASY Doll Pants, Socks, Hat, Scarf! -- TUTORIAL

Today I want to show you how I completely outfitted my 18" doll (who I got for a buck at the thrift store!!) using all dollar store or on-hand items -- and I made them ALL during ONE of JellyBean's naps! No patterns, no measuring, no stress!


This poor girl has been sitting on my top shelf, in the buff, for months! Time to get her dressed; she's been looking so cold and lonely up there!

First: a shirt!
I started with this WEIRD "rearview mirror T-shirt" I found at one of the more obscure dollar stores nearby. (Yes, it does say "My other car is a piece of junk." That was one of the tamer quotes! I plan to cover that weirdness with something cute at some point in the future.)


I simply cut it straight down the back and added velcro. Easy! She looks more comfortable already.


Next up: Pants!
I used a pair of outgrown baby pants.
STEP ONE: Put the pants on your doll, inside-out. Pin around her legs to make the pants fit, as shown in the photo, using the original elastic waistband. This particular waistband is a little bit bulky, but it works fine.
(This is the same method as my Baby Jammies to Doll Jammies tutorial.)


STEP TWO: Carefully remove the pants, sew where you pinned, and put them back on the doll to check the fit. If everything looks okay, go ahead and trim away the excess. (I ended up going back to raise the crotch of the pants just a little for a better fit.)


STEP THREE: Fold up the bottoms of the pants and pin in place.

STEP FOUR: Carefully sew the hem. If your pants are made from a stretchy fabric, avoid stretching it as you sew, or you will end up with a wonky-looking hem. I pinned my hem high so I wouldn't have to worry about removing pins as I sewed, and I sewed from the inside (which was the "right" side!) of the pants. See photo if this sounds confusing!

STEP FIVE: Trim away the excess fabric from your hem, and the pants are done!

Next up: Knee-High Socks!
I got my ankle socks on the dollar aisle at Target. Ankle socks are also available at the dollar store.

STEP ONE: Same idea again! Put an inside-out sock on your doll and pin around. I stretched it around the ankle area to make it fit closely.

STEP TWO: Sew around and trim, and you are done! I love how this pair ended up with white toes and heels -- just like big people's socks!!

And, last but not least, the hat and scarf! This one is a Dollar Store Crafts Exclusive, though -- so you'll have to go there for the Doll Hat and Scarf Tutorial!

Sweet Doll Blanket -- TUTORIAL

I really love a good project that I can finish in one sitting with super cute results. Today I'll show you how I made some quick little doll blankets without measuring border pieces, but you could certainly use these same instructions to make a baby blanket. My favorite part of these blankies is the little fakey binding edge. It's such a cute detail!


SUPPLIES:

~ three coordinating flannels (or two if you don't do the fakey binding edge)
~ rotary cutter, ruler and mat
~ iron
~ sewing machine

GETTING STARTED: (These are measurements to make my doll blanket, which ended up 16"x20")
Cut main flannel (monkeys) 12"x18"
Cut two strips border flannel (pink) 2 1/2"x44" - piece together to make one long strip
Cut two strips "binding" flannel (orange) 1"x44" - piece together to make one long strip (OPTIONAL)
You also need backing fabric at least 18"x22" -- which happens to be FAT QUARTER size!


Step One: Line up your border fabric with one edge of your main flannel, with approximately 3/4" overhang at the TOP (where my finger is pointing in the photo).


Step Two: Sew along the edge, stopping about 2" from the end. Cut your border off leaving approximately 4" overhang at the end.

Step Three: Press approximately the first six inches.

Step Four: Trim away the excess from the "top" of the strip. (This ensures that your next line to sew is straight.)

Step Five: Turn your blanket clockwise once so the first border you sewed on is at the bottom. Line up your pink border fabric the same way you did in step one and sew all the way down. Press and trim both sides of this strip. Repeat this step for the third border.

Step Six: Pull the end of the first border you sewed on out of the way and line up your pink strip the same way you did in step one. Sew all the way down, press, and trim both sides.

Step Seven: Finish sewing the first border. Press and trim. The top of your blanket is done!

Step Eight: Lay your blanket top face down on your backing fabric. (You haven't cut this yet!) Pin approximately 1 1/2" inside the edge of the blanket all the way around. Cut the backing fabric with at least 1" extra fabric around the edges of the blanket top. (This gives you a little extra room!)


(If you aren't doing the little fakey binding edge, skip to step 10.)
Step Nine: Press your "binding" fabric with the wrong side inside all the way along the strip.

Step Ten: Line up your "binding" strip about 1/3 of the way down from one corner with the folded edge inside and the raw edges along the edge of your blanket top. Start sewing approximately 3" PAST the end of the binding so there is a 3" end of the "binding" unattached. (This will probably make more sense when you get to Step Twelve.)

Step Eleven: This is the tricky part! You are going to round off your corners slightly. When you get about 1" from the corner, stop with your needle down and lift the presser foot. Start turning your "binding" piece. Put the presser foot back down, take a few stitches, then stop, lift the presser foot and repeat. Make sure the edge of your foot runs along the edge of where your binding lies. Do this until you get all the way around the corner.

Step Twelve: After you get around the last corner and back to the beginning of your "binding," stop sewing a few inches ahead of the first end. (See photo.) Swing the two ends out from each other at a slight angle, and finish sewing. This is the easiest way to finish the ends of your "binding."

Remember: You have sewn all the way around the blanket without leaving a hole to turn it right side out.

Step Thirteen: Remove pins and trim the edges of your backing to match the top, cutting slightly closer around the corners for easier turning.

Step Fourteen: Using a seam ripper or sharply pointed scissors, cut the stitching on one of your edges between the center fabric and the border approximately 4". This is the hole through which you will turn your blanket.

Step Fifteen: Press the edge of your blanket.. (One bonus of your fakey binding is that it makes it much easier to get a crisp edge -- just pull on it as you press!) Topstitch around your blanket next to the binding first, then around the border, closing up the hole. I go right near the edge -- less than 1/8".

You're done!

Something else to try: Use rick-rack instead of the fakey binding for an extra fun detail!