Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Vintage Tea Dyed Onesies


I originally shared this post at Mother's Niche but just in case you missed it, here it is for you too.  Here's how to made these darling, vintage, tea dyed onesies.  They are classic, simple to make and are perfect gifts for a newborn.  

You'll need some white onesies to get started.  I used a variety of onesies that were my grandsons.  Follow the instructions below to doll up those boring onesies. 

The first step is to tea dye the onesies which is a good way to hide any stains which a previous baby left if you're using a refashioned onesie: 
See photo 1 - Place black tea packets into boiling water.  Let the water turn dark brown.  Drop the onesie into the boiling water and gently stir with a wooden spoon. (I used 6 packets to dye 4 onesies.)
See photo 2 - Rinse onesie in really cold water for about 15 - 20 minutes.  Next, throw in your drier to heat set the dye.


The next step is to decorate the tea dyed onesies with lace and buttons.  I wanted my daughter to help with this, so before I left for my flight to her home, I gathered a few supplies like lace trim, left over lace remnants and buttons and tucked them into my suitcase. So, gather your supplies and get creative as you decorate your onesies.  

To form the lace skirt, cut the lace into a rectangle.  Along the bottom edge of the lace, add trim - see photo 3.  Now place a gathering stitch along the top edge and pin the lace in place onto the onesie.  Along the top of the lace skirt, pin on lace trim, making sure you tuck the unfinished edges against the onesie. Zig zag those layers onto the onesie.  If you want some bum ruffles, this is a good time to make those - see photo 4.


If you like the look of the random buttons, pull out a variety of buttons - this is a great way to use all those spare buttons you've collected, or even the extra buttons that are attached to newly purchased clothing. Now with a washable fabric marker, place dots evenly about 1/3" above the top of the lace.  These dots are your placement marks to sew the buttons on evenly.  Now, thread two strands of thread through a needle and fold that thread in half so you only have to sew through the button, twice per hole. Securely sew your buttons in place.

That's it! Your vintage tea dyed onesie is good to go!


 xoxo Grandma 

NEEDED FOR THIS PROJECT:

                                                                                                                          
Linked to: Lou Lou Girls , Nap-time Creations , Project Run and Play, Creating my Way to Success

2 comments:

  1. From one Grandma to another, love these vintage look tea dyed onesie's! My niece is having a girl in Dec and I'm in the process of making a couple for the shower tomorrow! From the picture, do you only have the lace in the front of the onesie or in the back of the onesie also? Thank you so much for the wonderful tutorial and the adorable onesie idea!

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    Replies
    1. I put the lace on both the front and the back side on one of the onesie’s. On another, the lace is just on the front.

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Love to hear what you think...xoxo Grandma