Embroidering on Onesies

Onesies are made out of a very soft and stretchy cotton.

Wash and dry the onesie to eliminate any shrinkage.

The first step is to plan where to stitch the design.

A template, or printout of a design, is an excellent tool to help with placement.

Print a template of the design from your embroidery software. If you do not have embroidery software, Wilcom's TrueSizer is a free program to use.

Arrange the template on the onesie until it's in the place where you want to stitch. Mark the center point, as well as the vertical and horizontal axis lines.

Cutaway stabilizer is the best choice for soft and stretchy knits, like onesies.

Cut a piece of stabilizer larger than the hoop.

Spray the stabilizer with a small amount of temporary adhesive.

Turn the onesie inside out.

Smooth the stabilizer on the back of the area that will be embroidered.

Turn the onesie right side out.

Slide the button hoop inside the onesie so the tab comes out of the neck.

Line up the marks on the fabric with the marks on the hoop, and press the top hoop in place.

Make sure the fabric is not stretched.

Wrap the excess onesie up and around so it's out of the way, and won't get caught on anything while embroidering.

Use clips to keep the excess fabric out of the way.

Keep an eye on the clips while embroidering so they do not roll in.

When the hoop is attached to the machine, the onesie will be sideways.

Rotate the embroider design accordingly (90 degrees).

Load the design, and move the hoop so the needle is right over the center point.

Embroider the design. A size 11 ballpoint needle is a good choice for onesies.

After embroidering, turn the onesie inside out and cut the excess stabilizer away.

Cutaway stabilizer will soften in the wash. However, if you're concerned about the stabilizer or stitches being rough against the baby's skin, use a fusible knit or interfacing on the back of the embroidery.

A product like Cloud Cover Stitch is a fine choice. Cut a piece and iron it to the back of the area that is embroidered.

If you don't wish to hoop the onesie (or if you don't have a hoop that's small enough to fit inside), then try this alternate applique method.

Embroider a design onto a soft fabric, like flannel or cotton knit.

Use one piece of cutaway stabilizer on the back.

Cut the embroidered piece into a shape, such as a square.

Cut a piece of double-sided fusible web the same shape as the embroidered piece.

Peel back the paper from the adhesive side and place that on the back of the embroidered piece.

Place that on the onesie. Use an iron and pressing cloth to permanently set the fusible web.

Use a decorative stitch (like a blanket stitch) to applique the embroidered piece to the onesie.

Spruce up onesies, t-shirts, dresses, jackets, and more with the tips and tricks found in this helpful tutorial.