I recently made my daughter a bunch of cute ruffled onesies. After sharing some of the photos, I had quite a few people ask, “How do you make those? Are they hard?”
Well let me tell you; they are easier than you might think! Here’s an extremely detailed tutorial for those who are curious! All you need are the materials listed below and a basic understanding on how to use a sewing machine.
Side note: If you’re not interested in the tutorial, just skip to the bottom to see some adorable pictures. (I’m talking to you Mom!)
Let’s get started!
You’ll need:
- Onesie
- Fabric (1/4-yard)
- Pins
- Scissors
- Measuring Tape
- Sewing Machine (not pictured)
- Iron (not pictured)
Measure the Bodysuit. On the back of the bodysuit, measure the width right above the leg holes (for example, mine measures 9.5″)…
…and one-inch below the leg holes (mine measures 8″). Write down these measurements.
Cut fabric strips. You’ll need three strips of fabric. All strips will need to be 2.5″ wide. To figure out the length needed, refer to the measurements you just took.
Take both measurements from the step above and multiply by 3. For example, my measurements were 9.5″ and 8″.
- 9.5″ x 3 = 28.5″
- 8″ x 3 = 24″
You will need two long strips of fabric (so I will need two strips that are 28.5″ long) and one shorter strip (I will need one strip that is 24″ long).
Fold, Iron and Hem. Flip fabric so the right side is facing down. Fold down the top edge 1/4″ and iron.
Repeat on the bottom. They should look something like this:
Once you have nice ironed edges, the next step is to hem the top and bottom lengths. (If you are new to sewing, I would pin the fabric first, otherwise, just wing it!) Sew as closely to the top and bottom edges as you can.
Once completed, your strips should look like this:
Now the fun begins!
Long Stitch. Set your sewing machine to a long, straight stitch. (I have a very basic sewing machine, so my longest stitch length is 4.)
Sew down the middle of each fabric strip (do not back stitch at the beginning or end). Leave plenty of extra string hanging from both sides.
During this step your strips will likely twist and curl a bit, and probably look like this:
Find the center of the bodysuit. Take your bodysuit and fold in half length-wise. Insert a pin along the folded edge, in line with the top of the leg holes.
When you open up your bodysuit, the pin should be centered, right along the lines of the leg holes.
Take one of your longer strips and fold in half to find the center.
Now, match the center of the ruffle with the center of your bodysuit. Pin together.
Make the Ruffle! On the right-hand side of your fabric strip, pull the top thread and gather the fabric.
Slowly pull the fabric toward the middle pin. Repeat again and again. With a little time and patience, the fabric will form a ruffle.
So cute!
Now pin the fabric ruffle to the bodysuit to hold it in place (I like to use four pins).
Repeat on the left-hand side. Pin down.
Sew on Ruffle. Using your sewing machine, stitch down the center of your ruffle (back stitch at the beginning and end to secure ruffle in place). Make sure to take out your pins along the way!
Once you’ve attached the ruffle, cut off any additional thread.
How cute is that?
And Repeat! Find the center of your bodysuit again. Place a pin about 1/2″ above the first ruffle, in the center of your bodysuit.
Fold your second long ruffle in half to find the center. Match up the center of the ruffle with the center of the bodysuit. Pin in place.
Pull the top thread on each side to form the ruffle and pin into place.
Sew down the center of the ruffle to attach it to your bodysuit. Trim the thread.
One more time! We’re going to do the exact same step for the last ruffle. Find the center of the bodysuit and pin 1/2″ below the bottom ruffle.
Fold the shortest strip in half to find the center, match with the center of the bodysuit and pin.
Pull the top threads to form the ruffle and pin in place.
Sew down the center and trim away extra thread.
And there you go! One beautiful, personalized, ruffle butt onesie! Put it on your little one and enjoy!
I love these so much I’ve made more than I care to admit!
Thankfully, my little model loves them as well. Here are some of our latest creations on display:
Enjoy!