Baby’s First Christmas Ornaments

My kids are old enough now to do crafty projects with me, so I bought the book Softies: Simple Instructions for 25 Plush Pals by Therese Laskey. I figured I could take advantage of their obsession with stuffed animals and inspire them to make their own! The first project we tried was Alicia Paulson’s paper doll dress, which is a tiny felt-and-fabric dress hanging from an adorable wire hanger. They look just like ornaments to me, so we made a few for holiday gifts. Then I wondered what else we could make to put on adorable wire hangers. We put together these little baby onesies, which are perfect as baby’s first Christmas ornaments.

Three of my cousins are expecting babies at the moment, so we have a bit of baby craziness in our family! If you are looking for a cute holiday gift for a newborn, this is super simple to make. You’ll need:

Felt in pastel colors
Embroidery floss in pastel colors
8- or 9-inch piece of 20-gauge wire for the hanger
Embellishments: tiny buttons, bows, flowers, etc. to decorate

I have created a template for the onesie which you are welcome to download for your own use (it’s a PDF). The ones I made are 2.5″ across and 2.5″ high, but I also have included a template for a 3″ ornament if you’d like it a little larger. The hanger for this would need to be a little bigger, as well.

Making the ornaments

Print the template on card stock, then cut out the pattern size you’d like to use. Fold the felt and place the bottom of the template on the fold. (You’ll end up with one big piece, with the front and back sides of the onesie folding over at the “snap-crotch”.)

Add your embellishments to the front of the onesie. We added tiny buttons to the boy’s and a bow to the girl’s, but you can add flowers, pearls, beads, sequins…whatever you’d like. Do this before you sew the two sides together.

Once your embellishments have been added, fold the onesie with wrong sides together and use two strands of floss and a blanket stitch to sew together. You’ll need to sew the shoulders, then under the arms and down the sides. Make sure to leave the neck and sleeve holes open (and leg holes, too, so it looks wearable!).

To create the hanger, use a pair of pliers to shape the wire. Curl under one end of the wire into a tiny loop, then create the top of an S shape for the hook. Put bends at the neck area, then bend for the two shoulders and twist the end back onto the neck of the hanger. Slide the finished hanger into the neck and sleeves of the onesie and you’re done!

I can see the talented embroiderer (that would not be me!) embellishing with more elaborate stitches, or even adding the baby’s name. These little hangers make me want to fill the Christmas tree with an entire wardrobe! Use your imagination to make ornaments just perfect for your own (or a friend’s) tree!

And make sure to visit Alicia Paulson’s website. Posie: Rosy Little Things features projects from her books, and many patterns you can purchase to make amazing gifts!

Do you enjoy making gifts? What’s your favorite project this year? Please share your thoughts!