how to make a onesie dress, part 1

I decided to split the tutorial up over a couple of days. Maybe I'm just too wordy :) but it's really long if I do it all at once.
Plus, I'm going on vacation and wanted you all to have something to do while I'm gone!

SUPPLIES needed:
thread
rotary cutter
ruler
marking pencil or washable marker
onesie
fabric - 1 fat quarter, or a mixture of fun fabrics
thread to match
any other embellishments you may want to add at the end (buttons, applique, ribbons, etc.)

HOW TO MAKE A ONESIE DRESS
Measure the width of the front of the onesie. (Usually 8-12” depending on the size of onesie.)
Double that.
That is how wide a piece of fabric you will need for the front.
If you want a REALLY full skirt, triple that measurement. The wider the strip of fabric, the fuller the skirt!

Then decide how long you want the skirt to be. Here are my suggestions:
Up to 6 mo – no more than 8 inches
Up to 24 mo – no more than 9 inches
(If they're crawling, keep it on the shorter side!)
If you’re doing a tshirt dress, it all depends on the length of t-shirt, size of kid, etc. – but I would say probably stick around the 10-11” length
This is a perfect for using up fat quarters!
If you want an extra ruffle at the bottom, make the initial skirt piece of fabric an inch or two shorter to account for the addition of the ruffle.

If you just want to use one piece of fabric for the whole skirt, cut your front and back sections according to your measurements.
For example...
9" wide onesie
8" long skirt
You will need 2 pieces 18.5" x 8.5", or one piece 36.5" x 8.5"
(See what I mean? perfect for using up a fat quarter!)
If you cut two pieces from a fat quarter, sew them together to make a really long 8.5" strip.
Then you can set your fabric aside and wait until tomorrow.
If you want a pieced skirt, then read on… it’s time to do more math…

PIECED SKIRT INSTRUCTIONS...
So – you want to have probably one big fun design in the middle, and a few colorful strips to match on either side. For example, in the 4th of July dress, I had one stars and stripe fabric in the middle, and 3 strips of solid/star fabric on each side – for a total of 7 pieces of fabric.
For the cupcake dress, I have one cupcake piece in the middle, and 4 fabrics on each side – for a total of 9 pieces of fabric. Here I am trying out a couple different fabrics on the side, and for a ruffle. Lay your stuff and decide what you want!

Here’s an example of my math for the cupcake dress…
T-shirt width – 14”
Total front width needed – 28”
Cupcake fabric – 20” wide
Pink – 2” wide
Yellow – 2” wide
Green – 2” wide
Purple – 2” wide
Length of skirt before adding ruffle - 9" long

Add ¼” seam allowances and this is what I cut…
Cupcake fabric – 20.5” x 9.5”
Each colored strip – 2.5” x 9.5”
I cut two cupcake pieces – one for front and back.
I cut 4 of the colored strips – one for left side, one for right – on front and back.
Using all those measurements, get to your cutting board!
REMEMBER TO CUT 2 of EVERYTHING!!! You have to make a back to this skirt too!!!!

When all your pieces have been cut, lay them out in the order you want them sewn together. Sew & zigzag, overcast, serge – however you stitch them together – do it now. Feel free to press the seams when you’re done.
Do that twice, once for the front panel and once for the back panel.

Sew the left side of the back panel to the right side of the front panel, with right sides of fabric together. You should now have a REALLY long strip of fabrics.

Take a deep breath, set it aside, and come back for the second half of the instructions tomorrow.

If the math part was totally confusing, email me your questions and I'll try and help you out!!!