Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Baby Shower Activity - Decorating Onesies with Freezer Paper Stencils


I guess I had a lot to share about the baby shower we co-hosted last weekend - I posted about the decorations and the desserts earlier this week and today I wanted to share the fun craft activity that we did during the shower, decorating onesies using freezer paper stencils.  I made a stencils in a variety of designs including animals, fruits and veggies.  It was a very accessible project because using the stencils made it less intimidating for folks that otherwise don't do a lot of craft projects - they didn't have to think of their own design or figure out how to draw a certain shape if they didn't want to, but they still had a chance to get creative and make something.


I had so much fun coming up with cute designs that I didn't have enough onesies to fit them all!  If you want to make your own onesies (or anything else) with freezer paper stencils, you can download and use my animal, fruit and vegetable freezer paper stencil patterns here.  I also found great designs by searching for different key words and "stencil" or "outline" - so not every design you see in this post is in the file, only some of the ones I drew myself.  As usual, these patterns are for personal use only, so please don't sell the pattern or items that you make from them.


You may have seen other projects using freezer paper stencils - this was my first time using it and it was really fun!  You want to make sure you get freezer paper, which has a plastic coating, not wax paper.  I also got a sampler of fabric paint (which had the benefit of being one of the kinds you don't have to heat set), brushes, and fabric markers for those who wanted to draw their own design rather than paint in a stencil.  I traced the designs onto the freezer paper and cut them out with a craft knife.


Then I went ahead and ironed the freezer paper stencil right onto the front of the onesie, and put a piece of folded card stock inside to make sure the fabric paint didn't seep through to the other side.  One thing we did find was that if you watered down the paint it tended to seep under the freezer paper so if you are doing this project I would definitely recommend using the paint without thinning it out with water at all.  The folks that just used the paint straight had virtually no seepage and very crisp designs!


I felt bad that some of the earlier ones did have some paint seeping through so I went back and painted over those parts with white paint on some of them and it mostly covers it up.  I love the way these turned out with the cute faces and fun colors and designs that people painted on them.


Check out this amazing tiger whale design that one couple did!


I also left a number of onesies blank so that people who wanted could draw freehand designs.  Didn't these turn out great too?  (The parents-to-be are in a bocce league if you are wondering about the middle shirt).


One final onesie... this baby is going to be a rockstar!

I hope you have been enjoying this series of baby shower posts!  If you can believe it, I have one more post coming, then we can move on to other things.

What is your favorite activity that you have done at a baby shower?

I'm linking up at a few linky parties:



Creations by Kara





3 comments:

  1. these are super cute!

    Stop by and link up at my 2nd ed. Make and Share Friday! I'd love to have you!

    ~ Christy

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  2. I've been educating myself on this shower activity for a week or so because I'm in charge of this for my daughter's baby shower. I want the final creations to be wearable and graphically pleasing, but I tend to be controlling so the tips you have are helping me find the balance. Your downloads are great!! Thanks. I bought Squibbles paint and was planning on buying sponge brushes at the paint store...maybe regular brushes are better (?) Well, wish me luck. I'd love to chat more on the specifics....

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  3. I've been researching this project fro about a week off and on. I bought varies onesies from consignment stores in various colors and sizes. I tend to be controlling so I a trying to find the balance in this activity between creativity and wearability. I love your downloads and will transfer to freezer paper. I also am considering fusible fabric and creating a few templates which folks can cut out and apply (although not sure I want to have an ironing station). I would love to converse with you about this activity. I am in the thick of it and purchasing... thx

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