applique onesies: a "whale" of a good time

I just finished a few applique onesies, and they were surprisingly so easy.  I had to share.  I made these with a tie and a bowtie for a friend of mine who is having a little boy this summer.

The following are the steps I took to make an adorable "whale of a onesie" for Sweet P.

1.  Gather your supplies.  You will need:

• Iron/ ironing board
• Scissors
• A onesie.  I used a plain white one.
• Fabric of your choice.  I found several squares at A.C. Moore for $1 each.
• A needle and thread.
• Heat and Bond.
• Your applique pattern.  I found this whale here.

2.  Using your pattern, trace and cut out both your fabric and your heat and bond.  There are two important notes that must be made here.  First of all, in the directions for the heat and bond that I used it said you should attach the fabric to the heat and bond first, and then cut your shape out of that.  I obviously did not take that route and in hindsight, thing it might have been a slightly better route.  Do what works for you.  Secondly, in making my tie and bowtie onesies I did not have to think about the way the heat and bond would need to face because those shapes were symmetrical.  I did, in fact, trace and cut out a whale that I was NOT actually able to use because the sticky side was reversed from the fabric.  I know it doesn't make sense reading it, but just think before you cut.  Or, follow the instructions on the heat and bond, attach your fabric first, and then you'll only have to make one cut.

 3.  Next, I attached the fabric to the heat and bond, but I think I've already given you sufficient evidence for doing this step second.  The instructions said the hold an iron on the shapes for 2 seconds to bond them.

4.  Following the heat and bond instructions, I attached my whale to my onesie with an iron.  This step called for holding an iron over the patch for eight seconds.  Also, the instructions didn't call for this but I put a piece of cardboard inside the onesie directly underneath my applique for good measure.

5.  I stitched around the outside of the fabric, added a pink button for an eye, and found an adorable model to show off my finished product.  You can't see those final details too great in this video, but let's be honest:  who cares.

This is by no means professional work, but I have gotten quite a few compliments on "Piper's adorable whale outfit".  You can't argue with that, folks.