Rainbow Color Onesie Tutorial

Rainbows are h-o-t right now aren't they! But now that I think about, they've always been in style. Rainbows are just one of those iconic images we just can't get enough of. [remember Rainbow Bright, Care Bears, and that cute belt I had in 1st grade ;)]I wanted to get in on all the rainbow fun! The ol' brain came up with this idea on night while lying in bed, one of the great places inspiration hits for me (sadly, the shower doesn't have the same effect!). As you can see from the picture above I made 3 of these little guys, each in a different way. To keep it simple I'll go through the basics of getting the little rainbow dots ready and then detail the differences later.

Start by gathering supplies.

• For all three designs you'll need:

A baby onesie
Fabric scraps in rainbow colors
No Sew fabric bond - (Stitch witchery, heat n'bond or if choosing the sewing option you could use fix-spray)
Freezer Paper
1.5" circle template (I used large thread spool)
Iron
Press Cloth
A little baby to wear it!

• Additional Supplies for 9 patch

Fusible interfacing
Embroidery thread or crochet thread
Large eye needle

• Additional Supplies for Sewn Rainbow Onesie

Fusible interfacing
Fix Spray (optional for holding down rainbow dots)
Sewing Machine
Thread

To start any of the onesie designs trace a 1.5" (approximately) template
 9 times onto freezer paper and cut out circles

Dry iron freezer paper circles to fabric

Cut out circles and remove freezer paper

Trace template again onto a no-sew binder like heat n' bond

Rainbow pieces all cut out ready to bond

When bonding, follow the manufactures instructions.
But remember to get the 'sticky' side bonded first, not the
shiny protective film side.

Rainbow dot and no-sew bond lined up

The heat n' bond I used calls for a damp press
cloth and wool iron setting. 
(but follow your directions)
Do not rub back and forth, just let it sit for 10 seconds.
Flip the dot and repeat.

Rainbow dots 1st bond done.
See the shiny side, we'll peel that part off next.

Once it has cooled completely roll between
your fingers shiny sides together. You'll hear
a crinkle start, then really crinkle it up in the middle
till the film starts to release on the edges.
Be careful not to fray the edges when doing this.

Here's where the methods tend to deviate a little. Now that you've got 9 rainbow dots ready to apply let's go over each design separately. We'll start with the NO-SEW method first.

Use a straight line and circle to get the
 arrangement of your pieces just right. 

Do the heat and bond thing again.

Presto! A super cute little baby rainbow onesie!
I can hardly stand how cute this is!

So that was easy enough, but maybe you want a little zig-zag stitch around the rainbow, I know I do! When sewing the rainbow down the necessity of the heat n' bond kinda fizzles out. Instead try a little fix spray to hold the dots in place, but if you want that extra security knowing those dots are firmly in place stick with the above no-sew method.

Add interfacing  to the inside of the onesie
(according to instructions)
 roughly the same size as your rainbow or 9 patch

Sew close to the edges with a tight zig-zag stitch
I've found with circles a smaller stitch works better.
Stitch all the way around, then go back and
catch the inside edges which are missed
(as seen in the picture above)

A baby rainbow! Notice my stitches around are a little off
That's Okay, Baby J doesn't mind!

Could he be any cuter?
Nope!

Alight, We've got one more super cute way to make a rainbow using patterned fabrics and a nine-patch inspired look. Add interfacing to the inside like the sewn rainbow and use the same heat n' bond method as the no-sew for attaching your dots, but this time line them up in a nine-patch. 

Add interfacing to the inside

Arrange dots

Do the heat n' bond thing again

Break out the embroidery thread, or
any heavier weight thread you've got. 

Stitch around the circle a few times and
presto! You're done!

As promised, super cutie-patootie rainbow onesies!

A boy and his dog!

Thanks so much for checking out my tutorial! I had so much fun putting this together for you! I hope you try it out and that your little one loves it too!

Cheers!
Kelly