T-Shirt Monstar Pot Holders

Materials Needed:
• old t-shirts or scrap material
• quilt batting
• sewing machine & thread
• needle & thread
• scissors




*close up


*close up

To make these fun little pot holders I grabbed some of my scrap t-shirt material and picked the one I wanted for the background and cut out a "square" (no exact measurements again). I used that first one I cut out as a template to cut out another of the same fabric and 2 of a different fabric for the back. Next, using my template, I cut out some quilt batting the same size (you will need at least 2, I used 4 because I wanted mine to be well insulated). I machine sewed the bating to the fabric, right side of fabric out. I did this for the other 3 sides as well. Then I took my 2 front pieces and cut out shapes from my other scrap t-shirt material and made my monstar on top. When I got it the way I wanted it I hand stitched the monstar onto the top fabric and top batting. When I was finished I put the monstar facing down on top of the back piece facing up (right sides together) and stitched with my machine all the way around leaving a large gap to flip it inside out. The first time I didn't leave enough space to flip it forgetting how bulky it would be with the 2 layers of batting so I had to seam rip it and re-sew. Then once it was flipped inside out I hand sewed it shut.

Duct Tape Monstar Bookmark

Materials Needed:
• Duct Tape
• craft knife
• self healing cutting board
• paper & pencil


* front & back

This project is similar to the Duct Tape Monstar Coaster project I did earlier, only this time I made a cut out book mark that I so often find myself needing.

Once again I recommend the self healing cutting board this way you can stick the duct tape down and cut the shape you need with your craft knife.

To start I sketched out the design keeping it more vertical than horizontal. Then I used that to make some templates out of paper. Then I grabbed the color of Duct Tape I wanted to be my background and taped down a few strips overlapping about the width and height of how I wanted the book mark to be then I flipped it over and taped the other side so that I was left with the colored Duct Tape showing on both sides. Then I took the colors I wanted the body of my monstar to be and placed it down on the self healing cutting board and placed my template on top and cut out the monstars body. Then I peeled it up and placed it on the background piece. I continued this method until I had the entire front of the monstar done. Then I cut out around the entire monstar.

Once he was cut out I then turned it around and prepared to do the back side of my monstar. I started the same why by putting the Duct Tape down on the self healing cutting board but when I got to the template part I flipped it over to the wrong side facing up. Then I cut out my shapes and placed them on the back side of the background. Now my monstar is ready to snuggle up with a nice good book.

Scrap T-Shirt Rings

Materials Needed:
• scrap t-shirt material (or any material that will not unravel)
• beads
• needle & thread
• hot glue
• googly eye





So this idea came from having a bunch of tiny scraps and wanted to use them. All I did was grab a thin long strip of t-shirt and put around my finger and tied a double knot. Then I wrapped the rest of the material around the knot and took a straight pin and pinned it into place. Next I grabbed my needle & thread and started it going up through one of the overlapped areas. Once I was up through the material I placed a bead or 2 on top of the needle and went back down into the material. I did this all the way around the ring until I had a beaded area. Next I heated up my glue gun and got a googly eye then glued it right onto the top. Now I have a googly eye bling ring.

Super Simple Pocket Notebook

Materials Needed:
• thin cardboard
• decorative paper
• hole punch
• paper of your choice for inside
• glue
• ribbon
• sticker or other decorations (optional)


* front


* back

So this little pocket notebook is a really easy one to make. I just grabbed some thin cardboard laying around and cut it to the size I wanted my notebook to be. Then I cut out an exact replica so I have 2 pieces of thin cardboard for front and back of my book. Next I got my decorative paper and glued it onto each piece of cardboard separately. I trimmed around the edges so that I had enough to fold over but not too much so that it would be bulky. Then I folded it over to the other side and glued it down. Then I grabbed a piece of plain colored paper and folded the edges to be just short of my original measurements and then folded it the other way and gently tore where I folded it (giving me a nice deckle edge). Then I glued that onto the inside cover (do this twice so you have a front and back piece). Next I got my hole punch and punched 2 holes in it where I wanted them.

Then I cut out my writing/drawing paper to be the size of my cardboard and punched holes in it using my covers as a template to match the holes. I grabbed some next and threaded it through the holes and tied a few knots. Finally I added a thick glittery heart sticker on top. You can decorate however you want or even leave it plain and draw on it as you go.

T-Shirt Pillow

Materials Needed:
• T-shirts
• pillow form or fiber fill
• sewing machine & thread
• hand needle & thread
• scrap fleece


*front


*back w/ pocket

Another craft made from my little sis' old tees...a pillow. It's super easy and a great gift or a great way to add some fun to your couch or bed.

First I went to the craft store and bought a pillow form the size that I wanted (I chose a 14 x 14 in. pillow). Then I grabbed an old t-shirt and measured it out (one of the few times I measure). The shirt was too small to fit the 14 x 14 pillow so I cut it out as big as I could 12 x 12 in. Next I took a few scraps of t-shirt from the purse project and measured out borders to go around the center piece. Then I sewed one side of the border on and then the opposite, once they were sewn I trimmed them down to measure 14.5 in. across (it is 14.5 because I need 1/4 in seam allowance on both sides). Next I took my other 2 side pieces and sewed them on and trimmed them to measure 14.5 in across.

Once that side was done I used it as my "template" for the other side which I wanted to be a bit more angled and fun and not so straight forward. So I just took 3 strips of fabric from 3 different shirts and sewed them at angles. Then I took my "template" and placed it on top right sides together and trimmed them to match. Then I went to the sewing machine and stitched up the 3 sides leaving the last side open to put the pillow in. (If you chose not to use the pillow form than I would sew up most of the 4th side leaving a space big enough for your hand to fit through).

Next I took my scrap fleece in red and cut out a pocket for the pillow (I really like pockets in pillows and blankets). Then I hand stitched it on using a back stitch, I stitched the top of the pocket but didn't stitch it to the pillow, I just wanted it to look more finished. Then I placed the pillow form inside and stitched up the bottom by hand using a slip stitch. Now I have a new pillow!

Silk Flower Earrings

Materials Needed:
• silk flowers
• beads
• earring hooks (2)
• flat jewelry head pins (8)
• needle nose pliers




*detail

After all of the projects I have used these flowers in I had 2 lonely little flowers left, the first thing that came to mind was to make earrings out of them.

It is a very simple project I just took a medium sized circular bead and placed it on a flat head pin and then placed my silk flower and then a few green beads (for the "stem"). To close the head pin I grabbed my needle nose pliers and bent it into a circle trimming any extra head pin that wasn't needed. Before it was completely closed I looped it onto the hole on the earring hook.

Next I took some different green beads to make my "leaves" with. I got one of my flat head pins and slid on 2 or 3 beads and then closed it up like I did with the flower one. I did that 3 times so my flower ends up with 3 "leaves". Once that was done I had one earring so I repeated it and made the other.

Embellished Tank

Materials Needed:
• tank top (or shirt or skirt or pants or anything you want to embellish)
• silk flowers
• small beads
• needle & thread




*detail

During summer in the South, tank tops are essential and I own a ton of tank tops in a variety of colors but all of them are plain, which is fine for relaxing at home but sometimes I want to go out somewhere nicer but still want to wear one of my comfy tanks. This is why I decided to sew on some flowers to one of my many grey tank tops.

To start this project, I grabbed a handful of silk flowers (left over from a friends wedding) and took off the stems and the center pieces and was left with just the flower and no plastic parts. Then I matched up a few flowers together and positioned them in many places on the tank finding what I liked most and then marked it. Next I took my needle and thread and went up from the back of the fabric to the top, placed the flower petals on for the first flower and added a small bead then took my needle and thread back down and repeated that for 3 beads. Then I did that to both of the other flowers. Now I have a new top. Super simple and now I have a dresser but still comfy tank.

Embellished Work Apron

Materials Needed:
• apron
• computer
• Dark t-shirt transfers (I use Avery Ink Jet Dark T-shirt Transfer paper- I like theirs the best- plus I have an ink jet)
• printer
• silk flowers
• thread & needle
• beads




*detail

This project came along because I really needed an apron. I am always doing messy crafts and never fail to get it all over my clothes, so instead of having to change clothes I decided an apron was the way to go. So I bought a cheap all black apron and decided to embellish it with a few touches.

First I found some silk flowers that I had from a table decoration that was at my friends wedding and I thought I would like to sew them onto the sides of the pockets (it felt more magical that way). So I took the flowers apart. Taking the stems off and then popping apart the middle part of the flower and was left with petals with a hole in the center. To attach these I got some thread and knotted it then started from inside the pocket and brought my needle up then I placed 2 set of petals through the needle and then a small bead then brought my needle back through the other side then went back up and placed another bead and did that until I had 3 or more beads for the center of the flower.

Next I went to my computer and drew up a monstar for the pocket (he is supposed to be a helper monstar handing me glue, pencil, scissors, paint brush- you know whatever I need :) Then I also made some text that spelled out Monstar Maker and then once that was all designed I printed it out on a quality print setting.

Once it was printed I cut out my designs leaving a white boarder around my little monstar helper. The text already had a white box around it so I just cut out the box. Then I took my monstar and placed him where I wanted him and ironed him on according to the directions from the transfer paper and then did the same for the letters. Now this didn't come out perfect but I still wanted to post it. I think either the iron was set too high or the fabric dye maybe came through the iron on so it has a sort of dirty look to it but I figure it is just gonna get dirty anyway but it was a fun and simple project and now I have a handy dandy work apron!

Recycled Paper Mache Vase

Materials needed:
• empty plastic container (I used my old Mod Podge bottle)
• newspaper
• white glue
• water
• paint
• hot glue (optional
• googly eyes (optional)



This idea came from my Ready Made Magazine this month. They made paper mache vases out of old plastic containers. I of course wanted to make my own so I decided to make a monstar case.

To start this project I cleaned out my Mod Podge container getting all the gunk out and taking the label off and using some Goo Gone to get rid of the sticky parts. Once it was washed and dried I made a bowl of 50/50 white glue and water mixture and tore my news paper into strips. Then I dipped the newspaper stripes into the glue/water mixture and placed the strips around covering the whole area. Once completely covered I let it dry.

Once it was dry I got my stripes of newspaper and bunched it up to make a nose. Then I used small stripes of the glue/water covered news paper and placed it over the nose until it was well connected to the bottle. I did this for the mouth and the nose and mouth on the other side (it's a 2 headed monstar). Then I let it dry for a long time (the bunched up part takes longer to dry but you want it completely dry before painting to avoid mildew).

Once it was dry I painted a white base coat of acrylic all over and then once that was dry I painted the vase how I wanted it and then when that was dry painted a layer of Mod Podge. When all of that was dry I hot glued googly eyes on it.

You really can have as much fun as you want with this. Paint it one color or paint a picture, add embellishments like ribbon, glitter, jewels, wire, shells, whatever really.

Recycled Jar Lid Collage

Materials needed:
• jar lid (mine had about a 3 in. diameter)
• Mod Podge
• paint brush
• scrap paper
• scrap ribbon
• scrap felt
• photo (I printed mine out after resizing it to fit into the 3 in. jar lid)
• cardboard scraps
• glue on jewels
• hot glue




This idea sort of came to me after finding this lids that I had saved to one day do a craft project with (that was like 3 years ago) and so I decided it was time to use them. At first I just Mod Podged the pictures in and painted the Mod Podge on top and added some of the jewels. It looked alright but I wanted to add an element of fun to it, so I went back to the drawing board and came up with the idea of a 3-D collage lid.

First, I got a picture of my husband and I at our wedding and printed it out (sized to fit my 3 in. diameter). Then I traced the lid onto a sheet of scrap paper and cut a circle out (cutting inside the edge a bit so that it would fit). I did this to the polka dot paper and the pink tree paper-both being cut into circles. Then I put the polka dot one for the background in the lid and used Mod Podge all over. Then I took my pink paper and drew a tree shape on the back side and cut it out. Then I used the Mod Podge and placed the tree inside the lid.

Next I took the photo and cut out the background and cut the bottom into a circular shape to fit the lid. I glued the photo to a scrap piece of cardboard and then hot glued it into the lid. Then I cut out a heart out of some orange scrap paper and painted some glitter on it then glued some thinner cardboard to it and glued it behind out heads. Then I got some glue on jewels and made little blossoms for the tree.

Then I got some scrap ribbons and took a white one with wire and scrunched it around the back hot gluing as I went. Next I took a thin ribbon and glues it on the edges of the lid. To finish the back I cut out a felt circle and hot glued it to the back of the lid.

I am not sure yet what this will be but it can be a magnet by gluing a magnet on or I may hang a piece of ribbon from it and make it a hanging picture or an ornament for our tree this year. Not sure yet but there are a few possibilities for sure.

Decoupage Box

Materials needed:
• box
• scrap paper
• Mod Podge
• paint brush/sponge brush



This project came about yesterday morning when I picked up a box of my stamps and it fell apart. I decided to decoupage it using some old scraps of paper left over from a scrap book I made my little sis and news paper.

First, I cut the box top off (I used a shoe box that had a flip top-some have a removable top and then of course you don't have to cut it off) and then I proceeded to paint the Mod Podge on a small area and then placed scraps of paper down and brushed the Mod Podge on top. (I really love Mod Podge- it's a glue and a sealant!) I continued doing this until the whole bottom and top of the box were covered (I included a piece with stamps stamped out on it to let me know what was in the box). When it was all dry I took some book binding tape (I had some but if you don't you can use duct tape) and taped the top back on. I did it this way because when I try to leave the top on it inevitably seems to get so thick on the hinge I can't shut it. Then it was finished and I could place my stamps inside their new sturdy box. What is great about this box is that if I decided to change the contents I can just make a new piece with the content title and use my Mod Podge on it and voila- a new box.

Recycled Scrap T-Shirt Monstars

Materials needed:
• scrap material
• snap on eyes (available at craft stores)
• sewing machine (optional- can be hand sewn) & thread
• felt (optional for details- you could also use fabric paint or embroider details)
• yarn (optional for hair or other details)
• ribbon (optional for details)






Another super simple and fun project to do with some scrap pieces of fabric!

I made the top one out of scraps from my little sister's t-shirt purse I made her (the t-shirts were one's that she no longer fit in). The bottom one was just some scrap material I had lying around.

The idea is simple. I quickly drew a random shape and cut out 2 from either the same fabric (like in my second one) or different fabrics (like in the first one) and sewed all around the edges leaving a small space to flip it inside out. Once it was sewed clip around the curves (I normally clip the edges a lot when working with t-shirt material because it won't unravel). Then I flipped it inside out.

Next I added face details. With these 2 monstars I made felt mouths (including teeth on the bottom monstar) and then I got these plastic snap on eyes that you can get then at fabric and craft stores (what I love about these is they are super simple but instantly give it some personality). To attach the eyes you simply cut a small slice where you want them to go and then place the top of the eye through the hole and then using your opening on the bottom put your bottom eye attachment on to snap tight and keep the eye in place. You can also use buttons or felt or whatever you have lying around that would work for your monstar (that is one thing I love about making monstars is that no one knows what they are supposed to look like so you can make them look like whatever!)

After the face is done you can add little details like a belly, hair (on my bottom monstar), bow (on my top monstar) or whatever (again open to your interpretation). To make the hair I used some scrap yarn I had and cut it into longish stripes then sewed it down, when that was done I gave him a hair cut and styled it short and punky! For the belly I just sewed on a felt oval shape, The bow was a scrap piece of ribbon that I tied and then hand stitched on.

Once all the details are done I stuffed it using fiber fill (you can also use scrap material or whatever is soft and fluffy and you have lying around. Fill your monstar up and then sew it shut using a slip stitch. Now you can cuddle with your cute little homemade monstar!

Hand Embroidered Card

Materials needed:
• blank cards and envelopes
• needle
• embroidery thread
• awl (optional)
• scrap paper










So this is a project I did a while back but I still really like it. I love to embroider and came up with an idea to embroider a greeting card.

To do this project I got a set of blank cards and envelopes. I then drew out a picture on a piece of scrap paper and used a awl (you can also use any sort of sharp pointed object) to poke holes around my image where I wanted to embroider. Then I got my embroidery thread (color of your choice) cut it fairly long and then pulled out 2 of the threads (they normally come in 6 thread strands). Then I made my knot and started embroidering with a simple back stitch and went around my pattern. Then tied it off with a knot again and trimmed the string. It was pretty simple and the back even looks good since you have holes to follow so it keeps it clean. For a really simple project you can even take it to your sewing machine and just sew fun lines all over with a fun thread and finish it by trimming the thread or even let it fly free.

More Cow Bell

Materials needed for this project:
• cow bell
• acrylic paint
• Mod Podge (or sealant of your choice)
• paint brushes



So this started off as a joke gift but I really liked it so I am adding it to my blog.

How it started was we were playing a game and you had to compare 2 things and say which one was more like the category (this particular one was which is prettier). So the 2 things were a cowbell or a people magazine. The score was tied 2 for cowbell 2 for people magazine. I couldn't decide which I thought was prettier so I told them to convince me to vote with them. They took turns and I decided a cow bell was prettier. My brother just thought cow bells were the ugliest thing and couldn't believe I voted for cow bell, well of course then I had to show him a pretty cow bell.

So I ordered a cow bell on line and painted it. I used acrylic paint and then painted several layers of Mod Podge on top. I am giving it to him for his birthday which is in a couple of weeks. Hopefully it will make him see how beautiful a cow bell can be. I had a lot of fun with this project and would love to paint more.

Star Seed Ornament

Materials needed:
• clay (I used Sculpy and it worked but the guys recommended oil clay)
• plaster of paris
• aluminum pie tin
• oil (I used olive oil)
• junk mail (I love that about this project- a use for junk mail)
• seeds (I used a wild flower seed mix)
• powdered tempra paint (optional)
• hemp string
• white glue
• clean sponge



So my son would have been 2 this year (he was stillborn on May 26, 2007), so for his birthday this year we decided to name a star after him. I had seen this craft show where they made ornaments out of paper pulp and mixed seeds in with it. I loved this idea because it was a beautiful idea of creating life in memory of my child. So I made this simple star paper pulp ornament that was mailed to our family along with where the star we named after him was located and then when they were done with the ornament the flowers from it will hopefully grow and be a reminder of their nephew/grandson/cousin that they lost.

To start decide what shape of thing you want to create. In my case it was a simple star but the guy who I saw talk about it did a butterfly. You can go more complex with it if you want- adding dimension and detail, your imagination is your limit. I also recommend making 2 of the shapes you want so that way you can make 2 ornaments at a time. Next I baked my stars according to the directions on the clay (I used Sculpy which is a oven bake clay- I am not sure you need hard clay that is just what I did- feel free to experiment).

Once the stars were done I grabbed my shapes, my pie tin, my oil, and my plaster of paris and measured out the plaster of paris according to the directions. I mixed it up and pour it slowly into the pie tin. I had bubbles in it and they said to tap it to get them out. I couldn't get them all out but it didn't affect my end result. Once I had about the plaster about 3/4ths of the way filled I then put olive oil on my shapes that I baked and placed them in the plaster of paris. They didn't go down as far as I wanted it to so I placed some small bits of clay on top to give it a bit more weight. In about an hour I took my shapes out and let the plaster of paris dry for another 23 hours.

Once my plaster of paris was dry I oiled the mold up and I gathered my junk mail and ripped it up (good therapy I tell ya) then placed it in the blender til it was half full. I then filled the rest of it up with water. Blended it and got wet pulp. Next I added the tempra powder (your choice of color) and ran the blender once more. (Now this is the messey part) I then grabbed a handful and gently squeezed over my sink to get most of the water out. I kept doing this until I felt like I had a good amount of it for the mold then I added a bit more of the wet pulp and a sprinkle of seeds. Then I squished it into the mold. Next I got my sponge and pushed it on top of it and got as much water as I could. Then again I worked the pulp mixture into the mold until I was happy with it then I placed it outside under the sun to heat it (this gave them a more muted look to it) you can also put it by a fan and let it sit there for a long time (this is why I recommend doing more than one mold).

Once they were dry I pryed it out with a craft knife (really easy once it is dry) then I painted both sides of the ornament with a mixture of 50/50 water/white glue solution. Then when that was dry I glued a loop of hemp string onto it to create the finished ornament. Then I packaged them up with a hand made card and then sent them out. We only sent out 8 of them but we got amazing responses from it. Mine has already started sprouting!!

Recycled Journal

Materials needed:
• thin cardboard
• thick rubber band
• stick from the yard
• brown paper bag (or whatever paper you want to cover it with)
• news paper (again your choice of paper)
• blank paper for the pages on the inside
• glue (I used glue stick and Mod Podge since that was what I had lying around)
• craft knife
• hole punch

I also added these materials for mine:
• thick cardboard from a box I got in the mail
• some scrap brown paper
• scoring tool
• hot glue and hot glue gun



My mom got this magazine in the mail the other day and it had a cute craft inside that I just had to do. It's a homemade recycled journal for father's day (I think it would even make a cute scrap book or really any sort of book- like one with your recipes in it - yum!). What I love so much about this project is that it cost me nothing- just supplies I had lying around my house and yard!

I took my own liberties with it and made it mine.

To start this journal, I got my thin cardboard out. The board I was using was already cut to size but if you have a big sheet of it cut into the dimensions you want your book to be. Mine is 8.5 x 5.5 inches. Make sure you have 2 pieces the same size for your book. What I did next was punch 2 holes on one side of each of my thin cardboard pieces. I used a grommet punch (I got it from a fabric store a while back). Then after doing that to both pieces I got my craft knife and cut thin strips about an inch from the edge with the holes punched. I did that for both pieces as well.

Next I got a brown paper bag and laid the thin cardboard pieces on it. I lined them up holes in the center with about 1/4 of inch in between hole punched sides and I even left on the thin strips I just cut out for measurement sake. Once both sides were lined up I picked up once piece and started gluing it with my Mod Podge (you can use any type of glue- white craft glue, glue stick, whatever). I didn't glue the little sliver we cut off before it is only there to keep the distance from your hole punched piece and your solid piece. Once all 4 pieces were glued (2 hole punched ones and 2 solid pieces) I turned it over and I should have smoothed it out but I didn't- I recommend that you do smooth out any bumps or bubbles.

Once it is dry I turned it onto the side with the cardboard showing and trimmed off the excess brown paper bag. Then I cut holes out of the bag where the holes from the cardboard were. Then I grabbed some news paper and tore it into strips and glue it to the side with the exposed cardboard (this is optional but I find it reinforces the hinge of the book). While I let that dry I got my plain paper and cut it to size (8.5 x 5.5 inches) and then I measured 1 and 1/8 inch from the side and scored it (this is optional- it just helps the book open easier). In that area (the 1 and 1/8 inch area) is where you will punch your holes. To do this I took my book which was mostly dried now and places the paper flush with 3 sides and hole punched them (you can mark them first and then punch but I found this method more accurate for me). Once I had about 20 sheets I stopped. This will be your book guts.

Now that the book was dried I went on to decorating. For my book I got newspaper and ripped it into thin strips and made a tree branch design gluing it down with a glue stick. Next I took my scrap brown paper and crumbled it up as much as I could and then using my craft knife cut out leaf shapes and placed them where they looked best to me. Then I sketched some bird sillouettes and cut them out with my craft knife then glued them onto thick cardboard I got from the flaps of a box. Cut them out again (this was just to give it some dimension) and hot glued them in place.

Once all the decorating was done I lined up my pages and book cover and got a thick rubber band and worked each end into the holes of all the pages and both covers (to do this I used the end of my small scissors to push it through and then a fabric pin to get it out- you can use whatever is available to you- like chopsticks or pliers). Once it was out I placed my pencil in there to hold it while I got a stick from the yard (which I had cut and sanded- this is optional you can leave it natural if you want but my stick was far too big so I had to cut it down). Then I switched my pencil and stick and voila a beautiful handmade recycled journal.

Monstar Finger Puppets

Materials needed:
• felt
• fabric paint
• sewing machine
• thread

So I was watching Martha on the DIY network and she made these little bug finger puppets and of course I had to make it a monstar!

So what I did was traced my big finger onto felt and then sewed it larger than that (because it loses some space due to extra fabric inside) and then I painted it's face on using fabric paint. One day I will add more to them like arms possibly but I even love the simple ones. Here are the photographs (the photos are blurry, I took it with my phone). It is a really simple project and I feel like anyone can do it!

Monstar Onesies

Materials Needed:
• blank onesie
• embroidery thread (colors of your choice)
• felt (fleece can also be used but felt is better)
• embroidery needle
• embroidery hoop

So I decided to create a blog of the many crafts I find myself getting sucked into. To start I will introduce you to some of my Monstar Onesies. These were started when I was pregnant and decided to make some embroidered onesies for my little Ethan.

To start I bought a 5 pack of onesies from the store and several colors of felt and white embroidery thread. I cut the monstars out and placed them on the shirt until I found something I liked the look of (later on I would sketch out monstars and then create them- though they always look a bit different once they are finished). Then tried to sew as much together as possible before sewing it onto the fabric (to minimize thread knots) and then sewed it on the onesie using an embroidery hoop to keep my fabric taught. Then with some of the details I used embroidery thread and different embroidery stitches to create different looks. Here are a few samples of ones I have made.