stuff your stockings: embroidered baby singlet

Welcome to another Stuff Your Stockings.  We have had some amazing stocking stuffer ideas the past four weeks.  They've involved Mod Podge, jewelry, crochet hats and felt.  But I'm always looking for more great ideas to feature, so click on my stocking stuffer idea page and link up any homemade tutorials/gift ideas you have on your blog.  Also, no giveaway this Saturday, but there are still a few hours to enter to win the felt play mat featured last week on Stuff Your Stockings.  And I have a really exciting giveaway coming up on Monday from Vibrant Designs.

Hi! I'm CraftyMummy.

I'm a wife and mummy of two darlings in Queensland, Australia.

I started blogging a little over a year ago 

and quickly decided I needed a second blog for all my crafty projects.

So Mummy Crafts was born!

Now it is the blog I spend most of my time on.

I share things I've made and done with the kids,

as well as things I find around the blogosphere that I want to try

or think are worth sharing with my readers.

I'm so excited to be guest posting - my first time!

There are lots of my links listed on the Stocking Stuffer Ideas page

but I've written this tutorial especially for today!

I have made heaps of these little singlets over the years -

for my own kids and as gifts for new babies.

Recently I started to make them in threads 

to match baby quilts and wraps I had also made.

I use waste canvas. This is like Aida cloth with a very even weave that creates squares to cross stitch evenly, but when you wet it,

the adhesive dissolves and you can remove the threads leaving just the stitching.

Mine has a blue thread through it every five rows 

which makes it easy to count and distinguishes it from the other Aida in my stash.

I have also seen a product called "Soluble Canvas"

which does the same thing but is more like a sheet of plastic.

A little bit will go a long way -

I bought some many years ago and have not had to buy more yet

because I use such a small amount on each project.

You can use this method to cross stitch onto any fabric really -

a shirt pocket, the front of kids' dress, a bag or a headband -

just use your imagination!

You'll need:

Waste canvas 

Embroidery threads 

Needle

Singlet (or onesie) to decorate

A cross stitch design to stitch

The first thing to do is choose your design so you'll know how big it will be.

I've done a very simple row of 3 hearts.

There are lots of free patterns available on-line if you Google "free cross stitch charts",

or grab a piece of graph paper and draw one yourself.

Simple is better!

I have done things like stars, ducks, dinosaurs, cars, trains and letters.

Once you have your design 

you'll need a piece of your waste canvas, 

cut slightly larger than your finished stitching size.

This is simply so that you can pin it into place while you stitch.

Then you do your cross stitch.

You can find a tutorial for that here.

I have also shared my tutorial for starting stitching without a knot on my blog.

Here are my little hearts all done.

They match Miss L's baby quilt perfectly!

Now remove your pins and needle

and pop your stitching under a running tap for a second.

You just want the fabric to be damp, not saturated and dripping all over you!

Give it a gentle rub and gently tug at the threads.

They should start to come away at the edges.

Gently draw all the threads out.

I sometimes find a pair of tweezers helps to grab the ends.

If you have trouble, try a little more water to dissolve the adhesive more.

And here's the end result!

Thanks for letting me pop by, Elizabeth,
and perhaps I'll see you soon at Mummy Crafts...

Crafty Mummy has a number of great stocking stuffer ideas:

Needle Book

Bag Tag

Rainbow Bean Bags

Craft on!