Bow ties are cool... Baby bow ties are cooler...

... and cuter too!

Nearly 8 weeks ago I blogged about the new baby boy elephant cupcakes and custom baby boy onesies I made for the arrival of a sweet baby boy - a very cute and squishy addition to our friends' family.  Wow 8 weeks!?  Seems like a long time already for this little baby, which means I think it is definitely time I blogged more about the custom onesies I made, just as I promised.

When I first blogged about the onesies I was so thrilled with everybody's kind words and compliments, and especially excited to see, that just like me - everyone's favourite seemed to be the bow tie onesie!  Yey!  I'm still so happy with how it turned out, and I love that everyone else did too - thank you for your comments and repins :-)

So today I bring you the tutorial for the bow tie onesies.  I'll share what I did and also what I plan on differently next time - I'm wondering if these might make it onto my Etsy shop.  Right now you'll just see my moustache hair clips/men's bow ties/lapel pins so it's pretty lonely on the Sew Lah Tea Dough Etsy shop so maybe these will get there soon.  What do you think?  Would these be something that catch your eye while browsing Etsy?

Firstly I purchased a white onesie (this one was a size 6-12months, thinking he could grow into his 'smart suit' in a few months time!).  I chose white to act like a smart white dress shirt :-)

I knew that I wanted to create 2 bow ties so that the colours/patterns could be interchangeable... and then to find a way to attach the bow ties, meaning that I could make future bow ties with the same fixings on for endless possibilities.  That means everything you'll see will be twice over as I made 2 bow ties but the measurements I give will be for 1.

So here goes.  I chose some really cute and soft flannel fabric I got in JoAnn's on my most recent US trip.  I knew a baby was coming so this definitely inspired the purchase, and it worked perfectly for the bow ties - I love the fabric design and thought it was so appropriate for a baby boy.  Thank you JoAnn's!

1.  Start with 1 rectangle of fabric cut to 9" x 4" and 1 smaller piece cut to 2.5" x 1.5".

2.  Fold right sides in lengthwise and pin.  These are the top edges you are going to sew shut.

3.  Machine sew in a similar colour thread (I used white) along the pinned top edges.  (As these aren't huge projects they are probably something that could be hand sewn as well if you don't have access to a machine)

5.  Turn the fabric inside out so that the right side is now showing and admire your pretty baby fabric you chose :-)

You will then have tubes of fabric, one big long rectangle that will be the main part of the bow tie, and the smaller one that will be the wrap around middle part.

6.  Turn the seam so that it sits in the middle of the back and iron flat.

7.  Working first with the large rectangle, fold the 2 ends towards the middle.  I actually overlapped one side more so than the other - I figured if it was going to be on show then having only 1 edge visible would be better than 2!  And also once I wrapped around the smaller rectangle this would then go around both edges potentially making it more secure.

8.  Tack down this middle overlap just to attach them together which will make it easier to work with when you add the small middle band.

9.  Squeeze together the middle of the bow tie and aim for nice symmetrical pleats for the bow tie effect!  I was really happy with how one came out, and the other didn't do as nice of a pleat but that's okay!  

10.  Oopsie that may have been my last photo.  Luckily it's almost the final step, and finally time to use that small rectangle that was oh so fiddly to turn right side out!   Take this rectangle tube and fold around the middle of the bow tie.  Hand sew together at the back.  I sewed through the 2 edges, but also made sure that some stitches went through the actual bow tie so that it would move side-to-side.

Time to attach the velcro or whatever you want to use to get this bow tie to stay on your little one's outfit!

11.  I had chosen to use velcro squares - with two attached to the onesie just underneath the collar spaced apart based on your bow tie - just double check and make a mark where you want them to be sewn on!  This meant I needed the opposite sides of velcro squares to attach to the back of the bow ties.  I'm afraid I don't have a photo of the back (and right now I'm saying to myself "why was I so silly not to take one of the back side?!")... but I attached a square to the under side of the bow tie - one on each side of the bow.  Hand sewing the velcro was tough!  I really appreciate usually being able to use a machine for this! 

I am sure there would be a way of figuring out which part would eventually be this velcro section and attach it first, but I haven't got there yet.

All done!  2 cute and soft bow ties ready for the outfit and the new baby (who, at the time of finishing the gift was still warm and cosy and not born yet!)

My other idea which I think I would use as another option if I made these more often, for more flexibility would be to attach small bar pins either by sewing them on, or hot glueing them down so that the bow tie could be attached to any outfit.  

But for this time I wanted the two interchangeable bow ties for 2 outfits in one, so went with velcro not only for easy attaching, but also meaning the bow tie could be removed so the outfit could still be washed... Very necessary I think :-)

I also should mention, that I chose to make the onesie even smarter with some pale blue buttons sewn down the centre of the onesie.  That's totally optional - but I definitely think it adds a nice contrast in colour to the white fabric as well as being nice and fancy to make your little one look so grown up!

I love these bow ties!  And have lots of material left, and can't wait for a chance to make some more.  Looking forward to when the new little one is big enough to fit into the outfit and we can see him looking super dapper ♥

This final photo is just as I was packing everything up.  Don't you love the 'Stitched with ♥' ribbon!?  It was a super exciting little gift from my Mum sent from England.  Just had to use a little of it for this present :-)  Thanks Mum!

I'm so glad I've finally posted this tutorial - I hope you have a chance to create a cute little bow tie for your little man.  I loved coming up with this onesie - accessories for baby boys are definitely not as easy to come up with as little girls' but I did really enjoy this project :-)  

Definitely going to make some more, and I'd love to hear what you think - do you reckon they'd make for a good Etsy sell!?  And do send me your pics if you make some of your own!

Have a great week everyone!

Custom Baby Boy Onesies

Blues... Elephants... Bow ties... There must be a new baby in town!  And an extremely cute one at that.  As you saw last week with the cupcakes I made, our friends welcomed a new arrival to their family.  Our very sweet, new little friend Lucas has been born and we love him already!

I'm so excited to be sharing the onesie designs I created for him in the lead up to his birth.  Some personalised hand stitching, some applique, and my favourite - the custom made baby boy bow ties and button down onesie!

Since we found out our friends were having a baby boy my brain has been whirring with ideas about what to make and create for him (and them!).  The bow ties were my first and favourite idea, followed by the personalised hand stitched name and date, and then with the making of a toy elephant (I'll be blogging that soon) I thought a matching elephant onesie would be fun.

I first purchased 3 onesies - 2 in size 0-3 months, and 1 in size 6-12 months so that there was a variety for him, as well as getting 2 short sleeved, and 1 long sleeved in white, light blue and dark blue!  Oh the choices!  I definitely wanted to work with different shades of blue for him, not only for 'blue for a boy' but of course he is a Toronto Maple Leaf fan, so blue will definitely be playing a large part in his life!! :-)

The biggest onesie, the size 6-12 month was accessorised with light blue buttons and velcro patches for the flannel bow ties that just stick right on, and come right off for mixing and matching (and washing)!  He'll be the most handsome, smartest little boy around :-)

I'm going to write a separate tutorial post about the bow ties, with more details on sizing and measurements but for today it's just the photographs of the finished products!  

I'm also super excited that Lucas' photographer Mommy - Krista, who specialises in newborn, maternity and family photography in the Toronto area has already snapped a shot of him wearing his personalised hand stitched onesie.  A special date to remember for this new baby boy ♥ 

Now these gifts are given, I've been wondering what is next!  There are many more projects on the 'to do' list...I'm just waiting for a little more time in the Summer :-)

I've also been thinking about adding these bow ties to my rather small Etsy shop!  What do you all think?  Would you and your little boy be interested?! 

More on these onesies coming soon!  Stop by again soon for the tutorials on my applique elephant, the stuffed toy elephant I made as well as of course, these bow ties :-)

While you're here, check out the incredible photography business our friend and cousin runs here in Toronto.  Taking a little break while she enjoys time with their new baby gives you lots of time to read her blog and check out her great website full of beautiful babies and their families :-)  

Click here to see the fantastic Krista Lii Photography website.

And don't forget my new Facebook page is always looking for new followers and friends!  Click here to 'Like' my page and get Sew Lah Tea Dough updates right to your newsfeed.

Thanks for reading!

Cupcakes for a New Baby Boy ♥

"Straight from heaven up above, here is a baby for you to love"

We are so happy that our great friends welcomed a new baby boy into their sweet family earlier this week - he is a baby truly loved already, and we were so excited to be able to go and visit when he was just 1 day old - treats and gifts in tow of course!

I have been busy for a good little while now making some secret projects (that I had to hide away when they came over to visit!) in advance of their new baby and have a lot of blogging to do about it but first, seeing as I had shared a Sneak Peek of my cupcakes on my Facebook page I thought these could come first.

There was definitely a theme to my handmade gifts, you will definitely see elephants popping up on this blog a few more times as I write more about the projects.  A lot of the inspiration came from a cookie cutter/press I found months ago in a small kitchenware shop that I KNEW I would want to use for their new baby!  I hadn't used it until now, but I am so so pleased with how it turned out.  

The best bit about choosing an elephant theme... elephants may be making an appearance in the new nursery they are preparing!!  SO excited to see more elephants everywhere, we are all zoo lovers after all!

We found out their new baby had arrived on Monday afternoon, so straight after work I got to making the final sewing project for him (whilst watching the Leafs get knocked out of the NHL Playoffs BOO) before starting on some cupcakes to take with us when we visited the next day!

I had known all along I wanted cupcakes to be a part of the gift, and this set of 3 designs meant a little bit of variety, but still on the same theme - blues and elephants of course!

I used a basic vanilla cupcake recipe, with buttercream frosting piped on top (see the recipe below), and whilst I was aiming for a pale blue buttercream colour - the liquid food colouring I was using (which was definitely blue!) turned this beautiful shade of mint green after a few drops, and I was happy with that - it's such a summery colour (and one of my very favourite colours!) and provided a good contrast with the cupcake toppers and decorations I was going to use :-)

As I mentioned before, I used a cookie cutter/stamp to make the elephants but rather than cutting out cookies, I cut out fondant I had coloured grey!  BAH I love the press - and am definitely going to buy more from that same shop!  I also cut out pale blue fondant stars, and then used blue and white sugar big round sprinkles (that came from a pack of red, white and blue jubilee style sprinkles!) for the other two designs of cupcakes.

I am SO pleased with how these cupcakes turned out and cannot wait to share the rest of my projects with you, although the most important people this time already received them...the new beautiful baby boy, the cutest big sister and excited parents of two little ones! :-)

Recipe - makes 12

Ingredients:

4oz butter, softened
4oz caster sugar
2 eggs
4oz self-raising flour

I told you it was basic right?!  I also added a splash of vanilla :-)

8oz icing sugar
4oz butter
1 tablespoon of milk
Flavouring or food colouring if required

Method:

1.  Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and line a 12-hole cake tin with paper cases.
2.  Place the butter, sugar, eggs and flour in a large bowl and beat together until smooth.  Add vanilla if you like!!
3.  Spoon the mixture into the paper cases.
4.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until well risen, golden brown and when a cake tester (I use a potato skewer) comes out clean.
5.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
6.  While they are cooling, make the buttercream:  Place the butter in a bowl and beat until fluffy - sift in the icing sugar and beat together until smooth.
7.  When the cakes are cool, spread or pipe the icing on top of each cake and decorate as you like!

Nice and easy, which was lucky as it was 10.30 at night - but all totally worth it.  And I got the best approval of the taste - when a not quite 2 year old keeps coming back for more bites... Now that makes me a happy baker :-)

*** Two links to click today! ***

Check out the incredible photography business our friend and cousin runs here in Toronto - taking a little break while she enjoys time with their new baby gives you lots of time to read her blog and check out her great website full of beautiful babies and their families :-)  

Click here to see the fantastic Krista Lii Photography website.

And don't forget my new Facebook page is always looking for new followers and friends!  Click here to 'Like' my page and get Sew Lah Tea Dough updates right to your newsfeed.