Ruffle Bumsies How-To

Ruffle Bumsies How To

If you aren't making your babies bums ruffly by now, here's how I made mine.  Now you have no excuses to not ruffle that darling round baby rump.

Here's what you will need:

• Onesies of your choice.  I simply used a package of white onesies, but there are some colored  $3 onesies at Wal-Mart.  I found that out after I made mine.
• Several different fat quarters to choose from.
• Scissors and/or cutting mat and rotary cutter.
• Sewing machine

And here's how I did mine:

1.  First I begged my cute friend Jackie to let me come over and serge my strips of fabric.  If you don't have a serger, don't worry about it because this can still be done!  You can do one of two things.  Either cut your strips of fabric with pinking shears to the size you want.  When it's washed, it creates a little raggy edges that are really cute on that baby bum.   Or, cut your fabric twice the width of the finished ruffle you want and simple place right sides together and sew down the long edge.  Turn right side out and then continue on with step 3 of the tutorial.  (Make sense?  Feel free to ask questions.  I won't bite!)

2.  Using fat quarters is the simplest way for me.  Since your fat quarter is already 18x24, the width is just right to make quick ruffles.  Cut several 1.5" strips along the 24" length.  Now serge these strips.  (Or cut with your pinking shears or making your tubes of fabric.)

3.  Next, turn your sewing machine's tension up and the length of your stitches as long as you can.  Leaving a long tail of thread, sew down the center of your strip.  The fabric will ruffle as it is sewn.  Be sure to leave a long tail of thread at the end too.  I always test on a piece of scrap fabric to make sure it is working right.  I don't like unpicking if I don't have too.  Now your strips will look something like this. 

4.  Work your strips to the width of your onesie.  Now would be a good idea to mark your onesie with straight lines with a fabric marker.  This will help you keep your lines straight as you pin on the ruffles.  I was feeling adventurous and didn't mark these lines.  It has nothing to do with the fact that I didn't want to go and find said marker.  Nothing. 

5.  Starting with your center ruffle, pin onto the onesie.  Folding the raw edge down, sew down the center of the ruffle.  Darling already! 

6.  Add your next ruffle above the first.  I tried to make them as close as possible since when the onesie is on that cute round baby, the ruffles spread out and you can see the white peeking out in between the ruffles.  Lifting the edge of the ruffle that was sewn down, pin the next ruffle in and sew down the center.

7.  Repeat for the third ruffle and then TA-DA!  You just made a darling ruffle bumsie!

*There are so many variations on this.  You can use all the same fabric or multiple fabrics.  You can make your widths of your ruffles smaller or bigger.  You can have more than three ruffles.  I think that this would be cute with five 1" ruffles smashed close together with the pinked edges.  This would make one fluffy and ruffley bum!

I felt that the front of the onesie need a little more so I twisted and sewed an extra strip of fabric into a little flower with a scrap of fabric for some free handed leaves.   This fabric will fray a bit in the wash but I like that unstructured look, but if you want to minimize this, just finish your ends anyway you like.

And remember the cutest hedgehog onesie ever?  I twisted Jackie's arm and made her promise me that she post a tutorial.  And guess what?  She's going to do it on my blog!  Lucky me!