Mama Embroidered Sweatshirt

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The littlest onesies, there’s something about them. They hold the most visceral memories and are the hardest to let go. So I didn’t let them go. I held onto them, telling myself I’d hand them down or pass them on when I was ready. My little one is 20 months old and I’m still not ready. So I started to think abut a way that I could celebrate my journey in motherhood without feeling sad. Eventually I came up with the idea of a Mama Embroidered Sweatshirt.

A Bit of Background

Having one boy and one girl, we’ve accumulated our fair share of baby clothes. I’ve donated or passed on many of them. However, there are some that I haven’t been able to part with. These adorable little floral printed and striped pjs have a hold on me. They’ve lived in a box in the basement until now.

There were a number of different things that came into my head. I thought about making a quilt but my sewing is not on that level of precision. Some have made stuffed animals out of them but that seamed daunting as well. And they both were something that I would only end up loving privately. Ultimately, the sweatshirt won out. I’ve been wearing them so much that they are practically my new uniform as a mom. I’m still finding a new sense of style for this new phase of my life, and body.

I envy those moms who know that they want one, two, or three kids. I’ve never been super sure about the number that is right for me or for our family. We’ve thought about it a lot and decided that we are done at two kids. We’ve been blessed with a boy and a girl, and our little family is complete. This is where my son would correct me and tell me that the dog is a kid too. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t get sad when I think that I’ll never have another baby. This is hitting me pretty hard right now as my daughter is less and less like a baby every day.

Making the Mama Embroidered Sweatshirt

Combine this all with having a bad bout of Covid last week, listlessness, and imposter syndrome all hitting at one time and I needed a project today. I grabbed the foam bathtub letters from Munchkin, one of my new sweatshirts, and a bag of the choicest baby onesies ready to craft these feelings away. At first I played with the lettering a bit but decided to keep it basic and trace the actual foam letters. Cutting into the onesies was a bit emotional and I was a bit afraid of ruining them but there’s enough fabric to make more if I messed it up. After the initial cut, the experience was a bit freeing. It took pressure off of me to finally be doing something with them.

The design required four letters, so I found four similar colored ones that worked together. Then I played around with where to cut out the letter, ensuring the pattern worked with the letter and looked okay with the whole sweatshirt. Then I traced and cut out the letters. Laying the sweatshirt flat, I used a ruler to help with the placement and then pinned all four letters in place.

Along with the pins, I used an embroidery hoop that fit one of the letters at a time to help keep everything nice and neat while sewing. Hand sewing is still a bit tricky and I got better with each letter. The thread I used I think I found at an antique store and it was white cotton. I’m still debating to go back over it with embroidery floss. I’m leaving it for now, not sure if I’ll add to it or not. I have more onesies and more sweatshirts so I plan on doing this again – even if it’s not the same word or the same plan so maybe we’ll try the floss on another sweatshirt.

How to Do It Yourself!

Gather your favorite onesies. And then start dreaming. Do you want to embroider a shirt like I did? The good news is that you typically have more fabric in the onesie than you need for one project. So if you want something else, change your mind, or want to make another project to give, you’re in luck! You can also make name signs, collect enough to make a small quilt, or create doll clothes.

Hoops

I ended up using a hoop to pin the letters flat but didn’t use one to embroider. I just couldn’t get the way I wanted. But in the future I would use an embroidery hoop. You can use wooden ones like these. I have loads of these and the great thing is that you can use them for other projects. They even take paint and stain. Next, I’m going to try out the plastic ones. They have grooves that hold the fabric better. Just remember to take the project off of the hoop in between work sessions. This will keep your fabric from stretching.

Pins and Needles

I went a little pin happy with this Mama Embroidered Sweatshirt because I really wanted the letters to lie flat and hold their correct shape. Many of you probably have enough pins but I’m linking this kit because it has other helpful tools like magnetic and pin cushion wrist bands to keep the pins away from your littles. If you are using regular thread, you may be able to get by with regular sewing needles. If you want to use colored embroidery floss though, you’ll need an embroidery needle. They aren’t super expensive and some come in cute little kits like this one.

The Sweatshirt!

This sweatshirt that I used for the Mama Embroidered Sweatshirt is the perfect fit. It’s super comfortable. And I’ve washed it about 100 times and it’s still holding up. The shirt comes in a boat load of colors too!