DIY Custom Baby Onesie with Heat Transfer Vinyl

Whether you’re making a DIY custom baby onesie for a new addition to the family, a baby shower gift, or just for fun, you can create your own customized design to fit any unique occasion with heat transfer vinyl. Learn how here!

I know itโ€™s probably not weird for you at this point, that this post involves an owl, or is it? LOL. You know how much I love owls and I donโ€™t see that changing any time soon.

DIY Custom Baby Onesie with Heat Transfer Vinyl Cover Image with Title Overlay

My excuse today (as if I needed one LOL) is that one of my hubbyโ€™s cousins is pregnant with a baby girl and I got so excited about planning a special gift for her. I thought that a cute owl DIY Custom Baby Onesie would be a great gift for her baby shower.

DIY Custom Baby Onesie with Heat Transfer Vinyl for A Baby Shower Gift

I must confess I didnโ€™t do this alone with my lack of cool English idioms or phrases I asked my awesome friends from the Silhouette group to help me with a nice and fun sentiment that involves owls. THANK YOU, GIRLS!!!!

I loved right away โ€œLook Hoots Hereโ€ Yayyyy! I started my project at once! Of course, a big part of my inspiration I owe it to Lauren from The Thinking Closet, she has the sweetest onesies ever!

I also wanted to add somehow the babyโ€™s name and a fun twist, so I decided to use one of the hollow hearts from the owl and place it in the onesie butt LOL.

DIY Custom Baby Onesie with Heat Transfer Vinyl front and butt

I think all newborns and babies look so cute with the diapers and with something that pops up in their little butt hahaha! And I added EMMA inside the heart! I got so excited that her baby will be called the same as my girl!

So, I could go on and, on this babbling, because Iโ€™m so excited about the new girl in the family! Sad that sheโ€™ll be so far but still a new baby girl Yayyyy!!!.

How to make this DIY Custom Baby Onesie

So, onto the craft, right?

Supplies:

  • A Plain onesie โ€“ I love Gerber’s packs.
  • Heat Transfer Vinyl โ€“ I love Cricut htv or silhouette htv.
  • Cute shapes cut files โ€“ I used one from the silhouette store.
  • Love and creativity!
  • Optionally, if you don’t have cut machines, there are tons of places that could cut the HTV for you you just have to google it!

Tools:

  • Cutting Machine {I have Silhouette Cameo}
  • Regular Iron or heat press or easy press.

Instructions:

Applying heat transfer is really easy, you just need to make sure a few details are not missed and you can do this.

For example, when working with this type of htv, you need to mirror the image before cutting, and always place a piece of cloth or parchment paper between the htv and the iron.

Before we begin, be sure to follow us on PinterestFacebookInstagram, and YouTube, and also sign up for our email list (at the end of this post), so youโ€™ll never miss a post!

Step 1: Create the design

First, I created my design for the front and back of the onesie in my Silhouette studio.

The owl is from the silhouette store, you can find it here and search for “Owl Hearts” and you will see it.

Step 2: Cut the heat transfer vinyl design

Once the design is defined and in the right size, I flip the image (mirror it) and send it to the silhouette machine following the proper cut settings suggested.

I prefer using the mat because I cut the necessary HTV and I waste less material.

screenshot of silhouette program with the onesie design

Step 3: Weed out the unwanted htv

Once the design is cut, using the hook or weeding tool, remove all the unwanted pieces of htv. Including all the surrounding HTV.

peeling the vinyl

There you have the mirrored image is ready.

Cut it into two pieces: the heart and the owl.

showing the two vinyl designs already peeled

Step 4: Press or Iron-on the design onto the onesie

Decide on the position of the owl on the onesie, place iron-on vinyl with the plastic backing up, and lay a t-shirt or piece of fabric on top of the design.

Iron in cotton settings pressing down firmly for about 40-60 seconds (time might vary between irons) until you are sure the vinyl is really stuck to the onesie.

placing the front design on the onesie

If you peel away the plastic and the vinyl is not set, continue ironing for a few more seconds.

uncovering the cotton fabric after it has been ironed onto the design on the onesie

I let it cool for a few seconds and started peeling away the plastic very carefully.

peeling off the already transferred vinyl from the onesie

Then did the same process for the heart on the butt areaโ€ฆ Not sure if I got it right but I tried, right? LOL

Placing the back design on the back of the onesie

To wash it you can just machine wash and dry inside out (the lower the heat the better).

showing both sides of the onesie with the designs already transferred

There you go! One adorable DIY Baby Onesie!

The front of the DIY Custom Baby Onesie with Heat Transfer Vinyl
The back of the DIY Custom Baby Onesie with heart and name
The DIY Custom Baby Onesie with Heat Transfer Vinyl slightly folded so you can see front and butt

Isnโ€™t it super cute??? Now I need to come up with a cute idea for the gift packing and send it to the US!!! So excited!!!

Any ideas for a gift-wrapping you want to share??? I would love to hear them all in the comments!

Baby Girl Owl Onesie Baby Shower Gift-07
Baby Girl Owl Onesie Baby Shower Gift-08

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does heat transfer vinyl last?

HTV could last years under normal circumstances and usage. It will also depend on the HTV quality. Like any other product, it comes in different brands and quality and not all of them are good. I personally love Silhouette and Cricut’s.

But given that it’s good quality and good care, a T-shirt, for example, should last years without peeling off. Heat transfer vinyl is normally very durable and most of the time, a good quality vinyl will last longer than the t-shirt itself. It’s not recommended to throw an HTV in a dryer though.

What materials can you use iron on vinyl on?

HTV works best on cotton polyester or cotton/poly blends. Some synthetic fabrics, like acrylic, probably won’t work correctly because they will melt under the heat of iron. For more advanced crafters, you can apply HTV to mugs, baseball hats, school supplies, water bottles, patches, and even wood!

Do you need a heat press to apply heat transfer vinyl?

The quick answer is NO. Some designs, especially small designs that fit under your home iron, you can transfer with one press. But a heat press machine could be a great investment if you plan on making heat transfer vinyl designs regularly, it will help you transfer vinyl quickly and easily and give you a polished product in the end.

Can you use an electric iron for HTV?

Yes, you can use a household iron for HTV designs. Iron for 40-60 seconds but check the work along the way to see that it isn’t too hot.

More Onesie Project Ideas to try

If you like this cute DIY Custom Baby Onesie tutorial, you might also love these other cute craft project ideas for kids too!

โœ‚๏ธ Tutorial

DIY Custom Baby Onesie with Heat Transfer Vinyl Cover Image

DIY custom baby onesie with Heat Transfer Vinyl

Camila Rojas
Whether youโ€™re making aย DIY custom baby onesieย for a new addition to the family, a baby shower gift, or just for fun, you can create your own customized design to fit any unique occasion with heat transfer vinyl. Learn how here!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Crafting Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Category DIY & Craft
Topic Easy Crafts, For Kids, Gifts, Silhouette Cameo
Pieces 1

Tools

  • Cutting Machine {I have Silhouette Cameo}
  • Regular Iron or heat press or easypress.

Supplies
  

  • A Plain onesie โ€“ I love Gerberโ€™s packs.
  • Heat Transfer Vinyl โ€“ I love cricut htv or silhouette htv.
  • Cute shapes cut files โ€“ I used one from the silhouette store.
  • Love and creativity!
  • Optionally if you donโ€™t have cut machines, there are tons of places that could cut the HTV for you you just have to google it!

Instructions
 

STEP 1: CREATE THE DESIGN

  • First I created my design for the front and back of the onesie in my Silhouette studio.
  • The owl is from the silhouette store, you can find it here and search for โ€œOwl Heartsโ€ and you will see it.

STEP 2: CUT THE HEAT TRANSFER VINYL DESIGN

  • Once the design is defined and in the right size, I flip the image (mirror it) and send it to the silhouette machine following the proper cut settings suggested.
  • I prefer using the mat because I cut the necessary HTV and I waste less material.

STEP 3: WEED OUT THE UNWANTED HTV

  • Once the design is cut, using the hook or weeding tool, remove all the unwanted pieces of htv. Including all the surrounding HTV.
  • There you have the mirrored image is ready.
  • Cut it into two pieces: the heart and the owl.

STEP 4: PRESS OR IRON-ON THE DESIGN ONTO THE ONESIE

  • Decide on the position of the owl on the onesie, place iron-on vinyl with the plastic backing up, and lay a t-shirt or piece of fabric on top of the design.
  • Iron in cotton settings pressing down firmly for about 40-60 seconds (time might vary between irons) until you are sure the vinyl is really stuck to the onesie.
  • If you peel away the plastic and the vinyl is not set, continue ironing for a few more seconds.
  • I let it cool for a few seconds and started peeling away the plastic very carefully.
  • Then did the same process for the heart on the butt areaโ€ฆ Not sure if I got it right but I tried, right? LOL
  • To wash it you can just machine wash and dry inside out (the lower the heat the better).
  • There you go! One adorable DIY Baby Onesie!
Keyword diy custom baby onesie, diy custom onesie, diy heat thansfer vinyl onesie

Love yโ€™all and hope you liked my quick craft today!!!

Some other cute Onesie projects I love from my favorite bloggers:

ยกShare and PIN ME!

DIY Custom Baby Onesie with Heat Transfer Vinyl Pinterest Image with Title Overlay

Til’ next time…

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9 Comments

  1. Wow that phrase is so adorable! I love the placement of her name right on the tushie! So cute, I’ll be pinning…but of course.

  2. I think the student has surpassed the master where onesies are concerned. This is SO adorable! And I love the pun. Off to pin and of course planning to feature you next week in my Reader’s Showcase. Gotta show off this gem to the whole world wide web!

    1. You are too sweet, thanks for giving me such a lovely motivation. SO glad you like this one! I can’t wait to see the new Emma in it!!! I’m so honored that you want to feature my onesie on your showcase!!! WOOT WOOT can’t wait!… Love being over your blog! =D Hope you are having a wonderful weekend my friend.
      XOXO lots!

        1. WOOHOO so excited my friend!!!! I’m super honored top be showcased among such creative ladies! Love all the ideas!!! Checking them out!!!!
          XOXO

  3. What a super cute onesie! Love the owl design! I really need to get with the program and make one of these before our little newborn gets to be “too old”! Have a great weekend!

    1. Oooh you will love to make onesies, it gets a little addictive. babies look so cute in them so I make them all the time!
      Thanks so much for your visit, glad you liked my project.
      Hugs