These baby-grows are so adorable, we thought they were the perfect thing to brighten up a grey weekend! With a simple cross-stitch pattern to follow and instructions for cross-stitching onto just about any fabric you like, Hannah Sturrock shows you how to use the beautiful craft of cross-stitch to personalise or decorate your baby’s clothes. Why not choose a baby-grow or other garment one size up, as we think this will be the perfect spring or Easter-time outfit for your little one!
How to cross-stitch a bunny baby-grow
Quick and fun to stitch, these gorgeous little bunnies can adorn only the best-dressed little ones.
You will need
Chart below
1 white baby-grow, vest, or T-shirt in the appropriate size
One 4 x 6 in. (10 x 15-cm) piece of DMC soluble canvas
Two 4 x 6-in. (10 x 15-cm) pieces of iron-on interfacing in a weight to match your fabric
DMC stranded cotton embroidery floss (thread) in the following colors:
Embroidery needle, size 4
Cotton thread
Basic cross-stitch kit
Finished design size
2¾ x 4 in. (7 x 10 cm), 36 x 55 stitches
- Wash and dry your garment and the two pieces of interfacing to ensure that they are preshrunk. Decide where on the fabric you would like your cross-stitched patch to be.
- Iron your garment. Place one piece of interfacing, rough side down, on the reverse of your fabric where you would like the stitching to appear. This layer of interfacing helps to keep the fabric stable while you stitch. Place a clean, slightly damp dish towel over the top and press with a hot iron.
- Place the soluble canvas on the right side of your garment, where you would like the stitching to appear (this should be in the center of where you have just placed your interfacing on the reverse). Make sure your canvas is straight and exactly where you want it to be, then pin it carefully in place.
- Thread your needle with a length of cotton thread in a contrasting color to your fabric. Run long stitches gently around the very edge of the canvas, so that the canvas, fabric, and interfacing are all caught in each stitch. Keep this stitch as close as possible to the edge of the canvas. Don’t stretch the fabric while you are doing this, or your cross stitches will be distorted. Remove the pins.
- Put your fabric in an embroidery hoop so that the whole of the canvas is visible and in the center of the hoop. Stitch the design, using the holes in the soluble canvas in the same way as you would onto normal aida. Don’t pull your stitches too tight, as it will distort your fabric.
Top Tip
Once you’ve finished stitching the long white stitches for the bunny’s tail, take small lengths of thread, push your needle underneath the stitches on top of the fabric and tie a small knot in the center of the tail. Snip the thread so that the ends are about ¼ in. (5 mm) long either side of the knot; do this two or three times to create a fluffy, 3-D effect.
- Once you have finished stitching, remove the hoop, then unpick all the long stitches from around the outside of the canvas. Snip away any excess canvas from the sides of the design, carefully avoiding your finished cross stitches.
- Submerge your garment in hot water, taking care not to scald yourself, and leave it to soak for at least 10 minutes, preferably longer. Gently rub away any gooey residue left around the stitching area and then take the garment out of the water.
- Lay your fabric out flat to dry. If, when dry, the stitched area looks shiny or stiff, simply repeat step 7.
- Once dry, lay the second piece of interfacing rough side down over the back of the stitched area. (This piece of interfacing prevents the wearer of the clothes being irritated by your stitches.) Lay a damp dish towel over the top and press with a hot iron. Check that the interfacing is securely stuck.
This project is taken from Modern Cross Stitch by Hannah Sturrock.