DIY Christmas Shirt

Can you believe the holidays are just around the corner? I can't! I've been trying to get a jump start on Christmas projects so I'm not rushing around at the last minute. I actually completed my baby girl's Christmas stocking about a month ago (I know, I'm actually ahead of the game--yay me!) and I'm almost done knitting Christmas stocking caps for all three members of my little family (pattern coming soon!). So, I decided to make my daughter a Christmas onesie.

I just adore how this turned out! I think this embellishment would be cute for older girls, too, and not just babies.

To make this Christmas shirt, you will need:

A white shirt or onesie
1 spool (or 5 feet) of green ribbon, 3/8" wide
1 star button
Red rick rack trim, medium width, and
Metallic gold rick rack trim, baby width, like these:

Start by marking the center of the onesie with a few pins.

Cut 15 4-inch lengths of the green ribbon.

The finished tree will end up being about 4-5" tall, so determine roughly where you want to place the bottom of the tree. On a 9 month onesie, I went a little above the waistline.

Fold one of the ribbon sections as shown in the picture and pin it at your center mark wherever you want your bottom row.

Add three more ribbons on each side of the first one, for a total of seven in the bottom row. Curve them around just a bit so they aren't in a perfectly straight line.

Sew the ribbons to the shirt using one continuous line of stitching to attach all seven ribbons. Sew 1/4"-1/2" from the top edges of the ribbon; it doesn't have to be perfect or exact.

To make the second row, pin five ribbons on just as you did for the bottom row, overlapping the bottom row about 1/2".

Sew the second row on just as you did the first.

Pin the remaining three ribbon sections to create the top row. Overlap the ends of all three ribbons so that your tree has a narrow top.

Sew this row on as you did the previous two.

Drape some of the red rick rack across the bottom row to see how long the piece needs to be cut.

Pin the rick rack to the shirt and sew it on. I recommend putting it on at an angle; again, it doesn't have to be perfect.

Add rick rack to the second row, angling it the opposite way.

Add rick rack to the top row.

Following the same steps, add gold rick rack to each of the rows. I liked to crisscross mine with the red, but do yours however you like.

Finish off the shirt by sewing a star button at the top of the tree. If you are making this for a baby, make sure the button is extra secure so it cannot be pulled off by curious little hands.

I hope you enjoy making this easy Christmas shirt for the special little (or big) girl in your life!