What a cute idea!

Most paint instructions tell you to pre-wash, dry (and probably iron to get a good flat surface) before you paint. Fabric has 'stuff' in it when you first buy it that prevents the paint from adhering well.

I've never used the Crayola fabric markers so I don't know how long it takes for them to dry. Do they have broad or fine tips? Broad tips will give rapid coverage, but some folks will prefer fine tips to do detail work on their shirts.

It would probably be a good idea for you to do a test shirt several days ahead so you'll know how well they work, how long it takes the paint to dry, whether or not you need to heat-seal the paint, etc.

Be sure you are ready with little cardboard pieces covered with wax paper (or saran wrap) to slip inside the shirts to prevent the paint from bleeding through the front to the back. And masking tape (or similar tape) to hold the shirt taut to the cardboard. (After the cardboard is centered inside the onsesie, pull the bottom and edges to the back and tape them firmly in place.) You just can't paint on a loose, wiggly surface!

Each person will need individual table space to plan and paint their shirt. And you'll need plenty of paint/markers so they don't have to do too much sharing, especially if you are on a tight time frame.

And it would be good if you had some IDEAS on hand for reluctant artists. Children's coloring books have simple pictures. You can also browse on the Internet and see cute ideas of shirts that are commercially available.

Even better would be to also let all the participants know IN ADVANCE what you are planning to do so they can give some thought to what they'd like to put on their onesie.

You may decide after doing a trial shirt or two yourself before the party that more time will be necessary to complete the shirts. If so, you might need to schedule a second party night just for the painting, and then mail the completed onesies to the mom-to-be.

Be sure to let us know how it goes, and post pictures of the completed shirts if you can!

This is a very cute idea. In addition to markers, you could also use 'soft paint' by either Tulip or Deco Art and chunky stamps. It is found in the fabric paint section. The chunky stamps are found in the acrylic paint section of Michaels, Joann's or WalMart. Just use cotton balls or cosmetic sponges and dab the paint on to the stamp; press stamp onto onesie. They could use the markers to personalize the stamped design. There are all kinds of designs like ducks, flowers, trucks, etc. Applying a stamped image helps cut down the 'design anxiety' people often get, trying to be artists.

Since the paint is stamped flat, it dries fairly quickly, but it all depends on how much is applied and how dry the air temperature is. In order to share the paint, you can buy the desired colors and squeeze about a quarter-size dollop on plastic/styrofoam plates for people to share.

Have fun!

This is such a cute idea = please let us know how it works out!

Hello, and thanks for your advice! The shower was yesterday and the whole event was a great success. I was really nervous about it as it was the first baby shower I have hosted and I didn't know most of the guests, but everything went really well.

For the fabric painting, I did end up buying the Crayola fabric markers. They were under $4 at Target for a package of 8. I would have spent at least twice that much at JoAnn Etc. for others types of fabric paints, and since I planned this shower with under three weeks' notice, I didn't have time to set aside money so I was watching my pennies. I purchased 3 packages of the markers for 15 people and there seemed to be plenty to go around. The markers had a medium tip, probably about the same as a standard Crayola marker. They are very much like regular Crayola markers, actually - just with permanent fabric dye rather than whatever ink is normally used. They were not at all like paint. The dye can be set by tossing the clothes into a dryer on the highest setting for 30 minutes. The fabric markers were very simple to work with - I'm sure other products might have looked more professional or something, but the Crayola markers were excellent for what I needed - cheerful, no mess, no fuss.

I cut cardstock in the shape of the onesies/t-shirts and put it inside the clothing. I did not tape as the cardstock cutouts fit the clothing pretty tightly. Some of the bigger onesies (I had a variety of sizes) required two sheets of cardstock, one while sheet for the top and another smaller cutout for the butt.

I won an eBay auction for 11 new, plain white onesies/t-shirts in various sizes, and supplemented with a package of 5 from Target.

As far as the actual activity - the guests in general really seemed to enjoy it. I told them as they were coming in that after we ate we would be painting the onesies so they should start thinking about ideas. When brunch was over I removed the table linens and replaced them with a plastic table cover to protect our dining room table (seats 10) and another one on the large-ish coffee table in the living room, around which another 5 people sat (we have a large sectional - there was plenty of seating, much to my relief.) The shower was a Pooh theme so I had a couple of Pooh books out for inspiration; also, as part of another activity, everyone had a scrapbook sticker with a baby-related word or phrase on it so I suggested that people look at their stickers for creative inspiration also. One guest put the logo of her alma mater on the from and the logo of her alma mater's biggest rival on the butt. The mommy-to-be made "Daddy's Instruction Manual" by writing head - arms - legs etc. on the corresponding parts of the onesie. It was very cute. One guest who had a t-shirt drew a simple black cat on the upper middle part of the chest - very simple but cute. Other people wrote quotes from Pooh. One guest drew a picture of Pooh on the chest. Other guests just drew the word on their aforementioned sticker in fancy script. Several guests decorated the neck and leg trim on the onesies with dots, stripes, etc. The grandmother-to-be wrote "Grama Loves Me" on hers and added other decorations. People were very creative; only one guest (my mom of all people) found herself without ideas, and I think she finally just wrote "Mommy's Little Angel" on the front of the shirt.

It was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, I do not have pictures. I lost my digital camera last week. Since the mommy-to-be lives out of town and got on a plane immediately following the shower yesterday, I stated on the invitations that I would take care of shipping gifts to her. I thought that I would have the onesies here for a couple of days and would take pictures when we get a new camera today or tomorrow. (We have it picked out but didn't have time to buy it this weekend.) Fortunately for my budget, but unfortunately for this thread, the mommy- and daddy-to-be brought an extra empty suitcase and due to the remarkable packing skills of the daddy, they were able to fit nearly everything into that suitcase. A few things were left behind but not, unfortunately, the onesies. One of the guests was taking lots of pictures so if I ever get those and she caught the onesies, I'll post back here.

Thanks again for your advice and support...I know where to come next time I need guidance!

Loriellen - Thanks for posting back to tell us how well your party went!! Sounds like everyone had a wonderful time and made really cute little painted shirts.

Bet the new Mom will have lots of great memories every time the little baby wears one of them!

(You're gonna have a difficult time topping this party, the next time you are up to be a hostess - LOL!)

I am so glad this idea has worked for someone. I saw it on a website and thought it would be a perfect shower idea - I have friends that are sick of games! My friend is have triplets (2 boys and 1 girl), and I thought it would be cute to decorate onsies! I am having a hard time finding the fabric markers, but I have a coupleweeks and a few stores left to check before I resort to ebay! Thanks for sharing the results!!!