No Ordinary Cole: Month-by-Month

This post is way overdue because it's actually about a project I completed in January, and I think I started it in August, if not before!

See, in the spring of 2011, our best friends in Nashville announced they were expecting their first child. Once we found out it was a girl, I knew I wanted to make them something special for her. So, after scouring Pinterest and blogs, I found a project I thought I could handle .... month-by-month onesies.

Not being able to sew, I thought the onesies could be made with my Cricut machine.

First step was purchasing the onesies, at least 12, if you want to do every month. I decided to buy bigger, rather than smaller, knowing their was a good chance this little one would be tall, given her genes. So, I only used the 0-3 for month one and two, 3-6 for month two, three and four, etc. You just never know how quickly babies will grow.

Next, I bought three different types of fabric. I chose two prints for my backgrounds and a solid for letters and numbers. I actually found some really cute packs of one-yard fabrics at Michael's.

I also bought some Steam-A-Seam, the easy, no-sew solution. I only bought one pack of five 9x12 sheets, but ended up needing more, so if you decide to do this, buy at least two, three packs to be safe.

Once I had all my supplies, I started by first starching my fabric with heavy starch. This is needed to help make it a bit stiff to run through the Cricut.

I honestly never starch (much less iron!), so as silly as it sounds, I was a little nervous about this part. I know, silly, but just being honest. Apparently my dog, Bug, was, too (See him in the doorway wondering what this crazy contraption is? Yea, the ironing board is not seen a lot at the Cole house), but, I made it through.

Next, I decided to cut my Steam-A-Seam the size needed for my Cricut mat and then iron it onto the back of the fabric, per the instructions on the packaging. Just follow the instructions on the Steam-a-Seam and you will be good.

Next, it was time to put it into the Cricut and cut out the circular backgrounds. I tested this first with plain ol' paper to make sure I had the correct sizes for each onesie. I highly recommend this because you will need a much smaller circle for a 0-3 month onesie versus a 12 month.

Here are a few tips I learned when cutting fabric on a Cricut. First, make sure your fabric is really adhered to the mat. The stickier the mat, the better (I'll talk more about this below). If it starts coming up, it's not going to be pretty. Also, you want to slow your cutting speed low and the pressure high.

You should get something like this and then, all you have to do is iron the circles onto the onesies. Once again, follow the instructions on the Staem-A-Seam.

Easy peesy!

I was feeling really good at this point in the project, but then came the hard part, and the part that actually made me want to give up ... the numbers and letters.

You don't realize until you look at that tiny little onesie just how small the numbers and letters need to be. I, once again, tested everything out with paper, but when I went to cut the fabric with the Cricut, it just pulled and made a mess.

I neglected to take any pictures of this step because I was so frustrated, not only because I was doubting my ability to actually complete these but I was also wasting my fabric! If I remember correctly, there may have been a few tears, too. I was just certain I was going to ruin this special gift.

Remember I told you I started this project in August? Well, at this frustration I put it aside and didn't want to touch it again. Then, as we neared the due date in December (yes, four months later), I decided I better try again or this would be all for naught.

I went to the Internet and after a bit of research about cutting out fabric with a Cricut, I decided that my problem might be that I wasn't working with fresh supplies. So, I headed to the craft store and bought a new, sticky Cricut mat and a new blade. I came home, held my breath and guess what? It worked!

Whew!

I used the same steps of cutting my Steam-A-Seam and ironing it on. Once again, keep your cutting speed low and your pressure high. And, get a nice sticky mat and a sharp blade. This is critical for those small, intricate letters.

Once I got this step down pat, things started going much smoother. I even had some extra fabric and was able to make a few other simple onesies to go along with the month-by-months. Here's the final product ...

I think I actually got these to my friend about a week before her daughter's one-month birthday, but I did make it on time. And, when she posted the first pic on Facebook, I was thrilled to see them!