Back in March, I received an email from Heather asking if I would be interested in taking on a commissioned baby onesie quilt for her son. Heather received my information from a girl I went to college with, who now works at Heather’s company. I seriously love how small the world can be.
Speaking of small, I called the Honest Company on Monday to cancel my pre-natal subscription, and after ending the phone call I received a text from a girl who is from Pittsburgh. She now works at Honest Company and said, “you just called and talked to my coworker!” Seriously. This world is weird.
Okay. Pregnancy tangents, let’s get back to it.
Heather emailed me in March with a request:
Could I make a baby onesie quilt for her son’s first birthday in June using his onesies she’d saved since he was a baby.
And because I like to take on things I’ve never done before — I said yes. :)
We talked about design ideas and possibilities and settled on a simple block quilt — simple and clean. Heather was coming toPittsburgh that following weekend, so she dropped off a bag of onesies at my house.
And here I am to confess: the onesies sat in the bag until the end of April. I was swamped with projects and commitments that I needed to complete, but I was alsoterrifiedto cut up these onesies! Making a quilt out of something as precious as these pieces of clothing scared me a little bit. Okay, a lot a bit. I let these onesies stare up at me from their blue shopping bag, as I would stare back I took these months to plan and think through how I would attack this quilt.
I’m so happy that I didn’t rush into cutting up the onesies. I’m so happy I took time to think through the material and structure and construction and plan.
I learned a lot through the process of making this quilt, so I’m hoping that my tips will not only encourage you to potentially make one yourself, but also keep you from making some pretty big mistakes.
Let’s get started.
Preparing and Saving
1||Over estimate the number of onesies needed.
When I began going through the onesies Heather had saved for this quilt, my first thought was,“I am going to have so many onesies left over.” Boy was I wrong! The number of onesies needed will change from quilt to quilt and the types of onesies used. If you are using a lot of sleepers or pajamas with snaps or zippers, you will most likely be able to only use the back fabric.
2|| Sort your designs.
I kind of hit the jackpot with this quilt — Heather has some of the cutest onesies I’ve seen! It’s clear she had a tendency to buy stripes, skulls, blues, greys, and Ohio. I began by just sifting through the onesies, pulling out the ones that might be more difficult to use. (For example, a few onesies had pretend neck ties appliquéd to the front of the onesie and because it went up to the neckline, I wasn’t able to make a block from it unless I cut through the appliqué. Does that make sense?) I began to see the stripes theme very early on, so I immediately placed those in a pile of their own. I was so excited to see the stripe pile grow, as I knew it would really help to pull the quilt together having the consistency of them throughout.
I ended up with two piles — stripes and solids/prints/text. You might need to sort according to color, prints/solids, text/pattern — whatever themes you begin to notice!
3|| Plan your block size.
Originally, I thought I would create 4″ blocks — cut at 4.5″, sewn down to 4″ blocks. I quickly realized as I counted onesies and quilt size that I really needed to get my blocks a hair bigger, or I wouldn’t have enough onesies!
My final dimensions:
- 5.5″ squares cut –> sewn to 5″ squares
- 7 squares across by 9 squares down
- roughly 35″ x 45″
*take note of the onesie sizes as well! I was unable to use a few of the newborn onesies because I wasn’t able to get a 5.5″ block cut from them.
Cutting the Blocks
If you read nothing else about this post —please read this step!! Looking back, this extra step feels like a bit of a “well duh”to me, but I’m so thankful I thought about it during my prepping steps…..or I would have been crying. Hard.
Think about the difference between baby onesies and quilting cotton with me for a moment. If you were to choose one characteristic that most obviously separates them — and you can’t say baby spit up —what would it be?
Hopefully your answer was the stretch. Baby onesies, tshirts, etc are made from a jersey fabric — some of your onesies might be 100% cotton and some might be a blend. But the bottom line is that they stretch. They don’t hold their shape like quilting cotton does. Now imagine making a crisp block quilt with fabric that doesn’t hold it’s shape…. uh yeah. Now you see why I would have been crying!
1|| Gather your stabilizing supplies.
To keep our stretchy baby onesies nice and square, you will want to use a lightweight interfacing. I used Pellon Fusible 906F, but the Pellon911FF will work too. The 911FF is definitely a bit stiffer, so I prefer the 906 — but it’s really a preference thing!
2|| Cut. Cut. and Cut.
Prepare yourself for a lot of cutting! Each onesie will essential be cut out 3 times:
- Trim your onesies. Remove the seams, collars, sleeves, zippers, snaps, etc. You want to be left with scraps big enough to accommodate your square size.
- Cut out the square size needed from your interfacing. (In my case, 5.5″ squares.)
- Iron the interfacing to the wrong sideof your onesie fabric. For some onesies, this won’t matter, but for onesies with a right/wrong side, it’s very important to pay attention.
- Cut the onesie down to the square size needed using your interfacing square as a guide.
Here are some of my favorite tools that make fabric cutting sessions a little more fun!
Sooner or later, you’ll have a stack of crisp squares! The interfacing makes or breaks the final outcome of this quilt — so as I mentioned before…
Don’t skip this step!
3|| Design the quilt layout
This step should be fun — so have fun! Again, think back to how you sorted your squares and work with your theme. But always be willing to go a new direction if your original plan just isn’t working. You might decide to make the blocks completely randomized, no theme, per se, at all. You might decide to rotate the stripes vertically — or rotate only a few? Just have fun with it. Walk away if you’re feeling a bit cross-eyed or delirious from staring and rearranged. Get a second opinion. Take a photo of it and sleep on it — how does it look to you the next day?
There isn’t a right or wrong way to design it — it’s really what you decide you like best!
4|| Fill in the gaps
I was a few short after cutting, cutting, ironing and cutting again, so after designing my quilt layout, I rearranged the design using the few extra onesie pieces I still had that were large enough for squares. I had to make a few newborn onesies just work, so I’d have enough for the entire quilt. I’ll say it again: over estimate the number of onesies needed! (My quilt is made up of 63 blocks… just to give you an idea!)
5|| Prepare your piles for sewing
Stack your block rows and label each row with a piece of paper or sticky note. You could use a fabric pen too, if you’d like. I work from left to right, stacking the previous on top of the next — the top of each stack is theleftmost block.
Pile your rows from top to bottom, as shown below.
Now we are ready to sew!
Pieceyour Baby Onesie Quilt Top Together
When piecing a quilt, you want to use 1/4′ seams. This is where it gets a little confusing in quilt-land. The 1/4″ seam that you hear, is really a seam that is just under 1/4″ — you need to accommodate for the thickness of the fabric and pressing it flat within that 1/4″. For a square block quilt like this one, that scant-1/4″ seam isn’tthatimportant — so if you’re a beginner, let’s just focus on sewing them straight! If you want to practice that scant-1/4″, this is also a perfect time to do that. Just stay consistent in your seams, or your squares won’t line up when we sew the rows together!
Enter, one of my favorite sewing machine feet:
I love
the guide on this foot! It really helps beginners sew a straight, 1/4″ seam. When your fabric touches the guide, that is typically a full 1/4″ seam. To achieve a scant-1/4″ seam with a foot like this, you will line your fabric up along the edge of the foot — the right side of the right most ski-like-toe shape.
I have no idea what the technical name is for that… whoops! ha.
1|| Piece theSquares into Rows
Beginning with the top square in your stack, take the second square and line up right sides together. We will sew the rows first, press seams, and then sew the rows together! Simply work your way from left to right, piecing each square of the row together until you reach the note indicating a new row. Set the first row aside — with the label! — and continue with each subsequent row.
You end up with a gorgeous stack like you see below.
2|| Piece the Rows together
Before we sew the rows together, we need to press our seams. I’ve become a believer in pressing my seams open in almost every quilt I make now. For the longest time, I thought that was a big no-no, but I’m learning that there are really no rules in quilting. Pressing the seams open keeps your lines so much straighter, and I think it’s worlds easier to make those corners match perfectly!
After pressing your seams, we will sew Row 1 to Row 2. Even with the interfacing, you are probably going to see some warping with a few of your onesies — you might have to cheat some of your points just slightly, or sew slow and ease the larger edge in very carefully.
You can use pins if you’d like, but I like to work from square to square. I begin my seam, and then I immediately focus on the approaching corner. I line them up. I do a quick happy dance if everything measures perfectly, and I look at which square is perhaps a hair larger and needs to be carefully worked into that seam.
After working from top row to bottom row. Go press those seams open! Don’t forget to iron.
3|| Create your Quilt Sandwich
Pick out backing fabric for your quilt, and cut the batting down to size. You want your batting to be a little bigger than your quilt top….and your backing to be a little bigger than your batting.
I’m a spray-baster – well, I used to be! – but you can use pins if you want too!
At this point, before basting your layers together, you could also look for long-arm quilters in your area to do the quilting portion for you. In my opinion, I think this quilt is a great way to jump right into quilting on your home machine — simple is better, because it lets the onesies be the focus!
4|| Decide on your Quilting Lines and Design
I opted to quilt simple diagonal lines through the striped onesie squares. Initially, I planned on sewing the diagonal through the solids/print blocks too, but I didn’t want to sew through the onesies with a featured image (Ohio, Little Man, U of Toledo, etc.). I used my favorite trick: painters’ tape.
Simply lay your quilt sandwich out on a clean, hard surface and lay down the tape where you want your seam to be. You’ll need to decide what side of the tape you will sew on — each of us will have a preference! You can put down a few pieces of tape, and then move those pieces after you’ve sewn them.
This step of the quilt will be mademucheasier with a walking foot — if you don’t have one, they are a bit more expensive than other sewing feet, but worth the investment. I rarely take mine off!
(Be sure to check compatibility with your sewing machine! While these generic feet with great with most machine brands, some brands will only work with feet of the same brand!)
Continue working your desired pattern throughout your quilt!
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, view my disclosure here.
A few patterns to get you started:
- Stitch in the Ditch — sew along the edges of your quilt squares. From the front, there won’t be visible seams, but on the back you’ll have a 5″ grid.
- 1/4″ from each seam — sew 1/4″ from all of your square seams. You’ll end up with a border on your existing squares and fun design on the back.
- Stripes! Sew either vertical or horizontal stripes throughout your quilt. I recommend spacing them at least 2-4″ apart, and then continue “half-ing” those stripes until you get to your desired width.
- The sky is the limit — have fun!
Binding your Quilt
Before adding the binding, you will need to square and trim your quilt. Just as I mentioned with pressing seams, I’m learning that everyone squares and trims their quilts for binding very differently! I use the cutting tools I have listed at the beginning to get my corners nice and square, and then I move my way around the quilt, trimming off the excess backing and batting. Hopefully this quilt is easy for you to trim and square — if done carefully, it should be!
Pick out your binding fabric — or use bias tape if you’d like. I cut my strips 2.5″ inches, but you can vary that width depending on how thick you want your binding to be.
You can see how to sew the bias tape binding here — and I have the next quilt binding tutorial coming next week! So you can work on cutting and piecing your quilt until then!
And there you have it — a finished Baby Onesie Quilt! I love how it turned out — and it kind of makes me want to go through Harlow’s onesies and make one for her! Especially now that we are having a boy!
Fun details…
I was reminded again why I so rarely take on custom orders — I enjoy them way too much, and I spend way too much time on them! I’m so happy I was able to do this quilt for this special guy though — and I’m so happy to be able to share what I learned with you! I think I did one search before I dove in, and was disappointed with the first few images that popped up, so I called it a day and decided to just attack it the Kacia way. :)
I hope this walk-through helps you create a onesie (or t-shirt!) quilt of your own! Please let me know if you have any additional questions or tips — or something to add! If we don’t help each other out, that is just silly.
Happy Wednesday! It’s raining here…and that makes me sad. But it looks like we’ll be cuddling on the couch and watching the news while we eat breakfast — not a bad morning at all!
xo
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Dianaon 18 Jun ’14 at 8:47 am
This is a beautiful idea! I have lots of tshirts and things put back that I’ve been hesitant to make that first cut on. You are inspiring to get started!
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kaciaon 18 Jun ’14 at 8:58 am
I vote that you jump right in!! It is seriously SUCH a perfect keepsake!! If I don’t do a full crib/receiving blanket size for Harlow, I think I might do a little one for her babies!
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Heather || Heather's Dishon 18 Jun ’14 at 10:32 am
OK. So I opened your post from my reader and then had a bunch of other windows open, and then all I saw on the tab at the top was “How to Make a Baby!!!” Hahahaha!
Random story, but in all seriousness I’m totally making this. It’ll be my first sewing project ever :)
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kaciaon 18 Jun ’14 at 1:51 pm
BAHAHAHAHAHA. YES. that. just. made. my. day.
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Katrinaon 18 Jun ’14 at 5:58 pm
How do you like the “Distinctive” brand feet? I have only purchased official Brother attachments.. but the others are much more affordable. Do they work just as well?
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kaciaon 18 Jun ’14 at 6:58 pm
i find them to work totally fine!! I say go for it! :)
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Katrinaon 18 Jun ’14 at 6:04 pm
p.s. when you are looking for some really cute new fabrics- I just found a great fabric shop: http://www.fatquartershop.com/ . I just purchased some beautiful organic nursery fabric from them for a commissioned receiving blanket. Best part?? They have 24 hour flash sales (I buy my jelly rolls and fat quarter bundles here and can buy 4 or 5 at a time for the price of one). Love them. Had to share ;)
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kaciaon 18 Jun ’14 at 6:59 pm
OOOOH!! i’ve heard of fatquartershop.com but i’ve never shopped there — but now i think i need to sign up for their mailing list if you got prices like that!!
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Becky @ bybmgon 18 Jun ’14 at 9:03 pm
Oh this is adorable! Gonna keep this on file for when we’re done having kiddos! Great job and very clear tutorial!
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kaciaon 18 Jun ’14 at 10:50 pm
ah! i can’t wait to see it :) but don’t quit having kids yet!!
And seriously thank you for your sweetness! I am always SO nervous my instructions will be too wordy or confusing! So that means a lot!!
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Leslieon 19 Jun ’14 at 10:37 am
Hi! This is so beautiful! I have been saving onesies ever since you showed it a couple months ago. What if I don’t sew? Is there a local person in Pittsburgh that you can take the cut outs of the onesies to and have them make it for you?? I’m so not crafty!
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kaciaon 19 Jun ’14 at 11:58 am
i’m sure you could find someone!! i wish I could say yes, but I just am too swamped! :( :( :( :(
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Meganon 19 Jun ’14 at 4:45 pm
This is so great! I’m also an Ohio girl–born in Toledo and now in Columbus. I’ve got my own stack of t-shirts to make a quilt with and I probably wouldn’t have thought to use interfacing and ended up with a totally wonky pile of fabric.
Did you use a knit or a quilting cotton for the back? What thickness batting? And is bias binding really necessary because it’s knit, or can you use straight strips (I hope that makes sense)?Reply
kaciaon 19 Jun ’14 at 5:29 pm
Hey Megan!! I used quilting cotton! and i need to go back and make that more clear! I used straight strips! but you could use bias Tape, if you wanted to!!
And i just used a 100% cotton batting! not too thick!
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maggie whitleyon 21 Jun ’14 at 1:00 am
I wish we could sew a quilt together. Imagine all we’d talk about… that would be a weekend we’d always remember. XO
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kaciaon 21 Jun ’14 at 12:11 pm
AGREE!! We have a guest bedroom…just sayin’! :) :) :) :)
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Abbieon 24 Jun ’14 at 8:06 pm
What a great tutorial! I am definitely going to save it as my daughter wants me to make one for her son when he turns a year old. I really like your suggestions for all the tools needed.
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kaciaon 24 Jun ’14 at 8:44 pm
THanks, Abbie! Let me know if you have any questions when you tackle it! xo!
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Briannaon 25 Jul ’14 at 2:05 pm
The instructions are wonderful! I have only ever quilted with cotton fabric and never would have thought of the interfacing, thanks for that! And if you don’t mind sharing, where did you get the tag? I was trying to think of a way to personalize my sons quilt and I love that!
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kaciaon 25 Jul ’14 at 9:02 pm
Thanks Brianna! I actually make them :/ we use a laser machine and etch the leather. I don’t sell them, per se, nor would I sell them to be used commercially, but I’m happy to talk with you if you’d like to purchase a few!
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Marcion 29 Jul ’14 at 2:44 am
What kind of fabric did you use for backing and binding? What would you recommend ?
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kaciaon 29 Jul ’14 at 9:46 am
great question, Marci! I just used regular quilting cotton! if you go to say, JoAnn fabrics, ask for their Quilting Section. I’d even ask for their higher quality stuff — most JoAnn fabrics sell Robert Kaufman Kona Solids, and those are great!
Otherwise, find a quilt store in town, and snag some there! :)
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Merrie Milleron 16 Feb ’15 at 7:09 pm
Hi there; just wanted to let you know that KONA from JoAnns is not Robert Kaufman. You can find the real deal at your local quilt shop
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Joon 6 Jun ’19 at 8:11 pm
Hello, I loved the onesie quilt that you made. I have been given the task of making two onesie quilts. The baby passed away and I have been asked to make a “what ever” for the Parents and one for Grandparents. Most of the onesies have text on the front and they are different sizes. I have decided to make a Crib size so it can be hung or used as a throw. I also think that I may use baby fleece (like a receiving blanket) as slashing between the rows. Like you I have been reluctant to get started until I had a plan in place. Thank you for publishing your design and instructions. Your instructions gave me more confidence to get started.
Jo
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gypsymariaon 29 Jul ’14 at 11:45 pm
I’ve never quilted before, but I’ve wanted to do a baby onesie quilt since I got a lot of great custom-decorated onesies for my first and only baby. Your instructions are super helpful, and I feel like I could maybe do this on my own after reading this post! Thank you!
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kaciaon 30 Jul ’14 at 9:27 am
that makes me smile SO big!!! please let me know if you have problems or questions!!
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Ashleyon 2 Aug ’14 at 4:38 pm
I count 7×10 instead of 7×9. Right? About what size bed would this fit? I’m new at this lol!
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kaciaon 2 Aug ’14 at 4:56 pm
hahahaha, i’m so pregnant and probably counted wrong! i would definitely call it a crib or picnic sized quilt!
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ashleyon 10 Aug ’14 at 6:15 pm
Love love love this tutorial! I have been pinning and searching for a great tutorial ever since my 20 month old came out of the womb pretty much. Ha! I have fleece polyester interfacing, this could work, do you see a problem with using it?
Thank you!
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kaciaon 10 Aug ’14 at 9:20 pm
I think that’ll be fine! it’ll be a nice and thick and warm blanket!! let me know how it goes!
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Danaon 29 Aug ’14 at 8:35 am
Hi Kacia,
I just fell upon your site/blog via instagram (#stitchfixfriday)! I LOVE this quilt, LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I am hopeless though…no sewing machine, no sewing talent :(
I have a little girl (4) and a little man (1 y/o) and am dying to have a quilt made out of their onesies to give to each of them. Do you know of anyone that is taking orders (custom) to make them? Thanks!!!Reply
Amandaon 12 Sep ’14 at 11:18 pm
Hi Kacia!! Quick question: Do you sew THROUGH the tape or just use it as a guide line? I feel like sewing through the tape would make the needle sticky??
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kaciaon 14 Sep ’14 at 9:15 pm
use as a guide! if you sew through it, it usually perforates fine — but I definitely try to avoid it as much as possible! Use as a guide, remove and replace! I use the same pieces for quite a few rows!!
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Cynthiaon 7 Jan ’15 at 9:57 am
I have three babies, a girl who is 5, and two boys ages 3 and 1. We’d like to have another, hopefully some time in 2015.
Anyway, I thought of making a quilt out of my favourite baby (and not worthy as keepsakes for my grandbabies) clothes. I realized that I may never see any of those cute girl clothes again, if God blesses us with another little man. That thought made me sad.
Thank you for this amazing tutorial. Even though I won’t be making this for a few years, I won’t even get started until we find out the sex of our next baby (and we’re not even pregnant yet), your tutorial makes it seem so attackable. I have a problem with diving into projects headfirst and then running into issues that my limited knowledge of sewing gets me into. All of your tips, especially the fusible interface…. Brilliant. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
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kristaon 26 Mar ’15 at 8:09 pm
Hi just I just wanted to thank you for posting by far the best tutorial I have been able to find online for a baby quilt tutorial! I have been saving clothes at my 2nd has been outgrowing them and at first I thought I was saving too many but after reading you post in regards to needing 63 squares and getting pretty much only one square per outfit it made me think “uh oh maybe I better go back thru those 3-6 months clothes I am about to donate.” Also, most sites never included the size of the squares they did and the seam! Thanks again for the great post!!
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Lindsayon 11 Jun ’15 at 9:47 pm
Thank you for the excellent tutorial! I just finished the binding on mine and I’m so in love with it… we actually had a lot of the same onesies!
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kaciaon 11 Jun ’15 at 10:03 pm
heading over to see yours!
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Terryon 19 Jul ’15 at 1:17 pm
Question is: I know in t-shirt quilts you use a stablizer, did you use one for the baby quilt as well if so what kind?
Your onesies quilt is so cute, i have 2 grandsons and would like to do 2. Let me know, please.Reply
kaciaon 19 Jul ’15 at 2:30 pm
yup! I have them linked in the supplies: http://amzn.to/U8zm9v or amzn.to/1lCg4Dr would be great :)
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Maryon 20 Nov ’15 at 3:25 pm
Does the fusible make it hard? I don’t want to take away the softness of the t shirts. Does that make sense?
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kaciaon 23 Nov ’15 at 4:07 pm
nope! not if you get the cotton woven fusible! It’s SUPER soft!!
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Alma Cookon 18 Aug ’15 at 10:24 pm
Thank you so much for such detail in how to make this quilt!!! Love everything about your instructions and photos. This had to be very time consuming for you and just wanted to let you know you are so appreciated!!! I will have to make one of these. Thank you again!!!!
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kaciaon 20 Aug ’15 at 9:47 pm
aw! Thank you so much, Alma! That means a lot!
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Christinaon 4 Sep ’15 at 7:02 am
can I use Pellon 931TD?? It says it has length wise grain for stability and crosswise S-T-R-E-T-C-H. Is that stretch going to mess with the finished quilt? Just hoping I can use it since it’s what I have on hand. What are your thoughts on this? Tia!
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kaciaon 8 Sep ’15 at 7:36 am
Let me look the 931TD up :)
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kaciaon 8 Sep ’15 at 7:37 am
I think it’s probably fine — just might be a little thick! But might make for a cozy and warm quilt!
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Joyceon 11 Sep ’15 at 1:56 pm
Hi – just wanted to let you know that I used your instructions to make a baby onsies for a co-worker. I didn’t have enough onsies to make the entire quilt, so I also incorporated minky fabric which gave the quilt a more texture. I also added ribbon tabs on the edges and used the minky fabric on the back and just put front and back right sides together and then turned it right side out and top stitches around the outside. I then tied it with embroidery floss because the minky fabric is sooooo slippery. Anyway, thanks for giving me inspiration on how to do this.
Joyce
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kaciaon 16 Sep ’15 at 12:53 pm
AH!! Joyce – that sounds amazing!! isn’t it crazy how many onesies/shirts are actually needed to make even a crib-size quilt!? I’d LOVE to see a photo of your final product!! My email is kacia (at) coconutrobot dot com if you’d like to send one!
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Staceyon 17 Oct ’15 at 4:58 pm
Hi! Love the tutorial!
I want to make my own memory blanket from my daughters baby grows etc but what is the best fabric to use as the backing? This is my first project since school so I’m a rookie! X
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Katie Jo Soukupon 24 Oct ’15 at 5:28 pm
Did you use a target sheet for your binding? I have heard that the cotton generic brand sheets make great quilt backs
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kaciaon 2 Nov ’15 at 7:53 am
ha! I didn’t!! but that’s a fun use of a cotton sheet!!
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Catharina Besteron 2 Nov ’15 at 2:56 am
Thank you so much for the care and detail you put into this post. I came across the idea of a baby quilt 4 years ago, shortly after the birth of my first daughter. This post made it so simple, with great instructions, tips and photos!!! I am not a quilter but after reading this I was so inspired and it took all the apprehension out if doing it. I cut up my two girls’ onsies (now 4 and 2 years) up this weekend and can’t wait to get stitching. Thank you once again!!! With love from South Africa
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kaciaon 2 Nov ’15 at 7:53 am
AH!!! please send me a photo when it’s completed!!! I’m so excited to see it!! xo!
kacia @ coconutrobot . com
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Barbaraon 14 Nov ’15 at 8:14 pm
I made a tee shirt quilt for my grandson when he graduated from high school using athletic tees from little league through high school. He loved it and he loved it. Your right, stabilizing is the most important part. Now my granddaughter wants me to make one for her son from his enesies. Thanks for all your helpful hints.
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kaciaon 16 Nov ’15 at 7:29 am
So fun! My mom made us t-shirts quilts as well! Definitely able to make larger squares using tshirts bigger than onesies! :) I’m so happ you found this helpful!
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Sharonon 19 Nov ’15 at 1:02 am
I did a tshirt quilt and used the unprinted side for the backing.
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kaciaon 19 Nov ’15 at 7:59 am
That’s a neat idea! As the back of your quilt sandwich? Or to stabilize? I’m curious as to how you were able to avoid them stretching out of shape — sounds like a neat and creative way to do it!
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Katyon 6 Dec ’15 at 5:57 pm
Hi Kacia- did you adjust your stitch length for the knit fabric on your quilt lines? I am worried about bunching with the thicker fabric/knit that I am used to than regular quilting cotton. Still 3.0, or 3.5?
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kaciaon 7 Dec ’15 at 6:18 am
I don’t remember changing my stitch length — but i would grab some extra squares or scraps and test!! :)
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kaciaon 8 Dec ’15 at 8:38 am
Did you get my reply? I don’t remember increasing my stitch length, but I would test it on some scrap pieces!
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Gabyon 28 Mar ’16 at 11:11 pm
Hi Kacia. Thanks for the detailed explanation, I’m just sorry that I didn’t find it soon…
You know, I live in Colombia, and saw a baby memory quilt even before my baby was born, now that she is a little older than two I decided to make mine!
I hired a patchwork teacher to help me with the project, and despite she is very talented and experienced with “regular” projects, she didn’t know how to direct me…
The thing is that after months of work I have my work finished (or so I thought). It has no geometrical shape. As you mentioned this kind of fabric does not behave… My teacher said that I should make rows of baby clothes, separated by regular cotton patchwork thin rows, well…the result is a very strange shape.
Now that I found your post I’m wondering if I could iron the pellon in the back of each row (to don’t unsew the entire thing) .
What do you think?.
As you can imagine this project is very important for me, and I had put lots of love, time and effort and I want it to be something pretty.Thank you
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Taryn Silvermanon 2 Jan ’17 at 10:06 am
I have a quick question. Did you use a special tool when cutting out the interface squares? I am having a hard time seeing the grain lines and I don’t want to make weird shapes. Thanks!!!
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kaciaon 19 Jan ’17 at 10:11 am
I used a rotary cutter! like this one: http://bit.ly/2iNCK5T
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Lisaon 25 Jan ’17 at 8:38 pm
My mother and I have started a quilt together. We are crafty and can sew but never done a quilt before. We have friends quiding us, but can’t tie up all there time. I have taken my daughter’s baby clothes and her father’s clothes ( he past when she was 15). She is getting married this year. So we are making one for a new born. (For the future) and one for a keepsake for her. I feel much more confident after ready your steps. Thank yuoiu for taking the time. We really wanted to do this together. Not just hand it over for someone else to do.
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kaciaon 27 Jan ’17 at 11:01 am
you are exactly why I love doing what I do — and you encourage me to do more. Thank you! I’d love to see a photo of the finished quilt!
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Ann Hofstetteron 11 Feb ’17 at 2:01 pm
I feel I have been running my ideas for my great nieces’ onesie quilt through my mind forever. After reading this, I feel much better about it now. I have completed a few T-shirt quilts, but this one scares me so much more. Thanks for the pep talk. I will begin today.
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Romyon 16 Feb ’17 at 4:13 pm
I’m so glad I found this tutorial because it looks the closest to what I’m after. I’m making a memory quilt for my niece and wanted some good instructions. Did you use a ballpoint needle since you were sewing jersey or is a standard one ok? I’m not sure if I can get that interfacing in the UK so hopefully I can find one similar :)
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kaciaon 17 Feb ’17 at 6:45 am
You should be fine with a regular needle! Just use a new one :) And I’d probably switch it out half way during the project as well. I hope you can find interfacing that works!!!! :( keep me posted on how it goes!
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Monica Richardsonon 5 Jun ’17 at 8:10 am
Hi Kacia
Last night as I looked at Fear the Walking Dead, I sorted a bag of baby clothes for a quilt. Like you I’ve held onto these clothes mulling over what I wanted to do. Finally, after sorting the clothes, I realized that all the clothes were stretchy. I considered starching the heck out of them but I didn’t like that idea. So my chore today was to find how others handled using clothes to make quilts. Your post was the first one that I came across. You provided so much detail that I didn’t need to go any further. Actually, you addressed some of the other questions that I had in the back of my mind. I’m going to the store and pick up some Pellon, because I’m going to need more then I already have. Thank you so much. Monica
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kaciaon 8 Aug ’17 at 1:51 pm
I can’t wait to hear how it turns out!!
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Pamela Sanderson 7 Jun ’17 at 5:33 am
I would love to make my grandson a onesie quilt, however there might be a problem. He was a micro-preemie. He didn’t weigh but 2pounds, 2 ounces when my daughter & son in law adopted him. He couldn’t even start wearing onesies until he was about 3 months old and then the micro-preemie sizes were too big. I would love to make a quilt out of his micro onesies, but I think there may be enough fabric in all the ones we kept to make a small washcloth!!!! Not kidding. What would you suggest we do with the micro squares to make them match a regular square as in your tutorial? I’ve never done anything like this so I’m totally lost. Thanks for all the great ideas and tutorials. God Bless You and Yours
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kaciaon 8 Aug ’17 at 1:51 pm
hey! So I would use the small onesies to make one bigger square — so cut what you can out of the tiny ones, and then stitch those together to equal the squares from the larger onesies! :)
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Cassandraon 9 Jun ’17 at 11:07 pm
Are you in the Pittsburgh area? I just learned how to sew and I have two little girls!!I would love to make them a blanket out of their baby clothes! Do you still do orders or would you be up for teaching?
Absolutely love how detailed this was! Thanks for the post!Reply
kaciaon 8 Aug ’17 at 1:50 pm
We don’t anymore! i’m so sorry! You can do it though! I promise — just take your time! :)
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Cathy Bryanton 16 Aug ’17 at 10:37 am
1. Did you use woven or knit for the backing and binding?
2. Tip: for the “necktie onesie”, I have cut out as if there was fabric t the neckline. Then top=stitch the ribbed neckline onto a blank piece of matching fabric (to fill in the neck opening). Trim as usual to make the square. (may need to baste the edges)
It made this square kind of 3-D but that’s fine with me to have the cute memory included.Reply
kaciaon 31 Aug ’17 at 10:14 pm
I love the tie idea!!
I used quilting cotton woven for the backing and binding — great question!
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Bonnieon 13 Jan ’18 at 1:21 pm
I have done T-shirts quilts and know how to charge for them now someones wants me to make one out of oneies and I don’t know how to charge can you help me with this.
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Kateon 22 May ’18 at 10:41 am
Hi there! Just found your tutorial and I’m getting ready to start my own quilt. Do you have a pattern that you posted that gives the amount of fabric and pellon needed? Just wondering if I missed it. Thank you for the inspiration!
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kaciaon 18 Jun ’18 at 4:14 pm
Hey! Sorry for my delayed reply! I don’t have that because it varies so much on how many onesies/size of quilt, etc! I would say a typical crib quilt is about 45×36 – give or take! so 1.5-2yds should be plenty (depending on widths!)
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Lynn Frenchon 7 Jun ’18 at 2:55 am
CAN I ADD COTTON FABRIC SQUARES TO THE ONESIE FABRIC SQUARES BECAUSE I DON’T HAVE ENOUGH ONESIES? WOULD I HAVE TO ADD THE STABLIZER TO THE COTTON SQUARES AS WELL OR GO WITHOUT IT BECAUSE THE COTTON SQUARES AREN’T STRETCHIE? SORRY ABOUT MY SPELLING HA! THANK-YOU!!
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Lynn Frenchon 9 Jun ’18 at 3:29 pm
WHAT DOES IT MEAN MY COMMENT IS AWAITING MODERATION?
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kaciaon 18 Jun ’18 at 4:11 pm
Hi! I am so sorry – first time commenters I always approve to keep spam at bay. Answering your question now! :)
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kaciaon 18 Jun ’18 at 4:13 pm
hey! This is a GREAT solution! I love it. So you could do 2 things:
1. place stabilizer on the onesie/anything knit/stretchy, and then sew that to the cotton quilting fabric, press, trim to size – call it a day!
2. piece your onesie and cotton fabric together – and then iron on stabilizer and trim to size.I would probably do the first option!
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Hillaryon 10 Jul ’18 at 5:08 pm
I know this is an old post, but I have a quick question. I am about to start my baby clothes quilt and I’d like to use fleece pajamas in addition to onesies and knit fabrics. Should I also stabilize the fleece? I’ve never really sewn with it before, so I’m not sure how it behaves. Also is there a trick to make sure your interfacing square is straight on the wrong side of the onesies? Like when there are words and they really need to be straight?
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kaciaon 30 Jul ’18 at 9:32 am
I would test the fleece with the interfacing, but interfacing everything will bring a consistency to all the fabric types on your quilt.
If you are worried about cutting a square that isn’t crooked – I would put interfacing on the back that is larger than you need…and then trim to size from the front/right side. Does that make sense?
Good luck! I’d love to see if when you are finished!
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April J Martinezon 27 Jan ’19 at 4:19 pm
Hi There! Would Heat n Bond Fusible Fleece high Loft work for the interfacing on a onesie quilt??
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kaciaon 10 May ’19 at 9:08 pm
oh! I think that might give it a fun depth and pile! Let me know how it goes!! I’m so sorry for my delay!
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Elaina Asheron 25 Dec ’18 at 1:13 am
Just unpacked all the onesies Ive been saving to make this type of quilt. Ive been hoarding my kids onesies, born in2013 and 2015 to make something like this. I have very little sewing experience, But Im tired of sitting on this project! Just got all the onesies cut for both quilts. A little scared, but totally ready to do it!
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Shelbyon 24 Apr ’19 at 9:24 pm
Hello! My son is 13 months and I just haven’t been able to part with his clothes, so i searched for something to do with them and found your tutorial. I’m not much of a seamstress but i have a sewing machine and I’m determined to do this!
My question is this: could i use mixed fabrics like onesies and t-shirts, denim overalls, thicker cotton shorts, fleece jammies, etc.?
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kaciaon 10 May ’19 at 9:07 pm
I’m sorry for my delay! I would make sure to interface them all with a consistent interface, so they keep their shape. It’ll be a fun and scrappy (can’t think of a better word!) and i think it’ll be great!!
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