God Bless America Onesie and Free SVG

There is just something I love about making red, white, and blue craft projects. It is probably because the Fourth of July has always been my favorite holiday. I created this God Bless America Knockout Method Onesie and I am sharing the free SVG with you and walking you through the steps so you can make a craft project with it too! Keep reading to see the knockout method tutorial and a link to get the free cut file.

Estimated Time: 20 Minutes

Skill Level:  Advanced

Supplies Needed:

• Silhouette CAMEO®
• Silhouette Cutting Mat
• Weeding Hook
• Silhouette Studio – use the Business Edition to make importing SVGs easy
• Heat Transfer Vinyl – White Glitter and Black Glitter
• Blue Onesie or T-shirt
• Iron or heat press
• Free God Bless America SVG

Step One: Creating Your God Bless America Knockout Method Design:

1. Open Silhouette Studio®.
2. Select the Page Setup Window and adjust your cutting mat size to 12×12 (or the sized mat you are using).
3. First, you need to download your free SVG from The Polka Dotted Blue Jay Freebie Library and then open it in Silhouette Studio. Click File>Open>Select your downloaded file.
   
4. Using the Business Edition of Silhouette Studio will make part seamless. Un-group your design by right-clicking and selecting “ungroup”.
5. Use the fill option in Silhouette Studio® to color each element of your design. Click a part of the design and then select the color you want from the fill menu in the toolbar. I like to coordinate the fill color with the color of my vinyl so I can “see” what my design will look like.
6. Measure your onesie and re-size your design to the correct space on your 12×12 template – be sure to click and drag to select the whole design, right-click, and select “group” to re-group your design to move it as one design and keep everything lined up.
   
7. You will need to flip your design, so it appears backward for Heat Transfer Vinyl – this is called “mirroring” your design. Highlight your design, click “object” from the toolbar, “mirror” from the menu, and then “horizontally” to mirror it.
8. Select “Send” to prepare to cut.
9. Follow the prompts in the Design Studio for Glitter Heat Transfer Vinyl (or the type you are using for your project) and double-check to make sure your design has been selected to cut.
10. Select the fill option instead of “simple” from the cutting menu. You can select each color and your Silhouette Cameo will only cut out the elements in your design that are that color. This is why it is helpful to change the design colors in step 5.
    
11. Load your heat transfer vinyl into your Cameo 4 with the glitter side face down on the mat.
12. Click “Send”
    
13. Press the down-arrow when your machine has finished cutting your design to remove the cutting mat from the machine.
14. Repeat for the next color of heat transfer vinyl.

Step Two:  Preparing Your God Bless America Knockout Method Design:

1. Remove your sheets of Glitter Heat Transfer Vinyl from the cutting mat – go slow so it doesn’t curl up or tear.
   
2. Use your fingers or a weeding tool to remove the excess vinyl from each color. Be sure to leave your design on the clear carrier sheet.

Step Three:  Creating Your God Bless America Knockout Method Onesie:

1. Pre-heat your onesie – use your iron or heat press to warm up the fabric for a better transfer.
2. Place the first color of your design on your onesie right side up (this is the reason you mirror your design for cutting). Tip: don’t trim your vinyl – you need the carrier sheet to cover both parts so your vinyl doesn’t burn.
3. Heat the larger part of your design for the recommended time for the HTV you’re using. Use steady pressure.
   
4. Peel back the clear carrier sheet. Some Heat Transfer Vinyl requires a hot or cold peel – always follow the recommended peel for your heat transfer vinyl. Tip: pull from a corner and not the side to make sure each part of the design transfers completely to your onesie.
5. Repeat steps 2-4 for the next color making sure that your carrier sheet covers the design you already pressed.
   
6. Flip your onesie over and give it a 10-second press to activate the adhesive.

Once you’ve applied all the elements of your design and allowed it to cool, your onesie is ready!

Now I just need to find an itty-bitty baby to put in this onesie for the 4^th of July. I think I will make a 2T t-shirt for Jedidiah and keep making a DIY 4^th of July t-shirt a tradition.

What project will you make with this God Bless America SVG? I would love to hear about it in the comments or with a tag on social media!

Check out these other FREE SVGs from some of my crafty friends:

• Freedom and Fireworks
• Pledge of Allegiance
• Little Firecracker
• Free Spirit
• Faux Pocket
• Stars and Stripes Heart
• Stars and Stripes Fireworks
• Patriotic Unicorn
• Freedom for All
• Love, Peace, and Fireworks
• Stars and Stripes Glasses
• God Bless America

Happy patriotic crafting, my friends!