Baby quilt from the dads t-shirts

I was asked if I could do anything with just a few t-shirts.

I used a purple fleece for the back. Straihht seams were zig-zag quilted to secure them from future wear. The open areas were tied with embroidery thread to give the quilt a puffy feel.  42 x 48 keepsake.

Snow and Sew- that's how I roll!

Blizzard of 2011-

Lucky we didn't get as much ice as predicted. Schools are all closed, my office is too...

What is a gal to do?

I did as much as I could, I pulled out my 11 for 2011 and flipped a coin to see which one to work on.

drum roll.......... the winner is T-shirt Quilt for co-worker Brian!

Brian traded his camera to me for two t-shirt quilts. The first one has long been finished and delivered. Brian has bragged that all his soft ball friends want one too. (Too bad, I don't quilt for others!)

This one has sat around for way too long. I told him last fall I would try get around to it by the Holidays. Wrong! We just needed a good snow day to put me in the mood to sew.

This top is 88 x 88 and hopefully it won't take all year to get it quilted.

Now to find the right piece of flannel for the back. I think I can commit to having this done by Christmas!

(I am not going to commit to which year)- cw

I used pins!! saved time & $$ T-Shirt Quilt

I have made several T-shirt quilts over the years. I have tried several different techniques.

When Brian (a co-worker) asked if I could do anything with a pile of his favorite sports shirts, I felt compelled to say: "Sure"

Brian gave me free artistic control on layout and size.

Men make the best clients, they just want it done, don't talk about the details.

He likes RED so I think this one will get that color sheet on the back and quilted in a Herringbone pattern. (I don't do the meandering)

Top is 60 x 87 (ish) a nice twin size, throw it over the couch in the Man Cave!

Hope he enjoys it for a long time. --cw



Quick How to DO--
I know there are a lot of tutorial 'out there' on how to make a T-Shirt Quilt- well here's one more.

This way does not involve ironing! The key for me is to use 5 pins per piece (no more, no less). I do not use sizing, or stabilizer. (I rarely use pins when sewing so this is a big aaaaaahh haaaaa moment for me) The knits of the t-shirt have a mind of there own.

I pin each end, the middle and the middle of the middle and was able to control the blocks. I cut 15" blocks from the fronts (and back if there was a schedule) I had several shirts that had smaller images that I cut 12 1/2 x 15. (I used one per row of these shorties.)

A few of the shirts had info on the front and back that could be sewn together and made into a 15 x 15 block. (On those I didn't worry about an exact measurement, I just re-sized after sewing the two pieces together.)

On past projects I have not had the luxury of having all the shirts a similar size to start with. I have added borders to the smaller images and achieved a 'floating' look for the top. I found that the knit and cottons didn't play well together and made the top feel stiff (IMHO). They always turned out great and were well loved BUT I did NOT get to enjoy the process.

This one was fast and easy and 'feels' good. I saved the left over backs and larger areas to use as borders the next time I am asked to make a memory quilt from someones T-shirts.

Making the blocks the same size to start with saved so much time in the construction. Using pins (I know you thought I couldn't do it) saved me so much $$ not purchasing stabilizer.

Hope this helps you get motivated to sew your own keepsake quilt.- be good cw