T-Shirt Quilt
Intro: T-Shirt Quilt
This is not my original idea; I got it from a mom at a high school graduation reception, where she had displayed the quilt she made for her son. So I began saving shirts for the day when my boys would graduate. This particular quilt is made from t-shirts that belong to my nephew, as a gift for his 16th birthday. My sister sent me his shirts (she saved them over the years), which are from elementary through high school years. My first quilts like this I made for my two sons. On one of my son's quilts I had a photo of him and his friends put on a shirt, then cut that out for one of the squares. I use the front of a vinyl album cover for the pattern, but any large square will do. I cut out the fronts of the shirts, trying to center the design, and use the backs of the shirts for plain color squares. If the back has a design, that becomes a square as well. If there are patches or designs on the sleeves, I cut them out and applique them onto a plain colored square. (again, from the back of one of the shirts). This quilt has 42 squares, most have 48, depending on the number of shirts provided. I quilt by hand, and place a simple border around the edge, with no border between squares. This type of quilt can be made in so many different ways, from favorite t-shirts, baby quilt from favorite baby clothes, pieces of clothing from a relative who has passed on as a remembrance, etc., and can be full size or lap size. The quilts I made for my sons were for their high school graduation, and I included a square "Class of ..." as well.
2 Comments
raeann71 8 years ago
what did you use for the backing? did you have trouble with cutting the shirts straight or the fabric curling when you cut them? these are things that someone told me to watch out for if i made this. I have several tshirts from concerts and other memorable occasions and id hate to mess one up. I willl be doing a practice quilt first though a smaller version just to learn.
disneygirl 12 years ago