quilt shirt and directions

A history of a t-shirt quilt and instructions for making your own quilt.

You have a dresser drawer or closet full of old t-shirts. It’s time to clean up and make room for shopping after the 4th of July sales. Maybe you just find out that it’s time to clean up, but you really don’t want to get rid of those shirts after all these years. Like the images, the t-shirts keep memories of a time when…

So what do you do with the pile on the floor of multiple colors and sizes of old jerseys from the days when your kids played football or Little League? What about your old t-shirts from college or the ones you saved from high school activities? Those have to mean something or they still wouldn’t be in the back of their closest.

Instead of throwing away all these great, long-saved memories, turn them into a t-shirt quilt.

I worked on a t-shirt quilt for a friend, whose son passed away a few years ago. T-shirts are no longer just souvenirs, they are now timeshare gifts that can never be returned.

Your son was also a student in my classroom, many years ago. As I cut, iron, sew and quilt, memories of a young man wash over me and make me smile. As a quilter, I am pleased to be able to use my talents so that the family can snuggle under the quilt made with days of joy and peace with their child.

Old shirts transformed into a t-shirt quilt can be memories of a lifetime.

Here are some tips to follow when making your t-shirt quilt:

Instructions are based on a finished 15″ square shirt block. The quilt will eventually be the same quilt block size with fabric sashes between the shirt/blocks and a fabric border.

First, check all of your t-shirts to make sure the designs fit on a 15″ square. Sizes: All sizes include a 1 1/2″ frame and 2″ brim and are based on a finished 14 1 t-shirt. /two”. block shirt. If the shirts are smaller than the above size, sewing the shirts together may form a block.

12 shirts will make a blanket-sized quilt, approx. 48″ x 64″ – 3 wide x 4 bottom.
20 shirts will make a twin size quilt, approx. 64″ x 82″ – 4 wide x 5 bottom
30 shirts will make a full size quilt, approx. 82″ x 96″ – 5 wide x 6 deep.
36 shirts will make a queen size quilt, approx. 96″ x 96″ – 6 wide x 6 deep.
42 shirts will make a king size quilt, approximately 110″ x 96″ – 7 wide x 6 bottom.

Step 1 – Select Shirts – Make sure shirts are clean and not stained.

Step 2 – Fusible Interfacing – Each shirt should be backed with a non-woven fusible interfacing to prevent stretching. Buy a Pellon iron-on interface for heavy fuses. Good quality allows t-shirts to stretch less. Buy enough for 17″ per shirt. Iron first before cutting shirts to required square size.

Step 3 – Sashes/Borders/Binding Fabric: Sashes strips form a decorative grid between each t-shirt block. Plan 2″ frame strips (1 1/2″ when finished) between the blocks, 2 1/2″ strips (2″ when finished) for the border, and additional fabric for the seam.

Step 4 – Cutting Shirts – Separate the front of the shirt from the back. Make sure the shirt is smooth, iron if necessary. You want the side of your shirt to be larger than 15 inches square, ideally larger than 17 inches to fit the interface. After applying the interfacing, you will cut the shirt square to the desired size. (Mentioned in Step 2)

Step 5 – Fusion – Cut the interfacing to a 17″ square. Do not cut the interfacing, it will show through. Place the interfacing resin side down on the wrong side of the shirt, trying to center the design as much as possible. as possible. as possible. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to fuse the back of each t-shirt. Use a press cloth so you don’t get any glue on the iron. Watch out for wrinkles: once cool! They will not be removed!

Step 6 – Cut the Squares – Square each fused shirt to 15″. Design space.

Step 7 – Arrange – Place squares on the floor or bed and arrange. Toggle light/dark, busy/not so busy. Make sure the blocks can be read from the desired direction and that they all go in the same direction. Pay close attention to repeating the pattern and the words so that these, and not just the colors, don’t end up in the same row or column.

Step 8 – Completing the Quilt Top – Add Sashes – The sash strips are the horizontal and vertical strips between the blocks. Horizontal strips should measure 15″ long x 2″ wide. Cut enough strips of sashes to add to all of the shirts except the bottom row. Sew horizontal strips to the bottom of each block, except the blocks in the bottom row. Sew blocks together to form columns. To keep the quilt straight, use posts at the corners of the block and between the trim strips. The use of a contrasting color creates a “pop” in the design of this publication.

Step 9 – First sew the trim strips onto each block. Make sure the first and last blocks in each row have a trim strip at each end. Now sew the strips between the rows of blocks adding the posts between the strips. Include a strip for each block. There should be a strip between each row of blocks, as well as above and below the blocks to form part of the border. The side border will be done automatically as you complete the rows.

Finish: Layer backing batting and quilt top. Baste or safety pin together. You can hand or machine quilting the t-shirt quilt.