A few tee-shirt quilt questions
11-02-2015, 05:40 AM
#11
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: NE OH
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Originally Posted by Manalto
I'm making a tee-shirt (T-shirt?) quilt for someone as a favor. (Quilts with words on them are not my cup of tea, so I've procrastinated for over a year and have got to get to it.) The quilt commemorates 20 or so years of a charity run, so there are 20+ shirts of various bright colors, some with the year printed on them, some without. I bought some bright batik to harmonize with the various colors of shirts as sashing, and I know about using the iron-on interfacing to stabilize the knitted fabric, but beyond that, I could use some advice.
- Should I orient all the shirt-patches in the same direction and place them in chronological order (so they read like a page, beginning at upper left? There are various sponsors printed on the backs of the shirts, too. They plan to hang the quilt in Town Hall, which may make an orderly arrangement more desirable; on the other hand, it may be more fun for people to peruse the quilt to pick out the pieces they're looking for.)
- Should I go for random patches of tee-shirt, turned in various directions and cut various sizes? (More work and calculating, I know)
- Is sashing a good idea? It does "tame down" the vividly-colored shirts a bit by picking up their colors.
- All these pieces potentially add up to a huge quilt. What's a good size limit? (I have to quilt it - probably SID - on a domestic machine.)
- What about all the leftover tee-shirt pieces? Any use for them?
Sorry for the multiple questions, but I've got to get some momentum going on this before I disappoint those who are waiting for it. Responses to any of these questions - or suggestions on how to proceed - are much appreciated!
- Should I orient all the shirt-patches in the same direction and place them in chronological order (so they read like a page, beginning at upper left? There are various sponsors printed on the backs of the shirts, too. They plan to hang the quilt in Town Hall, which may make an orderly arrangement more desirable; on the other hand, it may be more fun for people to peruse the quilt to pick out the pieces they're looking for.)
- Should I go for random patches of tee-shirt, turned in various directions and cut various sizes? (More work and calculating, I know)
- Is sashing a good idea? It does "tame down" the vividly-colored shirts a bit by picking up their colors.
- All these pieces potentially add up to a huge quilt. What's a good size limit? (I have to quilt it - probably SID - on a domestic machine.)
- What about all the leftover tee-shirt pieces? Any use for them?
Sorry for the multiple questions, but I've got to get some momentum going on this before I disappoint those who are waiting for it. Responses to any of these questions - or suggestions on how to proceed - are much appreciated!
[ATTACH=CONFIG]534741[/ATTACH] I prefer a "scrappy" method for Tshirt quilts. It uses up scraps, adapts different sizes to a uniform block size and adds interest. Also, sashing will increase the size of your already large quilt. Just my thoughts.
11-02-2015, 06:52 AM
#12
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Join Date: Feb 2012
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Thanks! This is similar to what I imagine mine will look like, with less variation because it's a repeat of the same tee-shirt over the years in different colors. The logo and motto changed (once) over the years, so it won't be completely monotonous. I now have a better idea of the final size and it's not excessively big.
Nice job on your quilt. I like the variety of sashing materials and the psychedelic border. I assume it's for a little girl? (Just kidding - It's so not that. I'll bet Jesee's getting a lot of use out of it!)
Nice job on your quilt. I like the variety of sashing materials and the psychedelic border. I assume it's for a little girl? (Just kidding - It's so not that. I'll bet Jesee's getting a lot of use out of it!)
11-02-2015, 07:10 AM
#13
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Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: The beautiful Texas hill country.
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[ATTACH=CONFIG]534746[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]534747[/ATTACH]
Made this one per my teenage granddaughter's instructions.
She didn't want fabric between the t-shirt squares.
**Next time, I won't offer a choice. I'll just make it the way I deem necessary.
It would have been so much easier to frame each square.
Didn't use batting, as it is plenty heavy already.
Used 108" flannel for the backing.
Did a meandering stitch in the ditch for quilting.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]534747[/ATTACH]
Made this one per my teenage granddaughter's instructions.
She didn't want fabric between the t-shirt squares.
**Next time, I won't offer a choice. I'll just make it the way I deem necessary.
It would have been so much easier to frame each square.
Didn't use batting, as it is plenty heavy already.
Used 108" flannel for the backing.
Did a meandering stitch in the ditch for quilting.
11-02-2015, 07:20 AM
#14
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 673
Thanks for sharing and the warning about the batting. Maybe I should leave it out of mine too. There's so much more variety in it than mine will be.
I used to drive up through the hill country (to Austin, San Antonio, Spicewood, Marble Falls) when I lived in the RGV a few years ago. It sure is beautiful, especially in the spring.
I used to drive up through the hill country (to Austin, San Antonio, Spicewood, Marble Falls) when I lived in the RGV a few years ago. It sure is beautiful, especially in the spring.
11-02-2015, 10:46 AM
#15
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: NE OH
Posts: 671
unfortunately this quilt got burned up in a house fire. NY DGS was not harmed and his mother managed to find enough additional shirts so I could make another one for him. Not as nice as the first because of the shirts but he still likes it.
I have made 8 of these quilts for various people.
I have made 8 of these quilts for various people.
11-02-2015, 03:33 PM
#16
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Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: tennessee
Posts: 67
Whenever I have made a tee-shirt quilt on my DM, I have quilted it in sections. They are so heavy, and this cuts down on the amount of time that you have to fight a heavy quilt under a small machine. I do sash the sections and put them together with the same fabric that I used for the sashing.
11-02-2015, 03:38 PM
#17
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Originally Posted by spark
I do sash the sections and put them together with the same fabric that I used for the sashing.
11-02-2015, 05:42 PM
#18
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Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: New Orleans, La
Posts: 1,768
Originally Posted by Pat M.
Just remember that the knit fabric of the T-shirts is stretched horizontally and the interfacing should be vertical. That way there is no stretch and the fabric will not bunch up when sewing together.
11-03-2015, 03:20 AM
#19
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Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 568
I've made several tee shirt quilts and I used a woven iron on interface that helps the tee shirt fabric handle like other fabric. I've made queen and lap size, using 15" squares and sashings/cornerstones. I was always happy with how they came out.
11-03-2015, 03:43 AM
#20
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Join Date: Feb 2012
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I'm glad I learned about the interfacing for tee-shirt fabric before I tried to put my first one together. From all the comments here, it sounds like it's essential for successful assembly of a quilt. Learning about the weight was important too, and something I didn't consider.
I'm still wondering (forgive me for being dense) how, in a quilt that you've quilted in sections, to put it together.
I'm still wondering (forgive me for being dense) how, in a quilt that you've quilted in sections, to put it together.
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