T-shirt quilt...any recommendations?
 

I have put together a t-shirt quilt top with 20 years worth of band shirts for my brother-in-law, the Chino High School band director as a surprise from my sister. I plan to back it with some sweatshirt fabric with no fleece in between the layers. Should I bind it with the same fabric as the backing? It's not quite wide enough to just roll it to the front. I think I'll have to tie it instead of quilt it, because it's big and awkward and heavy.
It has been sitting on my table while I think about it. I'm also making some things out of the t-shirt scraps. A dress for my sister, a pillow, and a cat t-shirt.

Hmmm -- I would think over the backing carefully -- you have a potentially stretchy front and a stretchy back -- could be a problem. Did you stabilize the t-shirts with interfacing?

If you are going to do the stretchy back and the front is not stabilized, then I would either use the sweatshirt material for the binding or cut a coordinating cotton fabric on the bias so it too is stretchy. You don't want the binding to be the only non-stretchy item.

If the t-shirts are stabilized, then you could use cotton not on the bias. Tying is fine in either case.

Thanks! The t shirts are stabilized with iron on interfacing, and the sweatshirt fabric is thick and not real stretchy, quite fleecy on the back. It would actually make a terrible sweatshirt, not enough give! Haha