What did I just do?
 

One of my coworkers just asked me to make a T Shirt quilt for her daugther who gradutes from high school in June. I have not made a quilt for anyone but family until now. I made a T Shirt quilt for my own daughter and really didn't care for it but she loved it.

I initially declined when she asked me in August. I explained that I did not feel that I was experienced enough. She approached me today and asked again. She said she is not looking for perfection but rather a sentimental gift for her daughter. And, I have until June so there is no pressure there.

I guess she caught me in a weak moment because I agreed. Now what? She said she would make it well worth my while - which isn't necessary. The well worth my while comes from the pleasure I get from making quilts. It is also awkward to have to figure out what to charge.

Anyway, I told her that I would bring in a book of T Shirt quilt patterns on Monday so she could let me know what she is looking for and we would go from there. So, I guess I am making a quilt for a coworker......ugh.

I hope it ends up being an enjoyable experience. At least you know what is entailed with the T-Shirt quilt.

But since you enjoy quilting try to focus on that. Tell her not to let anyone else you work with know that you are doing it.......or else you know what will happen.

Very good advice that I had not yet thought of. Thank you so much! I will do exactly that.

If you are uncomfortable taking money, why not ask her to make a donation to a charity that you care deeply about? Have her overbuy the fabric so you don't run short. Also have her pay for the thread, batting, backing and fusible. I would work on it only on Mondays. Mondays tend to be yucky days anyway....

make sure you have no expense and even "free" make sure you have all understandings up front. Free work can come back and bite you in the back side........even with friends.

I would be sure to involve her every step of the way so that she likes the end product. Let her select the fabric, etc. That has worked well for me when I quilted for friends. We went shopping, bought the fabric and batting, etc. I even took pictures and sent them, so that there would be no surprises. Just made me feel more secure. I hated the thought of making something that might not be liked when it was all done.

Dina

I made 3 T-Shirts for a friend and charge him $310.00 per quilt. That was several years ago, so I know material prices, batting, threads and incidentals have gone up. You need to involve her with all the cost, take her shopping with you. Make sure she understands the way material is priced. I even charge per hour on the construction and kept a log of my hours.

I would accept whatever she may give you. Before you give here the book, I would mark those you feel comfortable doing. This way you can set some parameters.

wow, so many great thoughts given here. i wish i'd been a member here back when my coworkers asked me to quilt for them :)

I feel for you! I have found myself in a moment of generosity offering to make an almost-stranger a baby quilt and then later figuratively slapping myself on the head thinking "why on earth did I do that"?

Quilters are the nicest people. We need to learn to think of ourselves and the value of our time a little more.

Another video, same company / product but different results for a regular quilt, could be adapted for t-shirt quilt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgENca755Dk

Her name is also Sue, that is NOT me, I'm not affiliated in anyway with this company.

That's so nice of you to this for your co-worker.. It'll turn out great. Post the results, please.

Here is one that I made as a souvenir from a cruise our family took. It was way simple as I did not do any sashing or quilting. This was my first attempt, but it would give you some ideas. I plan to make one for my daughter out of her school shirts when she graduates.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]392411[/ATTACH]
I agree in keeping the mom in the loop through out the whole process, then there are no surprises at the end. Your vision may be different from her vision.

Now that you have jumped in, make it a nice swim and don't fret about little fish.

Don't foget the QB is here to help keep you centered during a task like this.
peace

Über-I love your saying about enjoying the swim.

My DD made a T-shirt quilt for me using Andrea T. Funk's book "How to Make a Too Cool T-Shirt Quilt". A 4" grid is used so you can incorporate different size logos. The book does not suggest using a stabilizer on the back of the shirts, but[ATTACH=CONFIG]392543[/ATTACH] using a ball-point needle to sew through the shirts. Not having to stabilize the shirts saves a lot of time. I've posted my quilt on here, but don't know how to give you a link so I'll post the picture again.

Lots of good advice here about having your co-worker kept involved in all the purchasing of fabric etc. I have made 4 t-shirt quilts now and I really like using stabilizer. I use the most lightweight iron-on 'pellon' I can find and I iron it on after I cut out a larger than needed part of the tee plus I leave the neckline part on to help it keep its shape until pellon is on. Attached are pics of two of the ones I have made just to give you ideas.

I make a ton of Tshirt quilts. I make them boring but my pricing is much better than others in my area. I sash all my tshirts with black Moda marble, do a small inner border with the black marble, then piano keyboard border with the left over Tshirt knits. I ask $22 per shirt for a finished product.

Be very careful. If you don't enjoy doing it, it will become a second job that you dread, then you will dread seeing the person you are making it for. Personally, I'd show her how you made yours and offer to help her make the quilt for her daughter. If you are still stuck making it, then have her buy all the materials needed at the very least.


I'd also show her sites who make t-shirt quilts professionally, like this one: http://www.lovethemquilts.com/ You can check out her pricing and some of ones she's made.

I only make quilts, costumes,and doll clothes for my grandkids...when ask why i do not make (for profit) for others my reply is that i want my grandkids to have unique gifts that no one else will ever receive.

Thank you all for the words of encouragement, videos, photos, etc. Your T Shirt quilts are beautiful! I feel so much better after reading your comments. I NEVER would have considered it if I didn't have the support and assistance of the wonderful people here!

I have made several similar to the one grandmajo made. I don't really like making t-shirt quilts. Just not fun for me. I recently made one for a friend. I had him google tshirt quilt images and choose one. I told him after he chose one I would tell him if I could do it. I gave him a cost to make it which was not really enough for the hours it takes. People who don't sew have no idea. I gave him an estimate of supply costs in addition to my labor charge. I bought the supplies as I have found most non-sewers don't know what to buy. Shop with her if need be. I agree with others to ask her not to let others at work know you are making the quilt for her as you will soon have a t-shirt quilt making job you never intended to have. Several of my friends, friends now want a t-shirt quilt. I gave them the name of someone I know who does have a business. She charges a lot more.

i am in the same situation. I was asked to do a t-shirt quilt for a military member who was previously my Commander/Boss. I was given a stack of shirts, all related to somewhere she had been stationed or something she had been involved with during her military career/travels.. I love this person very much but wonder if i am in over my head. I have never done a t-shirt quilt before (I am a fairly new quilter) but I have some beautiful ladies in my quilting guild that I hope will come to my rescue and give me a hand in the project by guiding me in the right direction.. Thank heaven for quilting friends....They are the best. Wish me luck.... (P.S. I did purchase a book on t-shirt quilting -- hope it helps)

I think I would tell her the number of t-shirts you can use in the quilt. When you see the shirts it can dictate the style of the quilt. Not all t-shirts will fit all styles. Good luck!

Think you will find this rewarding when she sees the finished quilt. Just enjoy the quilting aspect of making it and should you get paid - use it to buy material for a quilt you really want to make for yourself. In other words reinvest!

Another site (for comparative purposes) is www.t-shirt-quilts.com. She is very specific on her site about her delivery times and what you can expect. Her pricing is on the high-end, but I feel that people will value a quilt more if they understand the cost and effort that goes into it. I am working on a t-shirt quilt for my cousin's daughter and I have done a lot of custom placement of the shirts with traditional quilt squares (eg., flying geese, pinwheels) in the sashing. It's an artistic project for me, so I'm willing to put the extra effort in it and don't really expect the compensation for my time and effort. I know they will love it.

I think that you need to change your attitude or your negative attitude will be reflected in your workmanship on the quilt and at work toward this lady. Perhaps you should not have said yes but you did and now either change your attitude or tell the lady you do not want to make the quilt. Just think of the joy that the lady's DD will have when she gets the quilt with all her high school memories. I have not yet made one of these quilts but a friends DH has made several so it can't be that hard. Since you have made one already then the second one may be easier. Do the best job you can with a happy mind and it will be great! As for $$$ take what ever she will give you or ask cheap or free and make this a gift for her daughter also. Remember nothing is perfect!!!!!!! Also remember that "NO" is not a 4 letter word!!

T-shirt quilt blocks can be very stretchy, so please put interfacing behind each one before sewing blocks together and quilting, as you probably already know. Good luck.

She should definitely pay for all the materials at the very least. It's amazing what happens when you let someone "decide" how much to give you. They look at WalMart or remember when fabric was 29 cents a yard and then say something like: "I know this was a lot of work and it's very nice so I definitely think it's worth $25."

T shirt quilts are more sentimental than beautiful, really... I'm sure it will mean a lot to the person who receives it.

If you don't want to charge her, ask her to make a donation to a charity you like to help. If rather see money or supplies go to the SPCA than charge someone.

T shirt quilts can be very inexpensive to make - assuming the customer supplies the T shirts, of course. I made one for my son, and cut up old blue jean strips for the sashing between the blocks. The only cost involved was buying the backing and the interfacing (for stablizing) the T shirts. I used flannel for the backing, and the quilt was so heavy, I didn't even use batting.

Thank you "quilty feelings", your idea of charging 22.00 per square seems like a fair price for you as well as person getting the quilt...these quilts aren't easy..they might look easy, but for us that have made them...we know the work that goes into then..just like any other quilt we make...they take planning.

Missouri Star has a tee shirt quilt video on YouTube that is very good. I've made a couple and also quilts for friends. The best suggestion is to have your friend purchase the supplies.
The tee shirts do have to be stablized with something. I used the fusible that is fabric & just got some more (with coupon at Joann's) but it's gone up to over $5 a yard! I've been thinking of other options & am considering just using spray basting to adhere them to muslin.
I would also keep the layout simple. I like to sash mine and use flannel for the batting. They still tend to be heavy.
Good luck & let us know how you're doing.

I did the same thing, in a moment of weakness, and while I hated the dullness of the project, the recipient loved it. One bit of advice: take the person shopping with you for the fabric (sashing and back), thread, and batting, and let her pay. I charged my person $10 an hour for the labor, and she gladly paid it. It was right before Christmas so I had a deadline and got it done fast.

Isn't it interesting that when someone finds out you quilt, you can see it in their eyes. "I can get her to make a quilt for me!" Most people don't have a clue about the time and money it takes for our craft. Good luck on your quilt, I am sure it will be beautiful and hopefully you will enjoy making it!

Take a deep breath. It can be enjoyable. Invite her to help pick out the fabrics after she picks the pattern you will enjoy making. Then Invite her to help slect what order the shirts will go in the quilt. Invite her also to assist with making the quilt, either cutting, ironing, or sewing. May it a fun time for you and her too. It might suprise you that she may become a quilting friend. Have fun and enjoy making someone a wonderful memory

I made a queen size quilt and a oversized lap quilt for a coworker, she purchased everything, I just donated my time and I'm really glad I did it...both quilts were cherished by their recipients and I enjoyed the process...that being said I probably wouldn't do it again just because it did make me nervous doing something for someone else...I make and give away my quilts to family and friends, but that's different...

Do you go to any classes? I go weekly and occasionally I. Am asked to make a bag for people in class. I say yes and pay,ent is to pay for a class for me £15 . This means I get a free week as I feel just like you I don't want money as I enjoy quilting. ooh ps. I have them pay for their own material first. A friend tried this and didn't have to make the quilt.