Thread: Virgin Quilter

Even within the category of sports jerseys there is a lot of variation & it is difficult for us to give the best advice without knowing what kind of jerseys they are. As ManicQuilter2 shared, some jerseys are very loosely woven and have visible holes. Others, like soccer jerseys & most basketball jerseys are a tighter weave, but they are still polyester with vinyl lettering which means that pretty much any of the iron-on webs or interfacings are out because it would melt the vinyl lettering ... and possibly even melt the jersey itself.

If you still want to do a quilt with slick sports jerseys, I'd say you basically have 3 options:
(1) Pellon 910 Sew-in Featherweight interfacing. As long as you plan to quilt fairly close together (2" or so between quilting lines), you should be fine just putting some basting stitches in to hold while you piece together the quilt. This will still allow for a pretty good drape on the quilt, just make sure to follow all directions carefully & to trim the interfacing after you stitch together each row. **Note: be sure to check that the interfacing doesn't show through on any of the dark or brightly colored jerseys. If it does, you may have to dye it before sewing so it matches/coordinates with the jersey.
(2) Purchase a muslin or quilter's cotton fabric that matches or isn't visible through the jerseys to serve as a lining (or buy Prepared for Dye fabric and dye it to match -- not quick or easy, but truly beautiful). Drizzle or dab Washable Glue on the wrong side of the jersey & carefully press together with the wrong side of the lining. The glue will come out in the wash, so you want to be sure again to quilt every 2-3" in every direction to ensure it stays together over time.
(3) If the jersey is a loose knit (visible holes), you could very, very carefully apply Aleene's Fabric Fusion to the back of the jersey and fuse the WRONG side of the jersey to the RIGHT side of the lining. Follow the instructions carefully & be sure to fix any bubbles or wrinkles quickly because once Fabric Fusion dries, the fabric is permanently fused. This option will be slightly stiffer than the others, but I've used it before on quilts & it works quite well. You do not need to quilt fused fabric as closely together as it will not pull apart. I have used either plastic knives or a cheapy offset spatula (can't use in the kitchen ever again so don't use a good one; also be sure to keep a cup of hot water nearby to clean the FF off before it dries) and just worked with the FF as if I were icing a cake very, very thinly.

Other tips:
Regardless of what method you use, be sure to wash the jerseys and any fabrics you use before you get started. If you used all new fabrics, you can sometimes skip the pre-wash, but since you are doing a mix-and-match and the jerseys have already been washed by their owner, you will need to wash everything except any stabilizer/interfacing/web products.

I agree with MQ2 that, if possible, doing a quilt will all knit fabrics (t-shirts) would be a whole lot easier. You can use Pellon 911FF with knits & just iron it right onto the wrong side of the t-shirt (after you cut out the piece you want).

Be sure to add an extra 1+" to the length & the width before you cut. You will need 1/2" of that for your seam (1/4" on each side) and the extra 1/2" will allow you a little give after you apply the interfacing so when you make your final cut, it will be square.

Also, I would really recommend putting some sashing with quilter's cotton between your jerseys & photo fabrics. It will help transition between the different fabric types and add a bit of give to the quilt top to make it more durable. Depending on what size you want the quilt to be, sashing can be as narrow as 1" finished (1.5" unfinished).

Good luck with your first quilt! Be sure to give yourself plenty of time & do consider asking your friend to at least help with the cost of materials -- interfacing/lining, thread, batting, backing fabric, binding fabric, fusible photo sheets/Bubble Jet Set. All those costs really add up quickly and you're already spending a good amount of money on your machine, pins, needles, rotary blades, printer ink & the like, plus your time. Based on my own experience, it is not unreasonable to expect to spend 50-100 hours on this project if you plan to do the quilting yourself. Backing the jerseys & either fusing or setting the photo blocks takes much more time and attention than most beginners ever imagine.

Best wishes on the project! What a treasure it will be for your friend's family.

gramajo, I really like your t-shirt quilt. It's much more interesting to look at than the usual lined up shirts, vertically and horizontally. Now maybe I know what to do with all my shirts. Thanks for posting the photo.

laboerschig, Warm welcome to the QB. Good luck with making your quilt. Take your time and you will be fine. Each quilt you make will hone your skills and they will look better and better with each one made. Oh and have fun too!

I've never made a t-shirt quilt but saw a beautiful one in a mini retreat that my local quilt shop conducted years ago. Like gramajo said, I feel like they are a lot prettier if the blocks are staggered in some form or fashion so they don't just line up in rows. In the picture below, the quilter at our retreat used "filler" sashing/blocks between the logos & it really was appealing to the eye. Good luck with your new venture & welcome to this board.

Bree123 has great advice for you. My first 2 quilts where t-shirt quilts for my kids before I learned anything about quilting--and it shows! But I've made about 8 now for clients. I definitely suggest you stabilize with a lightweight fusible on the back of all the shirts--if you are using the slinky poly ones that have built in holes (like football jerseys) the fusible will show through--but it's not too bad once quilted. You want to first cut the logos with about 2" extra, apply the fusible (all those plastic type logos are a no-no to iron---they will melt all over--so if it's large you really can't use it without gluing it down first) to the back and then you'll need to re-cut to the size you want--leave a 1/2" seam as the knit still seems to want to curl and move as you sew.
I highly recommend having some type of quilter cotton sashing between blocks as it helps stabilize the whole quilt.

While I have made very large ones, most people really are happiest with a lap or twin size--it probably would not use every single t or jersey, but suggest she pick one to represent each sport or age instead. They are very heavy and not cheap to make, despite using the t-shirts & jerseys.

I quilt on a long arm & recommend you get I long armed. But if you plan to do it on you DSM, baste it super well (lots of weight shifting around). Depending on the size of the shirt logos and the pictures, you'll need to quilt through the larger ones--but again those darn vinyl logos are a no-no---they tend to grab the needle and hold on, and it there are any problems, it will leave a big hole in the logo. Good luck!

I made at-shirt quilt for my son last Christmas. I cut squares of black fleece about 10" square. Then I took sqme of my son's old t-shirts and cross stitch them on the squares. then I sewed them into rows and sewed the rows together. for the outside border I turned over the ouside edges twice and sitichted them down. Easy peasy.

Welcome! As as a fellow quilting newbie, I would suggest quilting a simple project first before tackling the sports quilt. Make a simple lap quilt or something. Pick a pattern (there are all kinds of beginner patterns available for free. Check out Jenny Doan of Missouri Star Quilt Company on YouTube). Pick a pattern that will work similarly as your sports quilt in the sense as, are you planning on doing quilt as you go blocks?, sashing?, stitch in the ditch?, etc... You want a chance to practice these techniques and work out any issues before working on the actual quilt. Do the thing in entirety, from cutting, piecing, basting, quilting to binding. You will learn tons from making it because you will make boo-boos at first. You'll definitely have a better idea on how the tackle the sports quilt and feel better prepared.

I just finished my first lap quilt and despite the mistakes I made I'm proud of it. I've learned so much and will definitely know better on my next one.

Best of luck and don't be afraid to ask questions! The community here is fantastic!