My sympathies for your loss. I made my children and grandchildren quilts from my husband's shirts. They were chambray so I used simple blocks like rail fence, double nine patch, etc.
I often make memory quilts for customers using clothes and a simple block is best and machine quilted. Make a label telling the story of the clothes, names, dates, etc. and you have a winner that will be long-cherished.
With just shirts a log cabin pattern would work as well.