So I'm doing a t-shirt quilt for a client. The problem that I'm having is that not all the logo's on the shirts are able to be cut to the same size...so I am at a loss for what to do. I thought about sewing some material around the smallest size logo's to make them match the size of the larger logo's.

I'm also at a loss for what to do color wise. I thought about going from dark to light...but most of the t-shirts are white with only a few other colors...

So I'm desperate for some ideas of how to put it together...

Anything would be good! Thanks!

I did one with plain 2" squares, where every second square was white.

And I put the logos in a random pattern, making them multiples of two. So some were 4 inches, some were 6, a couple were 8.

It looked really good, and each piece of fabric was still recognisable.

Cool... it worked! :-)

Didn't describe the photo because I wasn't sure if it would load.

This is made out of t-shirts, and the corners are pieces of neck-ties.

I made this for my nephew, who lost his dad to cancer almost three years ago. It is made out of his dad's shirts. Just on a year ago my nephew (7 at the time) was also diagnosed with cancer, so this quilt was made quickly so he would have it in time to go into hospital. Even though it's such a simple design, it's still really effective. And the design doesn't take away from the story behind it.

Best of all, my sister can look at it and point to each square saying "that was the shirt your daddy bought on our honeymoon, that was his favourite rugby shirt", etc.

:-)

Oh, and last post before I take over the thread completely....

the quilt isn't wavy round the edges, not sure why it's looking like it is.

:-)

Oh..that is a great looking quilt and a great idea for you mrs!

Great idea, Blue Chicken. I would never have thought of that.

Blue Chicken,
Very special quilt.
Is nephew ok now?

your a brave woman mrsj82. I don't sew for other ppl anymore. hope it all works out for you. you sound like you can do it, just need a little direction and you'll be on track in no time. :D
bluechicken, very thoughtful of you to do that for your nephew, and yes, is he ok, now? was it the same kind of c, his dad had? brother had c, some years ago, then lost bil last sept., sil in my family undergoing treatment, and I...well, let's just say, never diagnosed, but I am just plain medically weird. It's a scary dx. adding to my p's.

It's a scary world alright.

Brother in law had a brain tumour, nephew has a very rare tumour in his sinus cavity. Or rather, did have. The removed the tumour and half his face and reconstructed it with titanium and bone. To look at him, one eye is very slightly out of line, apart from that you would not know. It's incredible what they can do these days.

His last scan was clear (three months ago) and he is having another on Monday. We are praying that is clear too, obviously, but if it is then he will officially be in Remission, which will be huge.

He's doing well, thank you. :-)

MANY MANY PRAYERS YOUR WAY
BLUE CHICKEN..

Blue Chicken...
Prayers to you and that is an absolute wonderful quilt!
Kirsten

Wow, I had no idea this thread would turn into this! LOL I'm so glad to hear nephew is doing alright. I'm definitely going to copy your pattern if that's alright with you. I think this will be perfect for what I need to do!

Many prayers are going out your way and I sincerely hope the evil "C" goes away!

You go for it! :-)

And thank you for appreciating his story.

Mrsj82, your quilt will be unique and full of memories forever :D

Bluechicken, very moving story, I send positive vibes for a full recovery for all your family who are suffering the big 'c' :) Great job on the t. shirt quilt too :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

I made a tshirt quilt out of shirts of different sizes. I will attempt to attach the picture. I used tshirt strips for the sashing which was a major mistake. Fabric would have been better. Good luck.

I'm attempting the photos again.

Here's the other picture. Maybe I'll get this together!!!

Did you use a stabiliser on the back of the t-shirt fabric?

I used a very thin iron on interfacing to stabalise the the fabrics, and THEN cut my strips and squares out of that.

Yes, I used stabilizer on all of it but the strips were still too stretchy.

Such great ideas guys! Thanks so much!

Hi, I have made lots of t-shirt quilts and I always tried to make them the same size. Then I realized why limit ourselves. The width of the blocks need to be the same size but the lengths don't . I usually measure and find the biggest design and make my plans from there. Say the biggest block is 18 by 18. Then you make a row with all the blocks 18 by 18 or how many rows you want that size. You can have the other rows 18 by 10 or 12. Just make a whole row the same size. You could make them all different sizes and make borders for each block to make them all the same size. That would be more work but will turn out nice too. I sometimes applique some of the little tiny logos here and there on the borders or on the plainer blocks. Be sure to use iron on stabilizer on the shirts before cutting them out. It will give you more accurate sizes and stop the quilt from stretching later.

Here are a couple of pictures showing different size blocks.

I tried unsuccessfully to post the pictures of a t-shirt quilt that I made for my husband.

I used my 12.5"x12.5" template for all the squares. So, even tho some of the shirt designs were smaller, I just centered the template over the design and cut the nice large squares. Maybe the shirts you are working with are not big enough to do that. Mine were all L or XL mens.

I used my DH old denim workshirts for the sashings, even included the pockets and logos from the workshirts. It turned out really nice!

I did a t-shirt quilt several years ago for a friend. They pinned them in place because there were a lot of them and I did not have the time or inclination to fiure out how to lay them. What I did do was use different bias tape left over from various projects (different widths, colors etc) and used them for borders. It brought in color, fun and mystery. No, I did not keep a picture of it.

I encountered the same problem with my g'daughter's t'shirt quilt. I used the back side of the same shirt and cut pieces to sew to the logo piece to bring it to the right size. Worked beautifully.

Also had the same problem of too many white t-shirts but I used a black fabric with red, yellow, blue, etc. small dots on it and it was perfect to set off all the white and light colored shirts. Put a bring yellow on the back. It turned out to be the best looking t-shirt quilt I've made yet and I've made one for all my grandchildren when they graduated from hi school.

I also used a lot of the small logos on the pockets and worked them into the outer sashing strip. Then I machine embroidered their name and graduation date in the sashing strip corner.

Good luck.

I wish I had a picture of the Tshirt quilt I made a couple of years ago - the picture is in CT, and I'm in AZ. Anyway, the point is that I fused a fusible kniw facing to the back of the Tshirts to stabilize them before sewing them into the quilt. I used bigger pieces of the shirts than just the logos, so they definitely needed the stabilizing.

Blue Chicken - your quilt is gorgeous, and my prayers are with your nephew. Having gone through the cancer journey myself, my emotions and memories come roaring back whenever I hear about someone else being diagnosed. It's especially heartrending when a young person is sent on that journey. I'll cheer when I hear he's 'officially' in remission!

We have a very dear friend Jason Merkle he also had a very rare brain tumor. He went to the BURZYNSKI CLINIC IN HOUSTON TEXAS. All medical doctors I have asked about BURZYNSKI hate the man! Go figure Jason is alive and doing very well. PLEASE check out Dr. S. Burzynski he knows what he is doing. Jason did not have Chemo, or radiation. Burzynski specialize in really difficult cancers. I was privelaged to meet Jason & his parents in Michigan. They are a lovely family. Burzynski has so much information on BURZYNSKI.ORG (all lower case)

God Bless you,
AlaskaSunshine

Be sure to stabilize your t-shirt pieces by putting a light-weight knit fusible stabilizer running in the opposite direction of the knit in the t, i.e., t fabric stretching right to left, stabilizer stretching north to south. Cut the t-shirt pieces larger than what is needed, add the fusible according to package directions and then cut the block to the correct size.

If a stabilizer is not used, the t-shirt seams will stretch and you will not be a camper. (Sorry, be a happer quilter!) And I doubt you will be happy with the results.

Suzanne

I made a t-shirt quilt for my SIL and had the same problem with the size of logos. Also I had wanted to use some of the pockets on the quilt. What I did was plan on having most of the blocks finished 12 1/2" To get that size I had to use sashing, smaller blocks, to fill in the spaces. On the larger blocks I did the same. You will see it on the thread GAILG'S T-SHIRT QUILT. I'm a duck when it comes to operating the computer, so I don't know how to tell you to get to it except to go to my bookmarks and find it there. I'm sure there must be a simpler way. Good luck. Any questions, PM me.

I am working on my second t-shirt quilt. The teacher that I had cut out the small logos. Using wonder under she ironed them to a larger (the size of your squares) piece and stitched around them. I did this and have several on one square. I spaced them in a eye pleasing manner. It came out real nice. My daughter is very happy with it. Good luck.

This was so wonderfully helpful. A new aquaintance has asked me to make a memory quilt out of her deceased nephew's tee shirts. Unfortunately, she and her sister cut these and left very little room for seams. They are also lop-sided. I have a real challenge, but all of these postings were great.