Looking for courage
 

Hello... I am starting on a memory quilt (based on the clothes that I was given I may make 2 quilts) and I am pretty nervous. I don't want to foul this up (at least not too bad). I have all different types of material. Tshirts, a sweatshirt, cottons, light denim and midweight denim... do you think I can put all of these together on one quilt? My thought was that I would put interfacing on the Tshirts to help them "stand up" to the rest of the fabric. Any thoughts? Thank you Teresa

Definitely would put an interfacing behind them so they won't stretch. sweatshirt and midweight denim maybe on the back. I think the others together would be all right. In fact I think the midweight denim would make perfect backing if that is what you chose to do. I have made some of them and used it for the backs, as I felt they didn't work too well with the t shirt and cottons. Amy

You will want to use stablizer with the knits: T shirts & Sweat shirts. If you have enough clothing, I think I would try to go with the 2 quilt idea, using the denims and heavier knits in one and the cottons and light weight knits in the other. Also, you might want to ask your client if you can add fabric.

Looking for courage
 

Thank you for your replies. I have never used interfacing before, so this is a learning experience for me. As a first time user, are there any tricks to working with interfacing that I should be aware of? If I have a Tshirt that will be cut into several blocks should I put the interfacing on prior to cutting the blocks out? Tartan: I was thinking about using the Jacob's Ladder pattern for the memory quilt (I am using Jacob's clothing so it seemed to fit) - modified somewhat to accommodate the logos on the Tshirts. Do you see a big problem with the Jacob's ladder pattern with mixed fabrics? I thought maybe smaller blocks would accommodate the mixed fabrics better than larger blocks. Pa perPrincess: I have purchased additional fabric. I have some cotton fabric that I will use to mix in for the blocks on the front of the quilt. I have never mixed different fabrics on the front of a quilt (other than cotton and flannel). I also have purchased a fleece panel that I was planning using for the backing. Would fleece for the backing be a problem? (I have used fleece backing for many of my quilts and I am usually happy with the outcome because the quilts are very cuddly this way) I appreciate your thoughts Teresa

Here's a link to instructions on how to make a tshirt quilt. It talks about interfacing:
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Quilt-from-Tee-Shirts

I think the fleece would be just fine for the backing. If you use it with denim, I would not use a batting too, just the fleece.

Thank you for the link.. I have some homework to do now :) I was thinking about skipping the batting as well - figured the fleece would be enough

I love shadow box for t shirt quilts because it accommodates big blocks and lots if colors that don't go together

Tartan: I did do a Jacobs ladder block from scraps - - but that is a good idea. I will try it again with scraps that are the same material that I will be using in my quilt to see how it goes - Thanks When you say if the blocks are not too small - - do you have a size that you think may cause more problems? hopetoquilt: That quilt is gorgeous! thank you for sharing. My problem is that I don't have that many Tshirts. We lost our nephew in an auto accident and my sister gave me some of his clothes to make a memory quilt from... what she gave me is a little bit of everything. I am still in the creative steps so I truly appreciate your picture

Thank you for you thoughts... the size is probably negotiable. It was the Jacob's Ladder pattern that I am feeling attached to. Thanks!

You could always do a crazy quilt, that's how I do all my memory quilts.

I have seen some beautiful crazy quilts.. and I did consider that. I am only hung up on the Jacob's Ladder pattern because I am making the quilt in memory of my nephew - whose name is Jacob..... so right now I feel committed to that pattern

a friend brought one for me to quilt .she did mixed blocks ....a large d.plate in the center and did a few t- shirt like the pic here .then did some patchwork blocks it was for a young man so she added some animal fabrics to the shirts .....was really creative ...where are you ... i am in southern indiana also

This has been a very informative thread. I Hope to make a memory quilt for my 2 nieces and nephew. My sister-in-law has not given me my brother's clothing yet. When she does I will use some of this information. I also love the picture that hopetoquilt posted. I have to look up jacob's ladder. Sorry for your loss meyert, I have been told that making a memory quilt is therapeutic. We will see.

Someone gave me her grandmother's clothes and they were mostly jersey knits to make a quilt with. She also had sweatshirts and a little of cotton. I ended up using the sweatshirts for quilt backs, and put muslin with the knits. It worked out, but I will never try that one again.

I can relate to your "nervousness". Last winter I made a quilt for someone from all her 5 children's baby clothes. She was very sentimental about them and it also included her son's baby blanket that had died as an infant. It took me many evenings of laying out the pieces to see what went well together and then leaving it alone for a couple of days to give me a chance to change my mind. The first cut was the hardest but in the end it was a quilt I was very proud of and she loved it.
I also used alot of interfacing as she had knits, demin, nylon, and even a baby sock. Good luck with your project. Just take your time.

I agree with amyjo. Lighter weight on one side and denim and sweats on back

You asked about backing the tshirt fabric before or after cutting.
If it were me, I'd use iron on light weight fusible interfacing.

Trust your instincts on this one.

I would use Armoweft which is available from An Embroidered Affair on line. It makes fabrics soft and drapable but keeps things from stretching.

I have never mixed heavy and light fabrics together. Might be an interesting project.

For the T-shirts I would want to stabalize them prior to cutting the pieces to put in the block. Follow the manufacturers directions to apply it. Since you are using heavier fabrics, you want them to be larger pieces so as the seams allowances from these fabrics will be bulkier. Also may consider placement with these fabrics and not put them next to each other. I am sure it will turn out to be a treasured quilt for the family.

Tee shirts HAVE to be backed (I prefer to use the cotton woven iron on stabilizer). Having recently finished a memorial project and my advice to you is to plan the use of that heavy denim to a MINIMUM...it won't play nice with lighter weight fabric, Maybe just use it in the borders or as embellishment (raw edge applique). My sister was a fan of denim and fake suede fabrics....it was a lesson in frustration for sure.