My grandson was killed on May 10, he was 23 years old . he was hit by a pick up truck crossing the street. I need to make a T shirt quilt is there anything I should know about making the quilt, Thanks, Shirley :-(

I think using a stablizer on the back of the t-shirts helps...

So sorry for your tragic loss. My prayers are with you and yours.

I can't help with the quilt, but want to express my sympathies to you and your family.

so sorry to hear about your son.... to learn on any subject of quilting .. go into the search and search -- search t shirt quilts...lots of good things on there.... good luck to you I'm sure it will be beautiful when you have it done....

Shirley, I am so sorry about your grandson. (((((HUGS)))))

I’ve never made a t-shirt quilt but others have and they’ll have good suggestions for you.

Crafty Bear posted the following links a long time ago about making t-shirt quilts.

http://quiltbug.com/articles/Tshirt-quilts.htm

Video 1 of 4:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua6Tosh6OU8

Video 2 of 4:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVIyhuyKngc&feature=fvw

Video 3 of 4:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFjg9...aynext_from=PL

Video 4 of 4:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNorn...aynext_from=PL

So sorry to hear about your loss. Your family is in my thoughts and prayers.

Condolences on your tragic loss. I have never made a T-shirt quilt and it is on my things-to-learn. God bless.
Sandy

I have made one and taught two teens to make them. They are fun and easy. I am sure it will be emotionally difficult for you. I will pray that the process will be healing for you.

I am so sorry for your loss,it is never easy losing someone so young,will keep you and your family in my prayers.
Charlotte

I am so sorry about our grandson. My heart goes out to you and your family.

To make a tee shirt quilt, cut the front of the tee shirts very large and fuse a lightweight interfacing on the back. A teflon pressing sheet under the front of the tee shirt helps to fuse it. Then and only then, cut the tee shirts the size of the blocks you want them to be. Then you can add sashing or sew them together the way you want them. Do not skip the step of the interfacing. Tee shirts stretch and will not quilt well unless they are stabilized.

Prayers for you and family. That is very sad.

One thing I learned that made it easier is to cut the t-shirt an inch or so bigger than what you want the final size to be. Then iron on your lightweight fusible interfacing. Then recut all the t-shirts to the size you want plus seam allowances. You have much more even edges that way. Sorry about your loss. Prayers and hugs for you.

So sorry for your loss. Prayers for your whole family. Show us the quilt when it is done. It is going to be very hard for you to do.
Sue

OMG...So sorry to hear about your son. Prayer's going out to you and your family!!!

Stabilzer is a must so the t-shirt doesn't stretch. Good Luck and have fun!!

so sorry for you loss,
For the quilt a stabalizer is a must. cut large so you can trim down. you can sew the tshirts like a jigsaw puzzle meaning just putting them together and use a background fabric only where you need to fill in a gap or you can make boarders around each block. I've seen it done both ways.

Ahh, Im so sorry for your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Ive made several Tshirt quilts and yes I used a very lightweight stabilizer behind every t shirt block. Good luck and God Bless.

My heart goes out to you and your family.On May 3rd we buried our youngest grandson. He was also 23 . It is such a tragic event to lose someone so young and with their whole life ahead of them. I am also making t-shirt quilts for his mom, my daughter, and for his 17 month old daughter. You are in my prayers. Glenda

I am sorry to learn of the loss of your grandson. May God be with you and your family during your time of need.

I am so sorry for your lost also,I know he is with God in heaven . but the pain is so bad. God Bless

My deepest condolences to you and your family, Shirley. Isn't it amazing how this ''hobby" we all share gets us through the highs and lows of our lives....by simply planning a t-shirt quilt. God be with you in this difficult time.

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. God bless You!!!

I would like to thank you all for the words of comfort.. I know I have a long way to go to believe he is gone .God Bless

I haven't made a full quilt yet, still collecting kids shirts here. I am so sorry for your loss, I cannot imagine losing any of my kids or grands. Sending cyberhugs ~ and hopes your heart heals soon. Making the quilt may be very therapeutic, it was for me after losing my mom and grandma.

Test a few different stabilizers, there are many that work, but you may find one that you prefer. You can buy as little as an 1/8 yard at JoAnn's to test them out (like on a sleeve of the shirts)

Use a medium weight fusible interfacing to stabilize the t-shirt fabric. Take some of your own old t-shirts and try different interfacing weights to see which one works best. Some of them are too light and stretchy and don't work well. Some are too heavy and make the fabric too stiff.

Cut the t-shirts to separate the back from the front. Cut the interfacing at least an inch or two bigger than the size you want. Then, once it is ironed on, you can flip the t-shirt over and trim down to the desired size with the pattern from the shirt centered correctly.

The best t-shirt quilt I saw had each t-shirt with about 1.5 inches of black framing it and then another fabric between.

When you iron, iron from the back side. Some of the shirts have that plasticy stuff on them that melts (or maybe this is just kids' t-shirts).

Hope this advice helps.

i can't even begin to imagine what you are going through..i am so sorry about the loss of your beloved son.

i am in the middle of making 2 t-shirt quilt now..i did a short picture tutorial, and have it in my picasa albums..

https://picasaweb.google.com/strut526/TShirtQuiltForRose?feat=directlink]https://picasaweb.google.com/strut52...eat=directlink[/url]

a light weight woven stabilizer is a must..it is expensive, but i used a coupon and bought the bolt..

feel free to ask questions..there are so many way to put them together..

Ijust finished a T-shirt top. I used stablizer for the back...this is a must! Then I put them in rows of 5 across with two rows of 1 1/2 inch strips going down and across (like windows). I did the same for the boarder and I used navy and red. Then you place the batting then add the backing. I used safety pins (large) to help keep the quilt in place. I am hand quilting the strips between the T-shirts as I can't get the quilt rolled small enough to fit my machine. Then add your binding. IMPORTANT make sure the T-shirt is cut 15" X 15". I got a ruler from JoAnn's. I cut only the front of the T-shirts. I needed to have a few extra blocks so I took the back of the T-shirt and cut out 4 inch blocks to make a larger block that measured 15" X 15". When cutting the front of the T-shirt cut across the shoulder and up the sides. Lays flat and easier to work with. GOOD LUCK!

May you feel the love from all who reach out to you to you at this difficult time. I am sorry for the loss of your grandson. I know that the quilt you will make to honor his memory will be stitched with love and bring you and your family comfort. Blessings, Pastor Sandra

Shirley
I am truly sorry about your grandson. I just finished a T-shirt quilt for my greatniece. I used iron-on interfacing and that kept the shirts from stretching. As soon as I figure out how to post the picture I will.

I hope by making the quilt out of his T-shirts will provide you with some comfort in dealing with your grief. I know it did after my mother passed away.

Thank you

I have made two T-shirt quilts for people, one using the interfacing and sewing the blocks together with sashing but the second one had so many different sized emblems. I cut them out of the shirts larger than needed, put interfacing on the back of each one and cut them into neat shapes. I used fabric glue to hold them in place, not on the edges, just enough to secure them to a large piece of fabric and then machine stitched them in a decorative manner.
The man who ordered the second one, cried when I had it done, the Harley Davidson shirts belonged to his wife. The first one still hangs on the wall of the woman who went on bicycle marathons, I was told.

Carol J.

Love your quilt!!! I like how it's staggered and not all in line. I just made a t-shirt quilt for my daughter. Love the way it turned out but it's gonna be a 1 of 1 if you know what I mean...LOL I'm waiting for her to be home long enough during the day so I can take a pic w/ her and post it.

Would love to see the finished project...Did you take a pic of it?

I am so very sorry

I might have taken a picture of it, will look around. I did that some years ago.
Making a t-shirt quilt is a trip down memory lane and I have met people who think it is the pits as far as making quilts. They do not realize that each one is made with love and for love.
I have used the second method to make a banner for our EGA guild, each piece given by a member for the banner was a different size, that I do have a picture of. Arranged in a coordinating manner, one can machine or hand applique odd shaped items to a solid background.

Carol J.

I am so sorry for your loss. What a wonderful way to remember him though. I just finished a tshirt quilt and the main thing is to use iron on interfacing on the backs of the tshirts. you can either iron on before cutting them or after...I prefer after and cut to fit. Also, if you don't want to do tons of math, measure and write down all your design sizes...then cut all tshirts to the largest dimensions or peice the smaller designs together to make it the same size as the largest dimensions. This way you will have all the same size blocks to work with and sashing is easier. Good luck.

I am sorry for your loss. I've made several t-shirt quilts here are my tips:
1. interfacing Pellon 911 (use a coupon at Joann's n buy the bolt)
2. get a teflon (or silicon) applique sheet. This lays on top of your ironing board, place the t-shirt face down on it when you iron the interfacing on the back. The sheet does 2 things, it stops the decal/printing/picture on the t-shirt from melting into the ironing board; and, two it keeps the gunk from the interfacing from getting on your ironing board.
3. to clean the iron after you are done, place a sheet of bounce dryer sheet on a cheap piece of fabric (muslin) and while the iron is hot run it across the sheet/fabric layer, do this a couple of times using each sheet only once, it will clean almost 100% of the stuff off your iron.

good luck and God bless

I can't begin to know you pain. I pray knowing that others care will bring you (some) comfort. Can't wait to see your t-shirt quilt when it's finished. May God shine extra bright on you today!!!

So sorry about your lost. Making the t-shirt quilt I hope will help in the healing process. I recently made a memory quilt with my niece's mother's clothing. she died from lung cancer. It was a challenge but similar to a t-shirt quilt. You have to back the tshirt piece that you use with stablizer. I have also made 2 t-shirt quilts. cut the front of the t-shirt as large as you can. When I did mine I cut the front as a 12-1/2" square and tried to use all of the "logo". Smaller ones, I made 4-1/2' squares and put 4 of those together to make up the finished 12-1/2" block.
I sewed sashing around the blocks. I had them hand-quilted by an amish women and they came out great. sending along a pic of the menory quilt which is similar and hope it helps. thoughts and prayers are for you.

I am so very sorry for the loss of your grandson. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. I am sure the t-shirt quilt will come out great. Quilting is great therapy. HUGS !!!

So very sorry for your loss.. I just finished 3 T-shirt quilts for my son. After doing one several years ago I wanted something faster. These I made as a "once and done", using a fusable fleese instead of a interfacing and batting. You can PM me and I can try and send you detailed directions. Also go to a Once and done websight and look at how the blocks are done. I did have to make my own template since I wanted 12" blocks.

sorry to hear of your loss. A quilt with be a good memory cover. I made one for a niece using Tshirts from her years in grad school. I ironed on stabilizer on fronts and backs before cuting the squares (rectangles). I used scraps as the shashing strips. After i finished I saw a tv show (don't recall demonstrator) where they placed the tshirt logos on a sheet of premarked stabilizer then folded one row over the other and seamed. May have been easier. however, they used all same size squared ..My guilt had various sizes of t shirt logos.

Have fun creating and God bless your family.