Playing with layout - opinions please
 

I'm working on a T-shirt quilt for the friend of my oldest DD - and she's paying me to do it!
All but two blocks will finish at 12 x 12 but those two will be 14 1/2" square. I will be filling in with bits of the bright blue, pink and tie-dyed shirts and possibly the gold and green as well.
My DH's sister & I came up with these options. She really doesn't like things to be off-center but I prefer option 3.
What do you think?

I like the last option the best.

I much prefer a directional quilt than all the tee's going every which way. To me, and probably only me, showing them going in all directions shows no order. It makes me anxious just looking at it. OMG....I know I am getting old now! I like to be able to read all the tee's at one time, not be tilting my head back & forth.

I haven't made a tee shirt quilt yet, but the ones I like are the ones that have different size tee's with sashings that spotlight each block. Pick your daughter's favorite color as the background. Sash the tee's with a color that contrasts really good or many colors. I kept this picture of one that I just loved. It has order and different sizes of tees and variable spaces in the background, the better to put quilting in. I wish I could give credit to whoever designed & made this quilt, but I wasn't smart enough to keep that info.

I have made a number of t-shirt quilts. I think that unidirectional quilts tend to be a lot nicer. I have found when working with different size patches that framing them with sashing and background fabrics has its advantages. Another option is to run the patches in "columns" with other patches of the same width. eith sashing in between the columns. Many times I've used pre-washed flannel for sashing. Another trick I have learned is to make sure the stablizer you use is fairly light weight but sturdy.

I agree with Barb in Louisiana about all in the same direction. More importantly, if your DD is paying you to do the quilt, you should make it her way!

my choice would be option 4

Is there an option where they all go the same direction? It is just my opinion, but I think placing the shirts in different directions looks sloppy and not well thought out.

I hate playing the "Dizzy Bat" game. Looking down and having to go this way and that.

I agree with all going the same direction...with sashing. I have been asked to do 2 t-shirt quilts, a 4 deployment quilt for DS & a 4 yr. cheer leaders quilt of different schools and travels to England & Italy for DGD. I have the stablizer now so they need to get busy to select the tees. I like to have 2-3 things going at a time, so it doesn't get boring. Sorry about my rambling, but sugest to go in all one direction and you can still play with the tees by adding different sizes withsashing

I can see that I'm really bucking a trend here. the thought process I'm using is that it give the user something to search for or discover while cuddled in the quilt. My daughter certainly likes hers. I shall await the verdict from the person I am making the quilt for. I'm told she and the actual recipient are rather eclectic, "free-thinkers" and she had already given me written permission to use my artistic vision. And she has seen the one I made my daughter.