Here are links to the rest of the tutorial: (I’ll be adding more as I go until I get this quilt finished.)
Making a T-Shirt Quilt Tutorial, Part 2
Making a T-Shirt Quilt Tutorial, Part 3
Making a T-Shirt Quilt Tutorial, Part 4
Making a T-Shirt Quilt Tutorial, Part 5
Making a T-Shirt Quilt Tutorial, Part 6
Making a T-Shirt Quilt Tutorial, Part 7
Today I finally got the time to sit down and start on Judy’s T-Shirt Quilt. She had mailed me the fronts of about 25 T-Shirts for me to make into a king size quilt for her.
The first thing I did was cut each of the shirt fronts (and a couple of backs) into 14″ squares. The finished squares are going to be 12″, but I like to start off with things a little larger so I will have room to play. To do this, I folded each shirt in half, then in half again, like this:
Then, I used my square ruler to measure 7″ on each edge of the t-shirt. I used a Sharpie marker to draw a line using the ruler as a guide:
Cut on the lines:
A few of the T-shirts Judy wants in this quilt had a small image on the front or on the sleeve and then another image on the front. I cut these out and pinned them to the corresponding shirt to keep them together.
If you have a T-shirt with a large image, you can match the edges of the image by placing a pin in one side of the image, and matching the other side of the image to the pin to line them up:
Next, I ironed some stabilizer onto the back of each T-shirt piece. I used Pellon SK135 Sheer-Knit Specialty Apparel Fusible, following the directions that came with it.This gives the knit fabrics a more stable feel, and makes them easier to work with in putting the quilt together. DO NOT skip this step, or your quilt will not come out right.
Next time, we’ll cut the squares again, and attach any appliques to the larger pieces.
Judy Bell says
I’m so happy I’m having you do this for me! My excitement is really building! 🙂 You are making a dream come true for me.
Cheryl says
You inspire me. I can’t wait for the next installment 🙂
tristan says
I just had someone request a t shirt quilt…. hmm! I will definately have to follow this to decide if it is worth the time and the small amount of money you can charge for it for my novice behind to try it!!!
geogypsy says
This is going to be a very different looking quilt. Next lesson please.
cindy says
I’ll be following along. I don’t think I will ever have enough t-shirts to make a quilt but I might be able to use some advice and do something with all these place mats some day. Waiting for the next step.
Henrietta says
I am bookmarking this series. I’ve been saving my daughter’s favorite outgrown t-shirts for awhile now with the thought of making a quilt for her. your way is so much better than what I was thinking of doing!
Katherine says
We’re trying to make a t-shirt quilt with some soccer jerseys and basketball jerseys. They are made out of polyester climacool type material or basketball nylon material. Do you have any recommendations on a stabilizer for the back? Or any advice if you’ve seen this done before? Thanks
Fab Grandma says
I have not used those or know of anyone who did, but my best advice would be to talk to someone at your local fabric shop for a recommendation on the best stabilizer to use. You will have to be able to iron the backing onto the t-shirt or jersey fabric, so it has to be somehting that won’t take a high enough heat to melt your shirt fabric. Good luck!