Upcycle T-Shirts Into a Wonderful Quilt
Make a Memory Quilt or a Comfy Patchwork Quilt from T-Shirts!
When you mention t-shirt quilts, most people think of memory quilts made from the fronts of special shirts. You can also cut up plain t-shirts and use the fabric for making a cozy quilt. Either way, there are a few things to take into consideration when sewing t-shirt fabric into a quilt.
We love wearing t-shirts because of the soft comfy feel. A quilt made from t-shirts has the same softness and is wonderful for cuddling. However, the stretchy character of the knit fabric presents some challenges for quilt makers.
A beautiful t-shirt quilt found on Too Cool T-shirt Quilts.
The easiest way to prevent t-shirt fabric from stretching and distorting is to stabilize it before cutting into the shirt. A lightweight interfacing will make all the difference.
Fortunately, that’s easy to do and there are many tutorials available to show you how. The following was found on Quilter’s Diary and shows how to stabilize the printed front of a t-shirt quilt.
The sky is the limit when designing your quilt. If you’re making a memory quilt, you can cut all the t-shirt fronts the same size and line them up in rows with sashing between each one. Add a border and you’re done. Quick, easy and fun.
However, a more creative design will make a more interesting quilt. Consider using blocks of different sizes and adding pieced sashing or borders.
Graph paper will help you create an interesting layout that showcases the t-shirt fronts. You’ll found several wonderful examples in the following article, also from Quilter’s Diary.
Fabric used for sashing, borders and filling in blank areas can either be quilting cotton or t-shirt fabric. A quilt made entirely from t-shirt fabric is so soft and comfy! In fact, you can select plain t-shirts of varying colors and upcycle their fabric into a wonderful patchwork quilt.
The following two tutorials by Jenelle Montilone for Sew Mama Sew walk you through the steps of making an entire patchwork quilt from t-shirt fabric. They will also provide you with many helpful tips you can use when making a t-shirt memory quilt.
An excellent resource for making quilts from t-shirts is Too Cool T-shirt Quilts. You’ll find helpful information there about all aspects of sewing with t-shirts. One article in particular will help you determine whether or not a t-shirt is too worn to use (probably not!) and how to deal with thin spots and holes.
Image from “The Ultimate T-Shirt Quilt” course.
If you prefer to be guided through the process step by step, Craftsy has two highly popular online classes for making t-shirt quilts.
T-shirt quilts are fun, memorable and every one is unique. We hope these tips and resources will help you make your own wonderful t-shirt quilt.
