Quote:
Originally Posted by AOQTII
One person mentioned about turning all their event/bid day/ formal etc. shirts into a big quilt. Does anyone have any info as to how to get that started? Or if theres somewhere that does it for you, or a pattern you can get somewhere to do it yourself????
Thanks =)
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I do them on commission. For any of you wanting to do it yourself, these are easy instructions from The Key. My own way is in CAPS.
Directions:
Select 30 T-shirts. Using a 14" square piece of glass (available at a lumbar yard) as a template, cut the fronts from the T-shirts using a rotary cutter. The glass is heavy enough to hold the shirt while cutting and transparent so you can see if the shirt is centered. Cut a 14" square of light-weight muslin and stitch to the back of each block to stabilize it.
I USE A CLEAR OMNIGRID 15 X 15 QUILTING RULER INSTEAD OF GLASS. I USE GRIDDED (MARKED IN 1 INCH SQUARES) FUSIBLE INTERFACING INSTEAD OF STITCHING LIGHTWEIGHT MUSLIN. IT STABILIZES THE STRETCHY T-SHIRT FABRIC BETTER. BE CAREFUL WHEN IRONING! SOMETIMES THE DESIGN MIGHT MELT IF IT'S NOT SILKSCREENED.
Sew T-shirt blocks together, matching corners. Or, for a different look, sew a strip on each side of the square, then sew the strips together. Alberta first used a 3 ½" wide black strip, taking ½" seams. On another, she accented the black strip with a 3 ½" gold square at the corners – using Missouri school colors.
DITTO, I USE 3.5" SASHING.
To finish the top, lay the quilt and backing on the floor, right sides together. Pin, then stitch all around, leaving a 24" opening in one of the long sides. Return the quilt to the floor. Cut the batting to the exact size and lay it on top of the quilt. (Alberta used extra loft.) With a friend, roll the quilt backing and batting from corners as tightly as possible – rolling toward the opening. Stretch the opening over the huge roll of cotton and fabric and turn your quilt right side out. Unroll it carefully, working out any bumps or wrinkles. Stitch closed.
I SAFETY-PIN THE QUILT SANDWICH (BACKING, BATTING, TOP) TOGETHER, QUILT IT, BIND IT AFTER RATHER THAN MAKING A QUILT PILLOW. IT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO GET ALL THE WRINKLES OUT FROM THE TURN-RIGHTSIDE-OUT METHOD.
For tying you can use yarn, all six strands of embroidery floss, pearl cotton, or heavy crochet thread. The quilt should be tied about every four inches in a square or surgeon's knot. Alberta tied her quilts on the wrong side, but says that tying on either side would work.
I MACHINE QUILT IT, USUALLY BY HIGHLIGHTING THE SHIRT DESIGNS AND STIPPLING THE SASHING.
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In terms of selecting a fabric that will coordinate yet contrast with the tshirts' vibrant, bold, LARGE designs, I tend to go with a batik. Batiks are wax-resist dyed fabrics that are stunning. The colors are subtle and unique, yet blend together in an eyepleasing way.
If your shirts have a theme and you can find fabric with a similar theme, you could go with that. When my oldest graduated from hs, we didn't realize how many tshirts she had from clubs, sports, Scouts and other ECs. We ended up making 2 quilts. The first quilt had 16 shirts that were purchased at specific competitions of her sport. A couple of months before, I happened to find a novelty fabric depicting women competing in her sport and luckily I had bought enough. The much larger quilt had 30 shirts and used a batik that incorporated slightly paler shades of her high school colors.