I have also used a purchased silicone pressing sheet and part of a t-shirt as press cloths. But with a double sided quilt and having blocks of different sizes, should I quilt just using a block pattern of every 6 or so both vertically and horizontally? The recipients are both on the autism spectrum and I think they will like the weight. The woven fabric should help stabilize the stretchy fabric. Backing is cotton fabric. The Materials Used5. 2) What type of stabilizer or interfacing I should use to make cutting and sewing the onesie squares easier and so they hold their shape after machine washing? Read about monochromatic T-shirt quilts here. Do you have a stack of mismatched old shirts like these and dreams of transforming them into something spectacular? Sometimes this doesnt leave you enough room to make a quilt block as large as you want it to be. I've tried this technique with odd-shaped orphan blocks and panels, and it will work with any number, as long as all pieces used are divisible by the base number, not including the 1/2" seam allowance. I made a quilt that featured shirts from baby to college. Pin row 1 to row 2 graphic sides together, aligning seams and sew the top seam. The more quilting you do over all parts of the t-shirt, the better the finished quilt will perform as it is used and washed. Pin together the panels in your desired design. If you want a killer T-shirt quilt, you need to choose a style that will showcase your T-shirts. Some people like that heaviness, and others (me!) Your email address will not be published. As long as you are careful not to get overspray on areas outside the area youre gluing down, you should be fine. Thanks for your comment, Karen. You should end up with a somewhat rectangular panel. If you have more rag quilt questions, I (modestly) recommend my book, Rag Quilting for Beginners, which has 45 five-star reviews on Amazon.com. You need to read about each style and choose which one is best for your T-shirts. A kind of getting things ready as the T-shirts are available? It will help you know what you want your quilt to look like and what to look for in a quilt maker. If that T-shirt is not all that important, you might exclude it from your T-shirts. One cotton T-shirt in a quilt like this would have made the quilt feel and look a little off. Feel free to cut morekeeping in mind that fusible web counts as a 12 layer of fabric and that t-shirts are thicker than typical quilting fabric. If you buy a new sheet (cotton or flannel) be sure to wash and dry it first as they are prone to shrink. Stacy, Great questions, Stacy. It can be challenging to quilt a large quilt on your home sewing machine, especially if the throat area of your machine (the distance between the needle and the motor area on the right side of the machine) is small. The opening could be used for a card or special message when the gift of the quilt was given. I wonder if protecting your ironing board with a wool pressing sheet would be a safer choice? I do not want to The t-shirts that go into a t-shirt quilt have typically been worn many times and wont shrink or bleed dye on other parts of the quilt. Cut out the interfacing. Do you need to use a stabilizer on the t shirts that are made of polyester fabric ? Thanks for the question, Joan. Look at the colors of your T-shirts before you have your quilt made. Be careful about aligning everything before you press. In 1992 she founded Too Cool T-shirt Quilts. I wish you all the best on this project. That would reduce the bulkiness of the onezie a little bit. Re quilting vs. tying, I always quilt the layers with my sewing machine. apply stabilizer, allowing extra Cheers, It was my first-everself-bound quilt that is, a quilt where you fold the, Read More Diamond Charms Table Runner Quilt TutorialContinue, Do you ever feel like youre drowning in fabric scraps? You are really making it difficult. It covers all the basics of rag quilting, and is available in paperback, and as an ebook in Kindle, Nook, Ibook, and Kobo formats. You could also frame the stabilized t-shirt blocks with an outer border of quilt fabric, so the stabilizer will be buried between the t-shirt and the backing layer. Read about all white T-shirt quilts here. Any knits should be stabilized before you quilt with them. Overlap the pressing areas to make sure you cover all parts of the image. That will speed up the cutting. I have to preface this reply by saying that I have never made a quillow, but fleece is very durable and I think it would work fine for this purpose. Anyone who has experience with baby clothes, please chime in. I like Pellon 911FF, but there are also good interfacings available from Thermoweb, June Tailor, and other manufacturers. Ive seen how others roll the layers and start from the center when they are sewing in the ditch, but how else can you quilt it together using your machine if you didnt want t ditch method? There are no special patterns for T-shirt quilts; they can be as basic or as intricate as you wish. I would still put a stabilizer on after cutting the shirts. Thanks, Felicity, for commenting on my question of batting and/or backing for a T-shirt quilt. If you use the front and back of a single T-shirt, you will need fewer. Sweatshirt quilt is made of memory shirts and have been Get DIY project ideas and easy-to-follow crafts to help you spruce up your space. PROTIP:Do not place your iron directly on the T-shirt graphic because the ink may melt. Or a long-armer who could do it for you? Ok so I just read your post but Ive already cut shirts. Your domestic iron may not be hot enough to adhere. I figure it will be softer after the interfacing loosens. http://www.TShirtQuiltsTX.com. Wish we had one big enough to fit! I recommend using polyester fleece backing in that situation, because fleece is light, colorful, and machine washable. I have made only one before. If you try anything more involved, such as a stipple or any overall free-motion pattern, make a practice quilt sandwich and sew on that for a few minutes at the beginning of each session before you start quilting on the top itself. I never use fabric softener, so I cant say whether using it might affect the adhesive power of the fusible glue on the interfacing. Do not place your iron directly on the T-shirt graphic because the ink may melt. Buy a roll of lightweight fusible web and iron it in strips to the back of the sheet. Next, cut the batting and backing fabric to the size of your quilt top. What I was wondering is if you need to stabilize the sashing between the t shirt blocks as well as the blocks. wash and prepare my shirts after choosing a pattern, batting, and backing material. If you want to try that, Id reduce the heat of the iron. Great tips! There are hundreds or even thousands of free patterns out there online if I wanted to find modern quilt patterns, I would just do a search for modern quilt pattern and do some looking around on the websites that come up. Thanks for all the tips!! Stacy. There are no rules for T-shirt quilt designs, but it's always ideal to map out your layout before you start sewing. So, in an effort to be more concise myself, could you advise me about: I just used some lightweight Pellon interfacing to stabilize a bunch of cotton t-shirts and had no difficulties. So my question is how, or what is the best way to attempt to quilt the Tahiti quilt using a regular sewing machine? She will graduate from college next spring and has played soccer since she was 4. Quality materials mean that your quilt will last a lifetime. I have made t-shirt quilts in the past and used a knitted interfacing with the stretch going perpendicular to the stretch of the t-shirts stretch which has given me a stable piece of fabric to use. 1) How to stabilize and attach an entire onesie,(ie:double layer of T-Shirt material) to a piece of either flannel or quilting cotton fabric I hope this works . A stabilizer will give some durability to a thin and fragile fabric. You want your quilt so that the action or movement on the blocks direct your eyes onto the quilt. Another possibility is to make the stabilizer stop short of the seam allowance, so it doesnt show through on the top of the quilt. sew shirts together as you would a regular quilt top I am trying to help a friend make a T-shirt quilt for her husband. Thank you for correcting my thought process on the ditch method. If you don't know what the different styles are, please read this. Press on the back side of each T-shirt. Making two right now and planning on using the backs of the shirts as backing for the quilts. Sew together in sections or rows to make the quilt, using a 1/4" seam allowance. Or maybe just cut out the back of the onezie and applique only the top of it to the quilt top. Thats the main thing to be aware of when making t-shirt quilts, in my humble opinion. Do u have how to sew and finish the shirt Im a quilter who hates waste! Im a newbie to quilting but my husbands baby sister past and my mother in laws has asked me to make a Tahiti quilt using all of my late SIL shirts she received during her years of marathon running. Janet Wickell is a quilting expert, writer, and author sharing 30 years of experience in quilt design and construction. You can get into trouble if the interfacing is larger than the t-shirt because fusible might get stuck to your ironing board or irons bottom plate, but should be fine if you cut them the same size as the shirts themselves. Leave enough fabric around the edges for a 1/2-inch seam allowance plus about an inch more that will be cut after the fusible interfacing is applied. Yes, with t-shirt quilts it is necessary to use a stabilizer because without it the edges of the shirts will curl and make sewing much more difficult. For example there are golf shirts, baseball shirts, T-shirts made from cotton, from tech fabric or polyester. Use your 6" x 24" ruler and a rotary cutter to square up the quilt along the top, bottom and both sides. Youd be surprised at how many are available. How do you quilt the layers together using a home machine. Tshitt quilts are tricky and I cant mess up on this one since there is a limited amount of her shirts. Yes, the quilt is still soft enough to use on a bed, since t-shirts are quite soft. I am making a tshirt Quilt as a donation in an auction for fundraising . Did you wash the t-shirts first? Im making a T shirt quilt with some pretty worn shirts. Bind the quilt and give to your loved one to enjoy. Since you havent done this kind of machine quilting before, Id recommend doing the machine quilting as simply as you can. In other words, cut out rectangles and squares using measurements of 3-1/2", 6-1/2", 9-1/2", 12-1/2", 15-1/2", etc. If youre a collector of T-shirts and find yourself with drawers of memories that you dont want to forget but really dont want to wear anymore, consider giving them some practical value by upcycling them into a T-shirt quilt. Layer batting between the quilt top and backing. Thanks for the tips especially the one about using the smaller bits around the edge. So, no worries about it staying stuck! Stitching in the ditch secures the quilts layers together and frees you to do whatever other quilting you would like to do afterwards without worrying about shifting layers or sewing over safety pins. Is the quilt being sent out for quilting? I hope it is available in Namibia. Some great quilts have a great topic that makes the quilt unique. Just cut the stabilizer into the same size pieces as the shirts, then iron on the back side of the shirt. Just a idea, Im going to look up ideas, weather I should wash them. Cut out all your motifs with a measurement divisible by 3 (not including 1/2" for the seam allowance). Would that look okay going through both sides? But I hate to see any piece of fabric go to waste. I am making my first T-shirt quilt, its going to be a twin size and the lady Im making it for would like a soft backing like fleece or fuzzy material. May 30th, 2022, 1. 14 yards Pellon Featherweight Fusible (911FF), choosing a selection results in a full page refresh, press the space key then arrow keys to make a selection. Press the fusible interfacing onto the back of each piece according to the manufacturers directions. Check the internet for vintage tee-shirts. Monochromatic grouping of T-shirts. 12 shirts 3across 4down. Check the interfacing instructions before you do anything and be sure to follow the manufacturers recommendations. The stabilizing fabric you add to the back of the t-shirt is intended to strengthen the fabric and reduce its stretchiness to make it easier to sew. I have been wanting to make one and am getting close to enough shirts. Cheers, Finally, sew quilt binding (strips of fabric to cover the raw edges) around the perimeter of the quilt with a 1/4-inch seam allowance. So today, I, Read More Log Cabin Quilt-as-you-go BlockContinue, Tools and Supplies Lightweight or featherweight fusible interfacing, either woven or non-woven. Is that right? Im living in Windhoek, capital of Namibia, in Africa, and to order patterns are too expensive with the crazy exchange rates. This would make the quilt reversible in a sense. Great tips. Do you have any suggestions for making it not so structured? Sew Your Own Reversible Two-Piece Swimsuit! Hi Gretchen, thats hard to know. The Workmanship. And may I say, the fact that you are willing to share your knowledge without us having to pay for it. We've updated our Privacy Policy, which will go in to effect on September 1, 2022. Heres a simple guide: To make a full size T-shirt quilt (60" x 72") you will need the following: PROTIP:Its best to wash and dry your tees before beginning. Like the idea of reducing the weigh with polyester fleece, because they are very heavy, indeed. Thank you in advance, as I knew there was a trick to dojng a tshirt quilt, but wasnt sure what it was. That way, the final cuts will be along tightly fused edges. I wouldnt do this with a shirt that is truly precious to you or the recipient, because it will get worn just like your previous quillows did. I have purchased some stabilizer (hopefully the right kind) for the t-shirts. I have made almost 20 of these. Many other quilters use a middle layer of batting and a back layer of cotton or flannel for their quilts. Im intrigued by using a damp cloth for protection (never done that!). Try a fusible interfacing instead. Next, put square 3 on square 2 and sew the right edge together. You can save the stabilized shirts until youre ready to use them. Cover the whole thing with a damp press cloth to avoid melting the inks or any rubberized parts of the t-shirt image. I just made sure each block in the same column was the same width. When the quilt is complete, no one will ever notice! I used to purchase things with coupons at my local Hancock Fabrics, but they have all gone under now. We really do live in a golden age of quilting, with all kinds of time-saving devices and techniques the quilters of old didnt have. To help you, AccuQuilt has two Studio dies that make cutting the T-shirts a breeze. Sew a Foldover Backpack With This Free Pattern, Sewing a Mitered Quilt Binding Is Easy With This Tutorial, Send Someone Hugs and Kisses with this Easy Quilt Pattern, Sew Your Own Duvet Covers with These Directions. Sewing the quilt is fairly straightforward, though it's much easier to do on a sewing machine than it is by hand. Personalized Picnic Quilts, Jun 24 | I have made many t-shirt quilts for a womens basketball team. Thanks for writing, Shellea. In the photo below, I just dampened a piece of cotton batting I had lying around. Now its time to cut out your squares. We promise never to spam you :-), Use left/right arrows to navigate the slideshow or swipe left/right if using a mobile device. My question is do I wash tee shirts before or after I fuse the tee shirt squares? Betty (You can make a quilt with uniform panels or with panels of different sizes sewn in somewhat of a jigsaw puzzle-type layout.). I have found cutting the shirts first makes the stabilizing process easier. Read about all white T-shirt quilts here. For example, a quilt made from all Hard Rock Caf T-shirts will have something special that will make it great. Thank you all for the useful information. Obviously youve done your research. I'm thinking of practicing on some of my own tee shirts first but it's wonderful to have all the steps covered in one post. They are also very light weight as a result of the Tech Fabric. Do you quilt or tie? a restoration, Im hoping for a USEation LOL. I think it can look great to have multiple layers of color in the ragged seam allowances on a rag quilt. Cathy, Jul 15 | Though I AM using squares from some of her onesies, Id like the baby to see how TINY she was at one point in her life so there are 2 or 3 onesies that I dont want to cut up. I have one in my near future for a friend who lost her husband! Do you use any batting in t-shirt quilts? The best T-shirts, the best quilt style, the best design and quality materials are worthless if the person making the quilt has poor sewing and quilting skills. Yes, of course you could piece the t-shirt backs together. Thank you so much for any help you can offer! Then iron the bedspread to the fused sheet, working a small section at a time. It would be a big job and require quite a bit of fusible web. Now rough cut your stabilizer to approximately the correct size and adhere it to your shirt back. Read the interfacing manufacturers instructions to make sure you have the right temperature and steam settings before you put that hot iron on the interfacing. T-Shirt Quilts of Texas I get lots of worn t-shirts so I quilt (through all layers of the quilt sandwich) the individual t-shirt squares to further stabilize them. Ive always only done ditch stitching to quilt and Ive never done any freestyle quilting. I need to make sure of a couple of things before trying to answer your question. Wish me luck! Heres what the stabilized t-shirt looks like with the interfacing fused to its back side. Then, usea pair of sharp scissorsto remove the front panel of a T-shirt, cuttingnear the side seams to leave as much fabric as possible. Here's an article that explains the different style. Copyright 2022 Too Cool T-shirt Quilts International LLC. One reason we all love wearing t-shirts is because they are made from such soft, stretchy knit fabric. This works the best for me, especially if I may be using both the front and back if the shirt. It sounds like a very cute idea. Love your ideas for fundraising quilts. If one T-shirt is made from different fabric than the rest, it may be a little more noticeable than your other T-shirts. If that T-shirt is very important, then you should include it in your quilt. Hope the post helps answer your questions. Then, use a 1/2-inch seam allowance to sew the panelsalong with any sashing (strips of fabric between the panels) or other patchworktogether by row. An awesome T-shirt quilt has a great layout. If you're short on time and are interested in having your T-shirt quilt made instead of tackling it yourself, there are companies online that might be able to make your deadline.