Have you ever thought about making a t-shirt quilt. Many people commemorate periods in their lives by repurposing old t-shirts into a fun quilt. Let’s look at how to make a t-shirt quilt.
T-Shirt Quilt – Sew Much Fun!
What is a T-Shirt Quilt
According to The Quilt Show, “t-shirt quilts are made using the logos or graphics cut from t-shirts.”
We have all bought commemorative t-shirts from events like concerts, vacations, etc, and either wore the shirt to death or we outgrew the theme. If you have some laying around, this is the perfect opportunity to use those old t-shirts as the blocks for your memory quilt.
You could always thrift the t-shirts for your quilt too.
Supplies Needed to Make a T-Shirt Quilt
The main thing you need to make your t-shirt quilt is interfacing. Due to the stretch of the jersey knits used in t-shirts, they need to be stabilized to avoid stretching in the quilt. Stretch is great in a worn t-shirt, but not so much in a quilt.
You will need a lightweight fusible stabilizer for your t-shirt quilt. An example of this is Pellon 906F Fusible Sheerweight. There seem to be lots of opinions on which stabilizer is the best option, so I suggest you try a few and decide on which works best for you.
How to Make a T-Shirt Quilt
Before you get started making your quilt top, decide on the block size, the number of blocks in each row and the number of rows in your quilt top.
You need to cut your t-shirts down to the same block size e.g. 10”. A large square ruler will help you with this. As always, I recommend Creative Grids rulers. Before cutting your t-shirts, decide on where to cut them to preserve as much of the design as possible. Don’t forget to include a quarter inch seam allowance all the way around the block.
Once your blocks have been cut, it’s time for stabilization. Review the instructions on the stabilizer you purchased and stabilize all of the blocks for the quilt top.
After completing this stage, it’s time to sew your quilt blocks together. Make sure you press your rows so that each row alternates. For example, your top row should be pressed to the right and then the next row should be pressed to the left. This way, your seams will nest together nicely when you sew the top together.
Congratulations on making your first memory quilt top.
My Final Thoughts
I hope you enjoyed T-Shirt Quilt – Sew Much Fun!. T-shirt quilts are easy to sew and make a great cozy quilt.
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