T-Shirt Quilts
Today is all about T-Shirt quilts. I am currently quilting one for Dani so this is a perfect time to highlight them.
In case anyone doesn't know, a T-Shirt quilt is just a quilt made up of a bunch of shirts or baby clothes etc. that have meaning. These are also known as memory quilts. T-Shirt quilts are great for grads that have way too many shirts from high school and don't necessarily want to get rid of them. I have also done memory quilts for young kids out of baby clothes and hats and hospital blankets. These are flexible.
Another nifty thing that can be done with quilting that a lot of people may not know about is pictures. They make fabric that is backed with paper in 8.5x11 that you can literally feed through a printer. This can be a great way to preserve memories from a wedding or to do a gift for grandparents. I am even going to try to do a Scrabble quilt this way (more info to come).
One of the great things about T-Shirt quilts is the fun and flexibility. Since these are normally a hodge-podge of shirts in all kinds of colors, I get to go a little crazy. I chose this purple for the backing because it was so fun and colorful.
I was inspired by the circles and swirly patterns on this, so I decided to try something new when quilting that kind of matched. Luckily with free motion quilting, you can literally do anything you want.
Shirts are unfortunately stupid stretchy. Many people will not do shirt quilts for this reason. The paint can also cause problems (I got my needle caught on some rather thick paint yesterday and the needle then broke...).
T-Shirt quilts are a strange kind of science that I am still discovering. I learn more and try more with each one I do. They are a fun and flexible way for you to preserve your memories and a great break from the normal quilting for me.
