How to make t-shirt quilts?

How to make t-shirt quilts?

T-shirt quilts are great quilts to make that will allow you to keep your old shirts, yet re-purpose them in a great way. A t-shirt blanket makes an excellent gift for many people. Graduation gifts are perfect with sports shirts in the school they attended. Or a parent could save a child’s favorite t-shirt each year and make a quilt from that. These blankets are perfect ways to keep memories alive.

Another great idea for a t-shirt blanket is to take old shirts from someone that has passed away and made a memory blanket out of these shirts. This will always remind the recipient of the person and it will be a treasured gift for years to come. If you have a retirement of a loved one, you could also take their work clothing and make a quilt out of these for them to remember all the hard work that paid off for them in retirement.

The following may help you decide which size of t-shirt blanket you will want to make:

  • A lap t-shirt quilt will have 16 t-shirts in total used. Four will be going across while four will be going down
  • A twin-sized t-shirt quilt will have 24 shirts used. Six shirts will be going down while four will be going across.
  • A full-sized t-shirt quilt will use 30 t-shirts. Six will be used for going down while five will be used for going across.
  • A queen-sized t-shirt quilt uses 49 t-shirts. Seven will be used for across and seven will be used for going down.
  • A king-sized t-shirt quilt will use 64 t-shirts. Eight will be used for across and eight will be used for going down.

T-shirt quilts can be ordered online at several places. However, if you like to sew or want a new project to invest in, consider making your own t-shirt quilt. This is a great project for the winter months or rainy days. It can be a lot of fun looking at old shirts to select, and as you are sewing it, you can think about the great memories that the clothing holds. The following steps are used to make a t-shirt quilt.

  1. Step One

    Pick the t-shirts that you desire to use for your t-shirt quilt. Refer to the guidelines listed above for the number of shirts that you will need. If the shirt is a two-sided shirt, both sides can be used for the quilt and will be considered as two separate shirts. For example, if you have 8 shirts that are all doubled sided, you will have enough to make a lap quilt.

  2. Step Two

    Select the color of fleece that you want to use for the back of the quilt. Perhaps you desire to use the receiver’s favorite color. Or maybe you will go with the school colors if the quilt is designed from school shirts. You could even sew a few pieces of material together if you are creative to have a unique backing on your quilt. There is not a right or wrong answer here as any color or pattern can be used for the back of the quilt.

  3. Step Three

    Cut the t-shirts down, so all patterns are the same size. Each t-shirt square-cut should measure 12 inches by 12 inches. Design the pattern you desire to use. It is easiest to use a piece of cardboard that measures the 12 by 12 to ensure that each t-shirt is cut correctly.

  4. Step Four

    Next, you want to lay the shirt down on an ironing board face-down. Place your interfacing on top of each shirt, with the bumpy side of the interfacing facing the t-shirt. Iron at the highest setting, but do not use any steam. Once all interfacing has been done, trim the extra away from the t-shirts.

  5. Step Five

    Begin sewing your t-shirt quilt using the t-shirt quilt pattern you have designed in step three. Once all the shirts have been sewn together, you can add your batting and fleece to sew the rest of the quilt together. You may follow the directions from the How to make a quilt section.

T-shirt quilts are great for anyone that loves to look at things and think of all the great memories you had while wearing the shirt. Perhaps the football shirt was from when your team won the state championships. These quilts do not need to be just from high school either. You can make one for your child for any year. Maybe you will decide to make a quilt from the cute shirts your daughter wore in kindergarten. Or perhaps you will use your son’s shirts from little league baseball. The possibilities are endless!