Alexander's T-shirt Quilt

Alexander is the son of my good friend Cindy.  I've known him since he was born. 

This Spring he graduated from high school.  I told him that if they wanted to pay for the materials I would put the time in and make him a t-shirt quilt for his graduation gift. 

Alexander was all over that. 

He is a funny kid.  He has Asperger's and is very OCD about some things.  It was difficult for him at first to go thru all his shirts and "give" them away, even though the majority of them didn't even fit him anymore. However, having them in a quilt will make both him and his mom happy (i.e. less shirts in his dresser drawers sitting there doing nothing).

I had him go thru his t-shirt stash with me and he showed me the ones that for SURE had to go in the quilt and then depending on how the size and design ended up we had another pile of shirts to add to as needed.  I didn't use up all the shirts he gave me, but we did use 24 of them.  Not everyone will have that many shirts but Alexander NEVER wears a solid t-shirt....NEVER.  It has to have some logo or something on it.

This is the first time I have put together a t-shirt quilt that didn't involve the majority to be school or sports themed shirts.  In fact, he only had one shirt that represents his school.  Instead, Alexander likes video games, goofy sayings, Star Wars, Pokémon, etc.  So I had to pull that all together in this quilt.

Here is the top all put together before sending it off for quilting.

He picked out his sashing/border fabric as well as the backing fabric.  He wanted to choose and not have me pick out something for him.  Fine with me.

I just heard back that the quilting is done and I should get it back next week.  I asked Lynn to quilt his name and graduation year on a blank block that I included in the quilt since he didn't have any shirts with his name.  I guess I need to go find some binding fabric to go with now that I know the quilt is coming back.

Details:

• Zelda and Gang fabric from JoAnn's.  Needed 6 yds. for the backing and it couldn't be matched perfectly.  I tried.  From a distance it will hardly be noticeable.

• Mario border fabric also from JoAnn's. Used about 1 1/2 yd. 
• 24 t-shirt fronts pieced together.
• T-shirt quilt ideas from Pinterest.

The other t-shirt quilts that we've put together.

Daughter #1 grad quilt

Harley Twins

Bria's grad quilt

Samuel's grad quilt

Madisson's grad quilt

Wide Stripes T-shirt Quilt

As many of you know we like to make t-shirt memory quilts around here.  What you may not know is that also leaves us with quite a bit of t-shirt scraps--some pieces are smaller than others, but sometimes we have entire blank backs that go unused.

So after finishing my last t-shirt quilt I decided to challenge myself and use up the "leftovers" of the t-shirts and turn them into a quilt of some sort. I've been holding onto these for quite some time.

What I came up with was a brick like pattern using 6 inch and 3 inch strips.  Basically getting the stripes as wide as I could based on what I had. 

 This baby is LARGE!  And crazy, but I am pleased with the final result.

My 6'5" son and I are holding this up--widthwise--because it was too big to hold up lengthwise.

The backing was made from a chambray sheet and then added some additional stripes

so that it would be long enough.

Close-up of the quilting.  I asked Lynn for some simple lines to hold it all in place and then some random pebbling on a couple of the smaller stripes.   I love the pebbling!  If I ever do one of these again I would have her do every other or every 3rd row with the pebbling.

And here is my dad enjoying his new quilt.

He likes them HUGE so he can tuck it under everywhere.

And he also likes the added weight of the t-shirt fabric.

Details:

• Don't forget to interface all the t-shirt pieces so there is no stretching, especially for the quilter.
• Finished size 82 inches by 105 inches.  Yes, it is HUMONGOUS!!  Just the way this Arizona boy likes it so that he doesn't freeze to death.
• Quilted by Lynn Peterson.

Links to some other t-shirt quilts we've made or featured here on our blog.

• Samuel's quilt
• Lexanne's quilt
• Madisson's quilt
• Bria's quilt
• The twin Harley-Davidson quilts
• Ann's quilt for her daughter Lucy

Next up for me in another random improve t-shirt quilt.  It is done and needs a backing and to be quilted.  And I'm almost finished with daughter #2's t-shirt graduation quilt.  Hers will be interesting as it is a combo of 2 different high schools and other random shirts thrown in.  Can't wait to show them off when they are finished.

Samuel's T-shirt Quilt Top

Our nephew Samuel, in Nebraska, just graduated from Hastings High School this past May

(as well as received his Eagle Scout Award). 

Post graduation he gathered up the t-shirts he felt he could part with and sent them to me so I could put together this t-shirt quilt.

He is a tall guy (goes without saying for our family)--about 6'3"

and so I had to make sure this quilt was long enough to cover his frame.

That was a trick as he didn't have as many shirts as his sister did.

His older sister is the blondie middle one of this trio of cousins. 

I had to be a bit more creative in how I put his quilt all together.

The finished top.

I am really loving the gray/black keyboard look.

A little close-up of some of the t-shirt piecing I did for the borders.

Now to pick out the back, binding and send it off to the quilter.


Details:

• Front and back (where possible) of about 7 t-shirts plus a sleeve logo.  He had an EXACT duplicate of the white shirt front and back so I only cut the paw print off the second shirt and placed it in the quilt.
• For this quilt I pieced much more of the solid color portion of the t-shirts to add to it, including the sashing. I might have even pulled some solids from other t-shirt quilt extras I had.
• Post about his sister's t-shirt quilt. You can see how different they ended up being even though they attended the same high school and both ran cross country.
• Finished quilt top dimensions: 69 x 89 inches

Guest Blogger -- T-shirt Quilts

I met Ann when we first moved to this area 11 years ago. Back then we just had a one year old and her "baby" was in kindergarten. We ended up kid-sitting for their 4 kids for about a week while she and Brad went on a cruise or something fun like that. Now her "baby" is a HS junior and the only kid left at home.

We have talked on a number of occasions about the t-shirt quilts that she makes for her kids when they graduate from HS and move on to college. To be quite honest she is the only one I know who has actually done this for her kids. And I don't mean just using a couple tees, but using LOTS of tees that have been saved over the years. I asked her if she would tell us a little about how she put these great gifts together.

_______________________________

T-Shirt Quilts

from Ann

Here's the history behind my quilts.

My son (who is now 23) loves to hang on to things – all things! When he was very young – elementary school age, he wouldn’t let me throw away his t-shirts, even when they were too small (or too stained!) to wear anymore. When his dresser drawers were busting at the seams, I bargained with him and said, “If you will let me take some shirts out of your drawers, I’ll save them and someday I’ll make them into a quilt.” He reluctantly agreed, and every year we would tuck away a few more of his “special t-shirts.”

The years flew by and finally his high school graduation was on the horizon. I decided it was time to make good on my word and have a crack at the long talked about “t-shirt quilt.” What transpired was a wonderful project that we truly enjoyed together as he spent time choosing his favorite shirts and reminiscing about all the fun memories. We had shirts from sports teams, family reunions, church retreats, school clubs, fun vacations, town festivals and much more.

Of course, it became clear very quickly that I would eventually have to make three more for each of his three younger sisters. It has now become a wonderful tradition and during each senior year of HS we take this walk together down memory lane and create a personal history in a quilt!

Here are some of the details.

• First I cut the t-shirts in half right up the side seams so I have a flat piece of fabric.
• The next step is the most important: before cutting the shirt into a square, I iron “wonder-under” or some kind of iron-on pellon interfacing to the underside of the shirt. Once this is done, the squares are easy to cut using a rotary cutter. The interfacing keeps the shirts from stretching out of shape.
• I chose to make 12” squares (before sewing) because that seemed to be large enough to include most graphics from most shirts.

• I tie the quilts at each corner of the blocks.

Other details:

• I used 3” wide strips (before sewing) for the sashing between the squares. I let the kids choose the fabric for the back. All three chose flannel which worked well.
• If the designs on the shirts were smaller I would piece together two t-shirts or sometimes even four shirts. This allowed me to include more shirts on the quilt.
The middle quilt square below was t-shirt not quite large enough to make a 12" block, so we cut out the graphic and then appliqued it onto a plain square in order to use it.
• I went with 7 squares in the length and 5 across the width. This makes for a quilt that is approximately 8’3” X 6’. It is pretty big, but has worked nicely in their dorm rooms.
  My son had one dinosaur shirt that he couldn’t bear to have cut up because it had been such a favorite. So I got creative and carefully cut the shirt in half. Instead of cutting out a square, I appliquéd the entire front of the shirt onto the middle of the back. He LOVED it!
  On my oldest daughter’s quilt we used denim for the sashing strips between the squares and so we decided to put some jean pockets on the backside just for fun. We put them on the bottom so they wouldn’t bother her when she snuggled in. We both thought they would’ve been cute sewn upside down on the underneath top so that they would show when you fold down the top of the quilt.
  My second daughter was a gymnast and that was a HUGE part of her life. So along with many gymnastics t-shirts, we also cut up a few of her favorite leotards and used those.
  I now have one daughter left at home – a junior in high school. That means one more quilt to go! It’s funny, the quilts are so fun that sometimes we find ourselves looking at t-shirts and saying “We should buy that shirt, it would look so cute in my quilt!”

Graduation T-shirt Quilt--for daughter #1

This is the first t-shirt quilt of 5 (4 more over the next 11 years) that I will make for each of my children as they graduate from high school.

I'm so so happy that I got L.'s graduation quilt back in time from our quilter, Lynn.
It arrived on Monday.
I put the binding on it on Tuesday and graduation was Thursday night.


Although she knew which shirts I had used, I didn't really let her see it until it was completely put together. And once it showed up she didn't want to see it until actual graduation day.  The next 2 kids down were my picture helpers and they were quite envious.  Once again they wanted confirmation that they too would be getting a quilt when they graduate.

Here are some close-ups of the quilting and a couple of the t-shirt blocks.





Since there were a number of swimming related shirts Lynn did a meander that appears somewhat like water or waves.  She then did the borders in a different little motif.  I really love how it all turned out.





I just think this will be a fun quilt for her to have for college and beyond.



Details:

• Finished dimensions:  74 1/2 inches wide by 81 inches long.
• We used about 8 adult t-shirts including both the front and back.  Then added a couple solos here and there as needed. If you are using on the fronts of shirts you'd need about 16 for this size/style quilt.
• Started with 16 inch squares on most shirts.
• Apply lightweight interfacing to the wrong side of each shirt piece you are using to stabilize them.  I just went to Jo-Ann's and bought a bolt of their least expensive interfacing and used my coupon.  For sure I used at least 10 yds. of interfacing putting this together.
• Kona charcoal sashing and borders.  Cut 2 1/2 strips for between the columns and 4 1/2 strips for the outer borders.
• Orange and white chevron flannel from Jo-Ann's for backing.  $3.49/yd on sale.  Bought 6 yards to make sure I had enough room to match the print.
• Found a fun navy polka-dot print for the binding.

Notes:
Preview post here.
For more ideas here is my friend Ann's posts on her kids' t-shirt quilts.
And Emily's favorite babysitter's graduation t-shirt quilt.
I found these layout ideas helpful in planning what I was going to do: here, here, and here.

T-shirt Quilt Preview

In the midst of this

ongoing loading of the POD

and this

gutting and redo of the master bathroom

I am also making an effort to "clean out" my sewing room.
I decided to work on my daughter's t-shirt quilt in order to get some things out of my room.

A month or so ago we went thru her pile of t-shirts and weaned them down and divided them up in categories.  This quilt will be school themed--swim team shirts, choir, orchestra, honor roll.  That way there is a color theme to them without having to think too much.  She has more shirts and she may get another t-shirt quilt down the road, but for now we are sticking with the school spirit.



I started with 16 inch squares and then adjusted here and there.



Backing will be this orange and white chevron flannel from Jo-Ann's.

L. knows that I am doing this and she knows which shirts are in it, but I haven't shown her how it is all put together.  I sort of want her to be surprised.  My next 2 kids down the line both love the quilt and wanted to make sure that I was planning on making each of them one down the road.  Yes, yes, I will do that.

The quilt will be shipped off to Lynn today for quilting so that I can get it back in time for L.'s graduation and party that first full weekend of June.  I'm excited for her to have it.  New chapter in all of our lives.  Kinda weird!

Madisson's T-shirt Quilt

Although our niece Madisson received a graduation quilt from Emily last year, she also wanted a t-shirt quilt made of all her cross-county shirts.  Emily and I put together the layout on our February sewing retreat earlier this year. With such wild colored shirts two heads were definitely better than one when trying to figure out how to "coordinate" them all.  Emily had it quilted, brought it to our parents' 50th weekend and I put on the binding quick so we could give it to Madisson for an early b-day present (also thanks to her parents).

She was excited to finally get it.










Notes:

• Cute orange dotted Swiss for the binding.
• Black and white polka dot backing.
• Grey Kona for sashing.
• Lots of crazy running shirts. She had to pick out her favorites and some were left behind because of space and design.
• My oldest daughter's t-shirt quilt for another idea.
• Quilted by Lynn Peterson in a lovely loopy swirl pattern.

A quilt I didn't have to make...

As I said before, our lovely babysitter is heading off to college next month.   She has been busy purging her room of the stuff she's not taking with her.  One of which was her collection of high school t-shirts.  We spent a few days together last week busting through them all.  With a little guidance she made herself this awesome t-shirt quilt.

I actually really like the squares without sashing.   

They all finish about 18" long by 16" wide. 

For the backing she chose this green plaid flannel.
I have yet to make a quilt with a flannel back, but that needs to change... It sure makes it soft and cozy feeling.

When I picked up the quilt from my quilter, not only had she done a beautiful job on it, but she had finished the binding as well.   That was a pleasant little surprise.   She just turned the flannel over to the front and sewed it down.  Saved me some work, for sure.  And it looks great!

Here's what happens when an 18 yr old is helping you take pictures.  She said,  "pose in front of the quilt so I can post it on Facebook to show my friends."   So this is me!  :)  And yes, it's on her FB page now.  Lucky me!

Tips to make your own T-shirt quilt.
Another look here

T-shirt Quilt for Daughter #2

 Daughter #2 with her t-shirt quilt for graduation.

 Some close-ups of the quilting.

 Backing chevron flannel and binding.

 Little sisters are so helpful!

 This is probably her favorite tee.

 I had Lynn quilt her graduation year onto the quilt because she didn't have any with her year on it.

Details:

• For this quilt I used about 25 shirts, including 2 sweatshirts.  A couple had both a back and a front that we used. 
• 5 columns of t-shirts
• 6 yds. of Grey Chevron Flannel for backing that I bought at JoAnn's.
• Quilted by Lynn Peterson
• Finished Dimensions 76 inches by 88 inches

Graduation Quilt Top

Our second child will be graduating from high school in a couple of weeks.

I completed her t-shirt quilt top this week and got it sent off to the quilter today.

 Hers looks a little more crazy than what I've done in the past.

However, that is probably because she has attended 2 different high school during her time.

 This is also the first time I've made a t-shirt quilt without any sashing or borders.

It is definitely a bit more random than others I've done.

This is the backing: gray chevron flannel.

So happy that I got the pattern lined up perfectly!

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