Today’s Topic: How to Quilt a Tshirt Quilt
Good Morning, Quilters!
Thank you all for your kind notes regarding my return to blogging and my vision challenges.
I am so sorry to hear that many of YOU have experienced similar problems. The take home message is–when you see floaters or flashers-see your ophthalmologist immediately!
Everyone Loves a TShirt Quilt
How often have YOU been asked to make a Tshirt quilt?
More than any other quilt, non-quilters LOVE Tshirt quilts! It’s hard to give up a Tshirt when you’ve spent hours of sweat earning it’s logo. Or maybe the Tshirt brings back memories of favorite concerts.
Whatever the reason, everyone loves a Tshirt quilt….
Except maybe quilters-LOL!
Why Everyone Loves TShirt Quilts
The reason everyone loves Tshirt quilts is the same reason I constantly say don’t worry about perfection!
Personality is more important than perfection!
Our families are more interested in the personal touches-like fun motifs or handwriting-that we add to their quilts than they care about perfect quilting.
TShirt quilts are the epitome of personalization!
And while we don’t always like to use old, knit fabric, I’m sure we all love to make quilts that make people happy!
Creating a TShirt Quilt
My daughter, Olivia and I made this Tshirt quilt for her husband, Matt with Tshirts his mom had saved from his early years.
All those high school sports and activities combined in a colorful quilt mosaic.
Before piecing the blocks, we backed each Tshirt with lightweight fusible interfacing, being careful not to melt the logos.
The layout was a little tricky because the logos were different widths so we added sashing to the narrow blocks.
Choosing border and shashing colors is probably the trickiest part of making a Tshirt quilt. We used a design wall to audition a variety of borders and sashings and decided on the gray and red.
Longarm Quilting
Once the quilt was pieced, we considered how to quilt a Tshirt quilt of this size–extra tall for extra tall, Matt!
His quilt was one of the first projects in the queue for quilting on my new longarm.
We chose an overall, edge to edge design available in the Qmatic patterns. (Qmatic is the computer system for the BERNINA Q24 Longarm.)
We liked the square meander pattern because it referenced the various size rectangles in the Tshirt quilt.
Let the Tshirts Shine
The key to quilting a Tshirt quilt is to keep it simple. The Tshirts (and the personal achievements they represent) are the star of the show. Let the logos lead the way and choose thread and motifs that do not hinder your ability to see them clearly.
Choose thread color that blends with most of the colors in the quilt. (We chose medium gray thread for this quilt.)
Use lightweight thread that disappears more readily. (Read Understanding Thread Weight.)
Use a Universal or Ballpoint needle for quilting through the knit fabric. Test the needle on both the jersey fabric and the plastic logo areas to be sure it will pierce the paint. Increase the size of the needle if the needle appears to stutter as it hits the plastic. If that doesn’t work, use a Topstitch needle which is a sharp needle and generally not used on jersey because it may tear the fibers. (NOTE-after testing, we chose a Topstitch needle.)
Commissioned Tshirt Quilts
Here at LKQ, I often get requests to create Tshirt quilts which I only make for family. I would love to be able to refer requests to other quilters. If YOU are interested in creating Tshirt quilts for commission, please leave info in the comment section and I will create a list for future inquiries.
What about YOU?
Have YOU made any Tshirt quilts for family and friends?
Do YOU have any tips for making Tshirt quilts?
What motif, thread, needle worked best for YOU?
We’d LOVE to hear!
Your Happy Quilter,
Lori
PS…All tutorials, images and information are the property of Lori@LoriKennedyQuilts and are intended for personal use only. Feel free to re-blog, pin or share with attribution to LKQ. For all other purposes, please contact me at Lori@LoriKennedyQuilts.com. Thanks!
