Adding Another WIP to the Queue
Posted in Quilting
This may not be a new WIP, per se, as I’ve been thinking about it for as long as I’ve been quilting and had the “fabric” for longer, but it’s now made it to the cutting table: College t-shirt squares for a t-shirt quilt.
I got tired of the storage bag taking up space in my closet (I’m not much of a patterned t-shirt wearer these days), and cut the shirts all apart the other day. The blocks will probably stay in this state for quite some time, but at least they take up a lot less space now.
I didn’t count, but I think there were around 20 shirts, some with front and back printed, some with just front, some with smaller logos on the front and full back, etc.
Part of the reason I don’t want to piece this yet is that one notable shirt is missing. I probably wouldn’t care, if not for the fact that I designed it. At some point we had two, because Carl also had one, but neither are to be found, either in my bag of shirts or our dressers. I have no idea how both disappeared! I know those two weren’t donated at any point. Maybe one’ll pop up sometime soon.
But, I have plenty of other projects to work on anyway and am very happy to reclaim the closet space!
Tips
Fuse on the interfacing before you cut. Interfacing is a must, even just a light-weight one. Cut it larger than your planned squares, fuse, then cut. It makes life much easier.
Pick block sizes that work together, especially if you don’t have a final layout planned. My shirts were mostly men’s smalls and mediums, with a few women’s larges thrown in. I was able to get a 12.5″ square from each very easily (which was great, because I have a square ruler that size). Some shirts had smaller motifs on the front, so I also cut 6.5″×12.5″ and 6.5″×6.5″ pieces, which will all work together well.
Unless there is something printed on the side seam, cut up each side, all the way through the bottom of the sleeve. This will let you open up the shirt and lay it flat, while keeping as much fabric in place to position your interfacing and ruler.
Have you ever made a t-shirt quilt? I’m kind of making up this process as I go along…
2 Responses to “Adding Another WIP to the Queue”
Koba
8:49 pm | 06/23/13
Dark Side t-shirt!! I simply can’t quit any of my Hamtech tees, though I seem to be choosing “nice” tops (ie not t-shirts) to wear more and more often. I suppose it’s a matter of time before they, too, get consigned to my “future t-shirt quilt” box.
Sigh.
Rachael Arnold
11:24 am | 06/24/13
I’m not sure what prompted it, but after college, I started wearing more and more solid shirts. I still wear t-shirts a lot, but they are women’s cut, and solid. I still kept a few college tees out for rare days, but I have enough others now that I can retire all the college ones.
Not to mention, I am picky about fabrics, and some of my other t-shirts are just way higher quality jersey.
Carl, meanwhile, still has college shirts that cannot be worn for all the holes, but refuses to let them go. Same for his ridiculously ratty hoodie (he has a newer, nicer college one, so it’s not just that).