By: betsyb

Many thanks to all who responded to my plea for help
making a t-shirt quilt.

Many people directed me to an article in the
Quilter's Newsletter, Jul-Aug, 1994, p. 27.

Someone kindly sent me a copy, and I am posting this
summary of the article for anyone who's interested.
(authors of article are Shirley Wegert & Kay Jesse).

T-Shirt Quilt

Iron shirts, and cut out the design element in a square
or rectangular shape. Add 1/5 inch seam allowance.

Apply fusible interfacing made for stretchy fabrics.
(I've seen this in the Clothilde's catalog).
Make sure there are no wrinkles in t-shirt before bonding.

Trim t-shirt to the edge of bonding material if necessary.

Lay out all the blocks on the floor and just fiddle with it
until you get a pleasing design.  They suggest that you
TRY to make it into rows if possible.

Use sashing to fill in blank areas and between design elements.
They also suggest using some pieced sashing, especially for
bigger blank areas.

(They suggested "butted borders". Not being a quilter I don't
know what this means.)


Suggested finishing - machine quilt in the ditch around the blocks
with some quilting around interesting design elements.

END OF SUMMARY

The quilt they picture is darling. Some blocks don't have sashing
all aruound, but only on 2 or 3 sides.  Kind of like a crazy
quilt.

Other suggestions I got from two netters who have made t-shirt quilts:
(I hope I haven't mis-interpreted anything here).

From patricia (whittrsh@mindvox.phantom.com):
For a lighter comfy quilt, don't using a stabilizer(interfacing)
except on really old t-shirts. Flannel sheet for backing.
Variegated yarn ties used for anchoring front to back.
Odd shapes (not squares or rectangles) appliqued to plain
blocks. used left-over t-shirt material for sashing.

From caroledoyle@delphi.com:
Used all same size blocks (some small shirts also used
some material from the arm to make them all the same size).
Regular fusible interfacing, but non-stretchy kind.
Flannel backing. 1.5 inch sashing between blocks. Quilted
on the edges of sashing only, and ties on the t-shirt
blocks.

THANKS  to all who responded.
As some of the t-shirts I want to use are in storage, I won't
get down to the actual pieceing together of the quilt until
after Christmas.  But I can start making blocks of the t-shirts
I have!!

Re: CORRECT seam allow. in t-shirt summary

K> Iron shirts, and cut out the design element in a square
> or rectangular shape. Add 1/5 inch seam allowance.
>

Correction - That should be half inch seam allowance,
Even though you would use 1/4 inch seams, allow
the extra for trimming the t-shirt material if it needs it.
Sorry for the typo (I was thinking .5).