<p>I know there are websites about t-shirt quilts but does anyone have a personal recommendation on someone or a company that has done this? I don’t sew, and daughter has finally stopped wearing her hs and most college t-shirts. I would love to get a t-shirt quilt made for her before she goes to her first job overseas. Can also pm me if you or anyone you know would be willing to do one.</p>
<p>I don’t know if this quilting cooperative would make the quilt, but I had a very good experience with them hand-quilting a quilt for me. Reasonable prices and excellent work. You could call them and ask.</p>
<p><a href=“davidappalachiancrafts.com - Travel Everywhere”>davidappalachiancrafts.com - Travel Everywhere;
<p>Great idea! I want to make a quilt using my daughter’s swim team T-shirts before she goes to college next year. I found this website with instructions - looks like she also will do the project for you is you want.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.goosetracks.com/T-ShirtQuiltInstructions.html[/url]”>http://www.goosetracks.com/T-ShirtQuiltInstructions.html</a></p>
<p>Me too, me too!! DD (rising college sophomore) was competitive gymnast for 10 years. I have a huge stack of meet/camp t-shirts that I would love to have made into a quilt/wall hanging. Lots of websites out there, but I’d feel better having a recommendation or 2 before sending off all those precious shirts.</p>
<p>Here are good directions:
For any of you wanting to do it yourself, these are easy instructions from my sorority magazine. My own way is in CAPS.</p>
<p>Directions:
Select 30 T-shirts. Using a 14" square piece of glass (available at a lumbar yard) as a template, cut the fronts from the T-shirts using a rotary cutter. The glass is heavy enough to hold the shirt while cutting and transparent so you can see if the shirt is centered. Cut a 14" square of light-weight muslin and stitch to the back of each block to stabilize it.
I USE A CLEAR OMNIGRID 15 X 15 QUILTING RULER INSTEAD OF GLASS. I USE GRIDDED (MARKED IN 1 INCH SQUARES) FUSIBLE INTERFACING INSTEAD OF STITCHING LIGHTWEIGHT MUSLIN. IT STABILIZES THE STRETCHY T-SHIRT FABRIC BETTER. BE CAREFUL WHEN IRONING! SOMETIMES THE DESIGN MIGHT MELT IF IT’S NOT SILKSCREENED. 30 QUILTS WILL MAKE A FULLSIZE QUILT. YOU JUST NEED A NUMBER THAT IS A MULTIPLE IE 30 QUILTS WILL BE 6 x 5.</p>
<p>Sew T-shirt blocks together, matching corners. Or, for a different look, sew a strip on each side of the square, then sew the strips together. Alberta first used a 3 ½" wide black strip, taking ½" seams. On another, she accented the black strip with a 3 ½" gold square at the corners using Missouri school colors.
DITTO I USUALLY USE 2" WIDE SASHING (with seam allowance this would be 2.5" to cut) BETWEEN THE SHIRTS AND A WIDER STRIP FOR THE BORDER.</p>
<p>To finish the top, lay the quilt and backing on the floor, right sides together. Pin, then stitch all around, leaving a 24" opening in one of the long sides. Return the quilt to the floor. Cut the batting to the exact size and lay it on top of the quilt. (Alberta used extra loft.) With a friend, roll the quilt backing and batting from corners as tightly as possible rolling toward the opening. Stretch the opening over the huge roll of cotton and fabric and turn your quilt right side out. Unroll it carefully, working out any bumps or wrinkles. Stitch closed.
I SAFETY-PIN THE QUILT SANDWICH (BACKING, BATTING, TOP) TOGETHER, QUILT IT AND BIND IT RATHER THAN MAKING A QUILT PILLOW. IT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO GET ALL THE WRINKLES OUT FROM THE TURN-RIGHTSIDE-OUT METHOD</p>
<p>For tying you can use yarn, all six strands of embroidery floss, pearl cotton, or heavy crochet thread. The quilt should be tied about every four inches in a square or surgeon’s knot. Alberta tied her quilts on the wrong side, but says that tying on either side would work.
I MACHINE QUILT IT.</p>
<hr>
<p>I have done many tshirt quilts for various family members and on commission. They are a lot of fun because the shirts themselves have such great motifs. Feel free to PM if you have questions.</p>
<p>Thanks for the directions everyone! I am collecting XC championship race shirts for my D for that purpose, but haven’t quite made the decision yet if I am up to the challenge of doing it myself…most competitive running magazines list companies that do them for you.</p>
<p>What a wonderful idea! I’m gathering up old cheerleading t-shirts as we speak…lol! Can’t sew to save my life, but I found this website that charges about $10 per square (24 squares for a dorm twin bed or duvet). Seems expensive, but what a great Christmas present! I just might have to fork the cash over. Just in case you haven’t seen it.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.tshirtquilt.com/[/url]”>http://www.tshirtquilt.com/</a></p>
<p>OMG I wish I’d known about this years ago. I’ve made more dust rags out of my kids old little league t shirts than I can use in a hundred years. This will be a perfect way to use up all their practice team shirts, club shirts, shirts from vacations, etc.</p>
<p>If I “teach myself” how to do this, using my kids’ stuff as <em>guinea pigs</em>, I’m going to display it at their old hs. Every year, kids at their hs have to buy new team shirts, club shirts, pe shirts, etc. This would be a great way to make some extra money or raise money for charity!</p>
<p>I don’t sew to speak of but I made D a t-shirt quilt last year for graduation and she loves it – several people asked who did it – so much for their expectations of my domestic skills! Get a quilting template and a rotary cutter and mat – makes it much easier</p>
<p>Will start son’s this year…</p>
<p>I would love to do this for my guys – I’ve been collecting shirts since they were small – they are the main souvenirs we get when we travel, so every shirt has a story behind it. I asked DS1 if he’d like me to make one and he looked horrified. If I used math and geek t-shirts, he’d probably be thrilled, but I’d have to pry them off his cold dead body first, as he would NEVER let me cut up any of them! :)</p>
<p>It is hard to part with the shirts. It usually takes a year for the tshirt owner not to want to wear shirts after a phase of their life is over.</p>
<p>My wife has made a number of these types of quilts for other people. They come out pretty nice and people seem to be thrilled with the results. They’re often given to their kids, both daughters and sons, after HS to take with them to college. She also has a way to transfer photos to fabric and include some of those in the quilt as well.
It becomes a quilt full of memories. It’s an idea worthy of following up on.</p>
<p>I just talked to my wife about this. She recommended that if you don’t want to make the quilt yourself, go to some local quilt shops and ask for a reference to someone who can make the quilt for you. Try to get a few references and contact them. See if the quilter has some photos of T-Shirt quilts they’ve already made. Go with who appears to be the best rather than the cheapest since this is one-shot at an heirloom. Expect it to cost $300-$500 in labor (not counting materials).</p>
<p>thanks for that link ldmom! It is pricey, but maybe worth the time for us non-sewers! I’ve kept t-shirts from the kids’ activities since they were 5 years old (soccer, tball, basketball, CTY, church camps) and always wanted to make quilts with them but just haven’t gotten the energy to learn how to do it. The quilts on that site look very comfortable and fun.</p>
<p>I would have to agree on finding someone local. Even when the quilt is insured against damage in transit, it is truly irreplaceable because you are dealing with sentimental items that may not individually have much cash value but are priceless to the owner.</p>
<p>In terms of the cost, there is a tremendous amount of labor involved for both the construction of the top, quilting the sandwich, and then binding the edges.</p>
<p>My daughter was a member of a very fine children’s choir for seven years. I collected all of the T-Shirts. Luckily for us, one of my relatives loves quilting and she had made her own child a t-shirt quilt. I asked her if she would do this and she did it as a high school graduation present for DD. It is GORGEOUS. She actually not only quilted each shirt section, but she also decided to bead them. Each one is done differently. I have to say, it is a work of art…and DD loves it. It took about 2 years to complete (we gave her the tees at the end of 10th grade)…but it was worth it.</p>
<p>I have made t-shirt quilts for my S and my D and they are so loved by them. Both kids played many sports for what seemed like forever. We had many tournament shirts that had dates on them which make the quilt even more special. I think I could make 3 quilts for each with all the t-shirts they have.
It is such great sentimental gift and very cozy too!</p>
<p>^^^^ 
My D does have 3: the K-8 years (30 shirts), the high school years (same number), and then the running theme with all her races and invitationals (16 shirts). And now there will be the college years with homecoming, sorority events, philanthropy functions…</p>
<p>I actually made a quilt last year, using these same directions, and it came out pretty well, even though I am not much of a sewer. It doesn’t look heirloom quality, but it seems fine for dorm life and a transitional object. If you think you really want to have something heirloom quality, then pay a real quilter. I still have a laundry basket full of t-shirts that didn’t make it into the quilt and will not fit into the dresser either. I’m hoping in another year, the emotional attachment will be over and we can throw them out!</p>
<p>I’m a fabric artist/quilter/sewer type, and $300-500 is not unreasonable for labor. I find it really hard to charge what I ought to for labor – I make these hand-embroidered quilted wall hangings and Judaic fabric art and wind up making $2/hr.! Folks who do this stuff are usually doing it as a labor of love.</p>
<p>On the other hand, t-shirt quilts aren’t that hard to make, once you learn the tricks about handling the t-shirts. Most local fabric stores hold periodic classses in how to make them (around here the class at the local Joann’s is $25), as they are a very popular beginner/intermediate sewing project.</p>
<p>As for losing the emotional attachment to t-shirts – good luck! I have t-shirts from when I was in HS – back in the late 70s, also known as the Dark Ages – and I still can’t bear to part with them!</p>