May is usually the month of commencements, and this year is no different.
For years I made quilts for family members out of pre-loved clothing. For babies and toddlers, it was a baby, play, or transition out-of-crib quilt. Later, as another life transition, they became go-to-college quilts. These quilts were primarily made from T-shirts from high school activities and with looks toward their chosen college.
My FINAL (I keep having to remind myself) T-shirt quilt has just been gifted away. The recipient of this quilt is also heading to a university in Alabama, not unlike my 3 children when they started college.
If you are interested in making a T-shirt quilt or one from pre-loved clothing, I have listed the six basic steps below:
- COLLECT and WASH. Collect and wash T-shirts, clothing, etc. Remember, you can include anything else sentimental that can be sewn and washed. I have included caps, ribbons, bracelets, doll outfits, uniform parts, scarves, etc.
- CUT APART. Cut T-shirts apart at side seams and around armholes. Decide what parts you would like to include. Do the same for clothing and/or chosen items.
- IRON to STABILIZE. Lay T-shirt material flat, face side down. Place light, fusible interfacing on top, with the fusible side facing down. Heat iron to medium and place it on top of fusing for a short time. Lift and repeat. Check to be sure the T-shirt fabric is now attached to the interfacing. Do NOT slide the iron along the fusing.
- CUT. Use a ruler or template to cut squares or rectangles from the T-shirt pieces. Hint: The more pieces that are the same size, the easier it will be to sew them together. Odd pieces (caps, ribbons, clothing, etc.) should be sewn down to a square or rectangle.
- LAY OUT. Arrange all the cut pieces on the floor to decide how to sew them together. Pieces can be directly sewn to each other or can be sewn to “sashing” to give the quilt a more uniform look.
- SEW. To make a large piece it easier to manage, you can sew different sections and then join them all together at the end.
Quilts come in different “standard” sizes so you can adjust to how you want the final bed covering to look. Here is a suggested chart to use as a base:
And sometimes the years fly by too quickly and that toddler becomes a pre-teen in the blink of an eye!
