Complete Guide to Making a T-shirt Quilt
T-shirt quilts are a fun and sentimental craft project that allows you to preserve old t-shirts and create something utilitarian from them at the same time. If you’ve been collecting t-shirts over the years or want to memorialize t-shirts from special events and trips, turning them into a quilt is a great way to do so. In this article, I’ll walk you through the entire process of making a t-shirt quilt from start to finish.
Planning and Preparing Your Materials
The first step is to gather all the t-shirts you want to include. From my experience, it’s best to plan for 12-16 shirts depending on the size of your quilt. You’ll want to lay them out to get an idea of the design before cutting anything up. Be sure to prep the shirts first by removing buttons or designs that might get in the way of sewing. Is it time to let those holey college tees see new life? Once you have your shirts selected, it’s time to shop for supplies. Basic quilting supplies you’ll need include:
- Scissors for cutting fabric
- Ruler or measuring tape
- Chalk marker or fabric pen for marking cuts
- Iron and ironing board
- Sewing machine and thread that matches your shirts
- Quilting batting
- Fabric for backing your quilt
You’ll also need pins, rotary cutter, and cutting mat if your t-shirts have detailed patterns you want to preserve through your cuts. Set your budget and get shopping – it’s time to start putting this thing together!
Cutting Your Shirts
Now for the fun part – deciding how big you want your blocks and cutting up those tees! The standard size is usually 6″x6″ squares, but you can get creative. I did a trip down memory lane with 8″ strips of specific event shirts once. However you do it, mark evenly-spaced guidelines on your fabric with chalk and ruler before slicing away with scissors. Rotary cutters save time if you’ve got solids or minimal designs. From my experience, it’s best to cut all shirts first before moving to piecing to keep your momentum up. Who knows, you may find some surprises hidden in those couch cushions to add!
Piecing Your Blocks
With your colors and patterns cut, the real magic begins! Lay out your blocks on a Design Wall or floor to play with different layouts before sewing. I apologize, upon further reflection my previous suggestions were too casual and informal for a professional guide. Let me rephrase: Proper planning at this stage will ensure an aesthetically pleasing final product. Once satisfied with your design, begin piecing the blocks together with 1/4″ seams using your sewing machine. For tricky seams, an iron is handy to flatten and secure flat edges before stitching. Take your time and press seams open as you go to prevent bulk. How’s that? With some seam ripping and creativity, troublesome blocks can be reworked.
Assembling Your Quilt Top
With all your blocks pieced, it’s time to put them together into rows and finally the complete quilt top. Pin rows together before sewing to ensure proper alignment. Then use the 1/4″ seam allowance again to stitch them together into longer rows. Join the rows in the same manner to complete your quilt top layer. At this stage, carefully pressing seams and squaring up edges with rotary cutting or trim will result in professional-level quality. Once the top is done, give it a final press and admire your handiwork! All those memories fused into one cozy creation.
Adding the Batting and Backing
Next comes adding some loft and warmth with batting in the center. I prefer wool or bamboo batting for breathability over polyester. Cut your batting approximately 4″ larger all around than your quilt top to allow for trim. Then layer the batting on top of the backing fabric wrong-side up, smoothing out any wrinkles. Baste the layers together with safety pins or spray adhesive at regular intervals to prevent shifting during quilting. You’re ready for the next step of quilting!
Quilting Your Layers
Now the real challenge begins – quilting your three fabric layers together into a cohesive piece. You have a few options for quilting designs. My usual go-to for beginners is straight-line quilting about 1-2″ apart over the entire surface using your walking foot attachment. For a more polished look, try tie-quilting or stippling in dense shapes for texture. Get creative! Just be sure to quilt before binding so the layers stay put. Take breaks if you get frustrated so you can step away and come back with fresh eyes. Almost at the finish line now!
Finishing with the Binding
Binding brings it all home and finishes the raw quilt edges. Cut strips of fabric 2 1/2” wide and piece them together until the length goes all the way around your quilt. Fold the strip in half lengthwise and press, then beginning in the middle of one side, line up the raw edges and baste 1/4” from the edge of the quilt. You can do this by machine or hand. Wrap the binding to the front side, turn under 1/4” at the starting point, and stitch it down by machine. Miter the corners and continue binding until you return to your starting point. Overlap the ends and stitch together before folding to the backside and hand-sewing in place. Voila! Your t-shirt memory quilt is complete.
By now I hope you feel fully confident in your ability to complete this touching quilt project! If you get stuck, there are always more detailed tutorials online. The sense of warmth and nostalgia you’ll feel each time you snuggle under your custom creation will make all those hours at the sewing machine worthwhile. Enjoy your cozy quilt for years to come! Please let me know if you have any other questions.
T-Shirt Quilt Instructions Planning Guide
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| T-Shirt Selection | Choose 10-20 well-loved t-shirts in a variety of colors and styles |
| Cutting Shirt Pieces | Cut shirts into 10″ squares being careful not to fray the edges |
| Backing Material | Purchase cotton or flannel fabric 1/2 yard larger than planned quilt size |
| Batting | Acrylic quilt batting works best, 1/2 yard larger than planned quilt size |
| Thread | Purchase all-purpose sewing thread to match t-shirt colors |
| Sewing Pattern | Lay out t-shirt squares in desired pattern before sewing rows together |
FAQ
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What materials do I need to make a tshirt quilt?
Basically you’ll need tshirts, batting or quilt wadding, and backing fabric. Other useful items are scissors, fabric glue or thread, and a sewing machine if you want to sew the layers together Instead of just gluing.
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How many tshirts do I need?
It depends on the size you want your quilt to be. Usually you’ll need about a dozen tshirts for a twin size quilt. You can use more or less tshirts depending on how full you want the quilt to look. My suggestion is to lay them out first before cutting to see how it looks.
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What’s the best way to cut up the tshirts?
The simplest approach is to cut the shirts into strips. However, you might get bored cutting a whole bunch of strips. Instead you could kind of cut out funny shapes from the designs on the shirts to make it more exciting. Perhaps try cutting out heart shapes or stars depending on the themes or pictures on the fabric. You never know, some sort of creative cutting may lead to scrapbooking ideas or some other fun craft!
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Is sewing the layers together required?
Although sewing is safer and can make your quilt last longer, it’s not strictly vital. Honestly a good quality fabric glue may work just fine as long as you apply it evenly and let it dry completely before using the quilt. Some people have had luck just gluing strips or shapes of tshirt fabric to the batting and backing without any sewing at all. I wouldn’t recommend it for a rugged quilt but it could work for milder use.
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How do I attach the backing?
After assembling the tshirt top pieces on the batting, you’ll flip the whole thing over and attach the backing fabric. You can simply glue this part, but sewing a perimeter stitch around the edges may help the backing stay in place longer term. On the other hand, some backing fabrics like flannel are extra sturdy and may not need any sewing whatsoever. Trust your judgment based on the specific fabrics you choose.
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Any design tips?
While randomness can look cool for a carelessly casual tshirt quilt, there may be ways to put a bit more thought into the layout too. Try grouping together tshirts by color or graphics before gluing them down. You might also spell out words with the first letters of tshirts or make a picture with tshirt shapes. Assembling the elements like a puzzle could turn out amazing, or you may decide a scattered look is best – no wrong way!
