Layout

Quilting Around the Block

Home

Services

Quilt Prep

Contact

Do you have old T-shirts filling drawers and closet shelves? Shirts that have memories of vacations, schools, concerts, sports and other activities or events... turn these unused shirts into a quilted memory that can be enjoyed for years to come.

These shirts will be made into a custom quilt that is ready to enjoy. You only need to provide clean T-shirts and I will do the rest, using only quality fabrics and batting. The price is based on the size and number of shirts you want to include... Do not include T-shirts that have a design graphic larger than 14 inches or part of the image will be cut off -- unless that doesn't concern you...

Complete the work order, gather up your clean shirts (if you wash them, don't use fabric softener) and contact me to schedule an appointment. Quilts take approximately 8-12 weeks (excluding Christmas season) to complete so be sure and allow plenty of time before graduation, birthday or other event. If your shirt has a graphic on both the front and the back and you want both sides included, this will count as 2 shirts. Fold all shirts with the preferred design as the "front". Group them together - if you have shirts where both sides will be used separate these from the others with a piece of paper indicating to use both sides. Stack in paper bags (they fit nicely stacked up in the bags with the paper dividers)...plastic bags tend to tumble over and the shirts can get jumbled up. All fabric used is 100% quilt shop quality cotton fabric.

$125 deposit required for all T-shirt quilts. Please include a printed worksheet along with your shirts.

The size of your T-shirt quilt depends on the number of T's you provide. The size of the shirt graphics will determine the size of the blocks in the quilt. 14 inches is the largest graphic to prevent losing any of the image in the cutting and sewing. The most common layout is a traditional straight set vs. the variable layout (see diagrams and photos below). The variable layout will require lots more shirts than the traditional layout. Most teen-ager and adult shirts will use the 14" block and grade school shirts fall into the 12" block. Some shirts have a very small chest logo and if there are multiple shirts like this, it is better to use 4 shirts to create one block. If you have a large number of shirts you'd like to use, then a variable layout is the best way to utilize the most shirts...especially if you have a mixture of small to large designs on the shirts.

Pricing: $19 per shirt, this includes everything - you simply provide the shirts and I'll do all the work. Large outer border extra.

Traditional block layout with sashing between shirts (based on a 14" shirt block)

12 shirts	Throw or Lap size
16 shirts	Square throw
20 shirts	Twin
25 shirts	Full 5x5 square
30 shirts	Full/Queen 5x6
36 shirts	Queen 6x6 square
42 shirts	King 7x6

Above sizes are estimates and do not include additional outer borders. Adding an outer border could increase the size by 6-10" depending on your preference. Additional fees will be based on size and number of borders added and any shirts needing to be pieced together...minimum charge for adding additional border is $25.

Seaming smaller logo shirts to make a larger more pleasing block, add $6

Traditional layout using 5x6 blocks or 30 shirts with sashing (framing) and different color "cornerstone" with one with additional outer border. My preferred color is a light grey. Grey is a great blending color that looks great with all t-shirt colors. It also doesn't show the lint and fuzz that a darker color (navy, black, etc) does. I use a similar color as the backing fabric.

Some of the quilting pattern selections stitched on t-shirt quilts - simple and open designs are best.

Swirls quilting design Allover Meander Deb's Swirls String Bauhaus

Variable Layouts can be totally random or in a column format with or without sashing strips. You will need more shirts to obtain a decent sized quilt with blocks cut in a variety of sizes. However if the majority of your shirt designs are the same size and over 10 inches, then not as many shirts will be required. When the designs vary dramatically in size from shirt to shirt, more shirts are needed. Keep in mind that fronts and backs of shirts may be used to help make up the difference - completed quilt size always depends on graphic size and quantity of shirts provided. The quilts below ended up as lap size rather than bed size-- with the far right quilts utilizing sashing strips and an outer border to help increase finished size.

Don't have enough shirts for a larger quilt, pieced blocks can be added (black for the left and brightly colored squares on the right represent your shirts) The 2 color hourglass block is made to increase the size of your quilt -- the solid squares represent the t-shirts.

Bedding and Comforter Sizes

Standard and older mattress depth is 9-12" New mattresses run 14-16" in depth. If the quilt is to be used for a bed, I highly recommend measuring the width and length to determine how many shirts will be needed - or adding additional borders to make large enough. There will be some shrinkage during the quilting process as well as when the quilt has been washed and dried.

Bed	Mattress Measures**	Standard Comforter Widths (in Inches)	Standard Comforter Lengths (in Inches)
Crib	28" x 52"	28 - 36"	46 - 52"
Twin	39" x 75"	66 - 68"	86 - 88"
Double	60" x 80"	81 - 84" +	86 - 88"
Queen	60" x 80"	86 - 88"	96 - 100"
King (Standard/Eastern)	76-78" x 80"	102"	86 - 88"
California King	72" x 84"	107 - 110"	96 - 98"