How To Make A Tee Shirt Quilt With Different Size Squares

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I've decided to beginning a monthly series called "Making Memories Last." In this series, I will take quondam items with memories attached to them, and upcycle them to something new. I'1000 pretty excited well-nigh this first post in the serial. I've had a bag total of t-shirts in my closets for a while now. And when I say a while, this purse has moved with me 3 times. At starting time I had great ambitions to make an official "t-shirt quilt" with the borders and binding–basically the whole sheebang (that's a word, I promise). Being realistic, I knew I would not have the patience to make the perfect square cuts, create a binding, or mitt quilt to terminate. So in comes the t-shirt rag quilt, also known as the not-quilter'south quilt. Previously, I made a infant sized rag quilt for a sweetness friend, and I establish that rag quilts are very forgiving. Please continue in mind that I am past no means a sewing skillful (and that'southward why I also did not brand a "real" quilt).

Left: front, Right: back. Definitely some oldies but goodies t-shirts in there! 🙂

Let'southward get started. Here is what you will need:

~Cotton t-shirts (I used thirty of varying themes such every bit Auburn, high school, college, races, etc. You could also do an all race shirt or a college themed shirt for example).
~Rotary cutter and cutting mat are highly recommended for your sanity (you can buy a gear up at most craft stores–don't forget your coupons!)
~Flannel (nosotros will use this as the filling)
~Fabric scissors

First you volition need to go through your t-shirts and see if whatever are smaller than the others. I had one that fit smaller, so I picked that one to base all of my squares off of. I cut my squares at 13inches x 13inches. Originally they were xiv ten 14, simply I cut it wrong. Yous know that saying measure twice, cut once? Yea, I should probably do that haha. It happens 🙂 Proceed in mind, that if you have bigger squares yous won't need as many tshirts and vice versa. It is upward to you how big you desire to brand your quilt.


If you lot e'er have the chance, you should definitely check out the Velcro Pygmies…they are quite the good comprehend band!

Once I had my commencement t-shirt cut, I used that as the template to cut the other shirts as you can see in the last picture on the right. When you lot are deciding how big you lot desire your squares, remember you volition lose an inch or so to the seams. I used both the forepart and back of my t-shirts by making i cutting. If I were to do this again, I would cut the front and the back of the shirts separately to ensure I got the best portion of the picture. You lot could likewise utilize a piece of flannel equally the backing. Keep in listen that the cuts do not have to be as perfect as those on a regular quilt because eventually you will be cut the edges anyhow. Simply they do need to exist generally the aforementioned.

For the filling, I used flannel. I bought different colors so when the quilt is washed and frayed, the fray-age would be different colors. I recommend white flannel for the white shirts so a unlike colour does non show through. I decided to employ 3 layers of flannel in each t-shirt square. If I were to practise this again, I would probably utilise 1 or 2 layers of flannel. My quilt ended upwards being very heavy, and it was very tough on my sewing machine. Farther, using three layers of flannel meant that I had to cut 90 flannel squares…

Now it is fourth dimension to start sewing those squares together. I used this sewing machine. Information technology wasn't super cheap and also not super expensive/fancy–more of an in between sewing machine, simply it got me through this and my other little projects 🙂 Lay the back of the t-shirt good side facing downwards, followed by the three layers of flannel squares, and finally the front end of the t-shirt on superlative with the good side facing out. Yous can decide if you want the front or back of the t-shirt as the ruffled side after. I normally kept the square together using pins. Next, you simply sew an "X" on each shirt.

Run into the "Ten" in the far right picture? Yes, you accept to do that on all of the t-shirt squares, which in my example, was thirty…eeekk!

Here are some tips on sewing the t-shirt squares:

~Exist sure to employ the same thread on your upper and lower thread

~Become slow on the glossy print (your machine well-nigh likely will not like the gloss)

~Opposite stitch at the commencement and end of your "X"s to brand them stronger

The hard role comes subsequently yous accept completed sewing all of your squares. The placement. Tip: Be certain to vacuum your floor before you practise this 😉 I spent about an hour staring at my squares and deciding how I wanted to place them. I tried my best to spread out my Auburn, white, and race shirts. Riley helped past immediately laying on the squares every time I rearranged them, hence the canis familiaris toy below.

Be sure to accept a pic with your phone so you lot will remember your placement! Time to put that sewing machine to work! I began my sewing each row together, and so sewing all of the rows together. Remember to run up
your seams out–you will get use to this, I promise! And don't forget
to talk nicely to your sewing machine–in my instance, when I sewed 2
squares together, I was sewing through ten layers! It is up to you whether you utilise pins or non. Sometimes I did and sometimes I didn't. You also need to decide how much ruffle you desire. If you want a larger, more noticeable ruffle, go out more fabric exposed at the seams. For less noticeable ruffle, leave less fabric exposed at the seams. I tried to go on my seams at one-half an inch.

Run across in a higher place how the seam is facing out? That is what will ruffle later beingness washed to create the "rag" affect.


Only 5 rows to go!

Here is a pic of sewing the rows together. Whenever it was time to sew the seams, I sort of folded them over equally I went.

And finally all of the rows sewed together!

Be sure to sew together around the border–you will want information technology to ruffle there likewise. Now we are in the abode stretch. All that is left is the cutting. Cut a notch every quarter to one-half an inch or so. Do not cut past where
you sewed. And yes, you have to cutting notches on all of the exposed
seams. I know, there is a lot. Trust me, I've been there 🙂

In one case you lot have done all of the cutting, throw information technology in the washing machine. For larger size quilts, you lot may want to consider taking it to a dry out cleaners. There will be a lot of little strings from the fraying in your washing machine and dryer. Information technology will fray more with time and washes. And voila! Hither she is all finished : )