MarieBrewer Posted June 12, 2006 Report Share Posted June 12, 2006 A lady just called and asked me to do some t-shirt quilts. What type of thread and design have you guys used? I think some type of E2E would work because she doesn't want to pay the $ for custom. How about batting and backing? she asked if I would bind it. Do you LA on top of each shirt or SID around then? Thanks for your input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grammie Posted June 12, 2006 Report Share Posted June 12, 2006 To post a photo be sure it is low Resolution 600 or lower and save it to your picture files. When replying to message simple go below to BROWSE (and click) and get picture from file you saved and Post it. Feel free to email me the picuture and I will post it for you if you have trouble. Batting can be whatever you normally like to use in your quilts. Circles are great on T-Shirt Quilts. Is it for a boy or girl and are the T-Shirt blocks stablilized? Does it have sashing? Thread color is a personal choice. A soft varigated worked with one I did. I used Rainbows. I did go over the T-shirts but they were flat and No bulky embroidery to deal with. Large Meander also works great on these quilts especially for boys. Baptist fan would look great as well if your going over the top of the T's. I did not SID the T-Shirt quilts I have done so far. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted June 12, 2006 Report Share Posted June 12, 2006 Marie, I do a lot of t-shirt quilts. Since these quits are what I would call utility quits, I usually offer the least expensive quiting, batting and the easiest design I can. So, the quilting is either a med to large meander, or a pantograph with large design such as "Which Way Did They Go" by Judy Allen. Batting, is always some kind of poly batting. I did use Cloud Lite from Hobbs, but they don't make it any more:( , so at MQS I ordered Poly Down from Hobbs, I hope it works, I think it will, and it is only a few cents more. This just give the quilting demension. For thread, I use Signature 100% cotton, or Poly Wrapped Cotton - Perma Core, and coordinate with the sashing. However, I have just been using the clear monofilament for outlining applique and I have heard that some people use this on their t-shirt quilts. I quilt right over the design on the t-shirt. Just like you do an edge to edge on any other quilt. Sometimes if the design is heavy - paint type stuff - it boggs the machine down....I just slow down at that point and go easy, once I am past that, I go on like normal. Hope this helps. Mary Beth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenscratch Posted June 13, 2006 Report Share Posted June 13, 2006 I also have a T-shirt quilt ordered. I was wondering about the need for interfacing or stabilizer behind the T shirts. They are all fraternity shirts from when the gal was in college. There are many differeent colors and I think I will have to use some kind of sashing since the designs are different sizes. Teresa www.chickenscratchquilting.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted June 13, 2006 Report Share Posted June 13, 2006 I have heard of people doing t-shirt quilts without interfacing - there is no way I would try it without the interfacing. Those shirts stretch every direction. If you can get them sewn together, then you would have to put them on the quiltng machine frame. That alone would put a lot of tension on those shirts. The interfacing just helps to give them "strength". Also, I have seen t-shirt quilts done without the sashing, but I have not done one. I always put sashing. Usually I try to match the sashing and the backing to their school colors. I am working on one now for my niece and she selected the fabric in her favorite colors. Her shirts are from childhood through college, so school colors would not work unless she picked a school. I cut out the t-shirt front or back or both, iron the interfacing to the back, then cut the shirt out - usually 14 1/2" block unless the shirt is too small. Then you have to determine 12 1/2 or whatever. Sew the sashings between the blocks then I sew a strip between rows. That is the easiest way I have found. I am sure there are other opinions, that just works best for me. You can do a setting block in the corners, which gets a little more involved. I offer that setting, but I charge more, it just takes more time. I have 3 quilts posted on my web site if you can view them. My pictures takes some time to download if you have dialup. I'm working on fixing that as soon as I can teach myself to use Frontpage - pray for me:) Hope this helps you, I know it is really more info than you asked for, but I guess I like typing today;) Good luck, Mary Beth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calicoquilter Posted June 13, 2006 Report Share Posted June 13, 2006 The advice I was given for making T-shirt quilts was to pay close attention to how you are going to stablize them. #1. Buy WOVEN iron on interfacing, NOT the knit interfacing. You don't want the t-shirts to stretch. #2. You know the t-shirts have a stretchier side, so does the interfacing (although not as much). Make sure that the stretchiest (is that a word?) side of the interfacing is ironed on opposite the stretchiest side of the t-shirt. In other words, if your t-shirt is stretchier going across from side-to-side, make sure your interfacing is ironed on the back of the t-shirt with the stretchiness going from top to bottom. This will help reduce the stretching of the t-shirt while assembling the quilt and also keep it from distorting later. In re-reading this, it sounds very confusing. I hope you understand what I am trying to say. Colleen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenaRoman Posted June 13, 2006 Report Share Posted June 13, 2006 I have done one t-shirt quilt which in which I basically appliqued the cut-out onto the quilt. In this way I was able to use any type of memento, including scout patches, etc. I too used school colors as it was a graduation gift. I'm working on another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merryjo2003 Posted June 13, 2006 Report Share Posted June 13, 2006 The last T-shirt quilt I did the customer started (it was a disaster) and I took it apart and remade it. She had the backing and some sloppy borders, none of the blocks were sewn together. Basically, I cut off her borders and started from scratch. I spray glued the shirts to her backing, made new borders so the blocks were square, made sashings and corner stones. It was 80" X 80". It was military, so I used patriotic fabrics. I used a red, white and ble rainbow thread, and mostly meandered. Some of the shirts left too much space unquilted, so I tighted the meander and tried to avoid the design. She loved it. I'm glad, it was ok, just not my type of quilt. Can't find the browse button, or I post the pics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teri Posted June 13, 2006 Report Share Posted June 13, 2006 My daughters and I make T-shirt quilts without any interfacing. We cut the shirts in several widths, say 14" or 16", line up same widths into columns. We serge the seams together. We use no sashing. Maybe we are careful or maybe we are lucky, but the quilts look great. They are not works of art, but are appropriate looking for T-shirt quality quilts! Then we meander quilt, avoiding the spongy paint & any embellishments that might be on the shirt . They always have so many T-shirts that they don't want to add to the size of the top with sashing. The last time we made a top and back from T-shirts - probably used up 40 of them - and quilted without caring where we went on the back. These are not customer T-shirts, but I think they look great with no sashing or interfacing. Way faster, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RheLovesToSew Posted June 14, 2006 Report Share Posted June 14, 2006 I would love to see some of you gals t-shirt quilts, will be posting my first that i made and sole. All of you gals are a very big inspiration to me.. I am still without a longarm...still sending mine out to be done by someone else....i feel like i could set one up and start quilting with the things i have learned from the apqs forum....thanks so much...Ms. Rhe' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted June 14, 2006 Report Share Posted June 14, 2006 Here are some of my quilts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted June 14, 2006 Report Share Posted June 14, 2006 Sorry I have never posted a picture and this is why....I don't know how!! Sorry it's so big! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annlittle1 Posted June 14, 2006 Report Share Posted June 14, 2006 Mary Beth, No wonder you do so many T-shirt quilts. That one looks wonderful. I'm sure you get a lot of referrals from happy customers. Phyllis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janjacobson Posted June 14, 2006 Report Share Posted June 14, 2006 I have quilted T-shirt Quilts different ways. The way I like to quilt them best is freehand stipple and stipple right up to the T-shirt logo and around it. I dont care to quilt over the logo, and customers have asked me not to quilt over the logo/words etc. Stabilizer--I use a lightweight interfacing with oneside iron-on. I iron on to the t-shirt logo back. I was told if this is done it helps keep the t-shirt fabric from stretching while sewing as well as after! Also If the t-shirt has been worn well, the stabilizer gives it extra hold in the well used areas.:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qfairy Posted June 15, 2006 Report Share Posted June 15, 2006 I have done a few T-shirt quilts and some of them are for sports related, like basketball or football and found they love the E2E patterns that match with them. I am soon to do one for basketball, if you want to see it when its finished let me know and I can send you a photo of it or go to my webshots: http://community.webshots.com/user/qfairy and keep checking back til I post it. Hopefully by the end of the month. It is due by July 14th. So look under the June 2006 or July 2006 albums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Linda S Posted June 17, 2006 Report Share Posted June 17, 2006 I did two T-shirt quilts at the very start of my quilting career and hope to never do another. Not only were they a pain to deal with (that rubbery paint stuff is the pits), but the resulting quilts were not, in my opinion, something I would ever want to sleep under. Just my opinion, but if anyone were to ask me to do one again, I'd happily refer them to another quilter. Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted June 17, 2006 Report Share Posted June 17, 2006 I would love to be able to only quilt pretty, "real" quilts, however, the business just has not been there. I have about 10 quilts to do right now, about half are t-shirt quilts. My last customer gave $700.00 for 2 quilts - that makes payments on my machine. Personally, I would not want one of these quilts on my bed either, but, most of the time these go to high school kids who are going off to college and they would probably sleep under just about anything:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Linda S Posted June 17, 2006 Report Share Posted June 17, 2006 Very true Mary Beth! I am very fortunate to have had a shift in my business. I still do lots of edge to edge quilting and pantographs, but thankfully, most have been on regular quilt fabric. I think for me, it was such a rude introduction to machine quilting to have to do these right off the bat, that I hope to never have to do them again. Here's wishing you many gorgeous custom quilt jobs! Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.