treeper Posted August 31, 2004 Report Share Posted August 31, 2004 Hi. My name is Teresa. I am just starting a quilting business in my home. I do not have a long arm machine yet so I am doing very simple machine quilting. My question is...Do I have to use stablizer on a T-Shirt Quilt? Some say you do, but I have also heard that you can get by without it. Any suggestions? Thanks, Teresa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Linda S Posted August 31, 2004 Report Share Posted August 31, 2004 Hi Teresa! Welcome to the group! We're happy to have you join us. I have not as yet done a T-shirt quilt, although I have three waiting for me in October. They had all better be stabilized. You can "probably" quilt them without it, but those shirts are going to sag terribly over time with no stabilization under them. At least that's my opinion, I could be wrong! Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giftedhands Posted September 1, 2004 Report Share Posted September 1, 2004 There should be a woven, fused interfacing on the back of each shirt. Don't want those tees streching or hanging, do we? Cynthia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teresa Posted September 1, 2004 Report Share Posted September 1, 2004 Teresa, BTW great name You need to stablize as Cynthia suggested. I have done so many of these pieced and quilted. I use a medium weight WOVEN interfacing, very important to wash the T-shirts and do not use fabric softener or sheets of any kind. I also lightly starch the shirts. I like as much crispness as I can build back into these worn shirts. The crisper they are the better they quilt, I have some that are used daily (very warm) and they're pushing 6 years.. Welcome to the board! Teresa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeper Posted September 1, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2004 Thanks for the advice. I have 3 to do this month and was trying to do them as easily as possible. Teresa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RBurrou874 Posted September 1, 2004 Report Share Posted September 1, 2004 Also, when applying the stabilizer be sure to have grain of stabilizer going in the opposite direction of the grain of the T-Shirt. Rose So.CA Ultimate 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorig Posted September 1, 2004 Report Share Posted September 1, 2004 Hi, everyone. I have quilted about 5 t-shirt quilts, and have not stabilized any of them. I have had no problems with quilting them on my longarm. You just have to make sure to keep the quilt top lax when you are quilting. I also use quilting cotton as sashing between the t-shirt blocks, so that may help "stabilize" the quilt. I love the feel of the t-shirts without the stabilizer, and thus far, the quilts haven't sagged or lost their shape. Good luck! Lori Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teresa Posted September 1, 2004 Report Share Posted September 1, 2004 Lori, I have often wondered about not stablizing since I also sash them.. So now I'll give it a whirl, I'll do one for me first I have four customer's boxes sitting here starring at me to piece and that would make them go much quicker.. Thanks I'll give it a try! Teresa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie Rolek Posted September 2, 2004 Report Share Posted September 2, 2004 I do quite a few t-shirt quilts, and always stabilize them with pellon. I recieved one from a customer, that was not stabilized and creativity pieced, and only had trouble with one slick material, but that quilt was a little more fussy to quilt, as I worried more about it not being stabilized and wanted it to remain as square as it came in, plus better in some spots. I also stabilize comfort quilt (clothing from decease members clothing into quilts) Big difference, ask me how I know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teri Posted September 2, 2004 Report Share Posted September 2, 2004 Last week my oldest daughter was home from grad school and one of the projects we finished was a t-shirt quilt. She used shirts for the front and back of her quilt. None of the shirts had stabilizer! We made 2 whole tops with no sashing, layered them with batting, serged the edges and "birthed" the quilt (turned it right sides out). Then we pinned the quilt to the leaders and she quilted the whole quilt with loops and meanders. The only snag was when she hit a big piece of puffy paint that was on the bottom side. This is her second quilt done like this, and the other one, 4 years old, is still in good shape. This didn't turn out fancy, and there were a few tucks (curiously, the tucks were on the top and not the bottom) and it's done! If this is not a fancy customer quilt, I'd say do it without stabilizers! After all, they're just T-Shirts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted September 2, 2004 Report Share Posted September 2, 2004 Boy... you out there that got away with NO stabilizer on a t-shirt quilt were lucky...ya must have had your mouth held just right . Over the last 3 years since these have become so popular I had really really learned to hate them. There are several types of the pellon stabilizer and I don't have the correct names for the brands, but there is one out there that NO matter what I used, the threads would cut on the stuff. People who used the rubberized picture fronts were not my favorite friends when I would finish one and those who decided to cut they sashings on the bias were right out there with almost getting bounced across the street. And there were those who wouldn't use a pressing cloth when they were putting the blocks together so the stabilizer wouldn't get hot enough and it would start to peel away from the t-shirt once it was on the frame, leaving the stabilizer to be correct and the t-shirt front to bubble and pucker...then I would have to stop get the steam iron out and repress the blocks while on the frame so that I wouldn't have half a design tuck under itself. :mad: At first when they first started to show up at the studio they would want me to dodge the designs and leave that area open....okay after about three of those I decided that didn't work well. Some of the designs were block edge to block edge and nothing to stitch down, so talked everyone to use a thread color that would match the block color...that worked out okay until I would get a quilt with 16 blocks and EACH one was a different color....nothing like 16 thread changes, so that ended, but I have to admit by the time I did my last t-shirt quilt I had become a master at them....and to tell you the truth the little secret was my faithful friend "Sew Ease" on the needle as well as the thread....the needle would fly through the rubberized areas and no more thread shredding. Whew, I thought I would never make friends with t-shirt quilts, but there are some mighty happy customers so that is all that is important, and knowing that it will be a cold day before I personally make one for myself no matter how snuggly they look and feel once finished and washed..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Posted September 3, 2004 Report Share Posted September 3, 2004 I would stabilize it. I've had several clients send me them, and the ones that are stabilized are much easier to quilt, and keep square, because of the knit of the shirts. BTW: I am a screenprinter/embroiderer also, and I can tell you that you can needle right through the printing if you want. I've never broken a needle going through the printing, and this is even with a double sided quilt. I was trying to go around the printing on the front but couldn't avoid it on the backs of the shirts that were on the back and had numbers printed on them. The only drawback is go with a quilting that you really know and won't ever have to rip out if you go through the ink, because it does leave holes that don't go back easily if you have to unstitch. If you do, use a hairdryer on high or cautiously use a heat gun to heat the area and the ink will become a little more plyable and you can kind of wiggle it back together. It won't hurt the shirts if you get them a little warm. Most plastisol inks need to be cured at 300 degrees anyway, so these shirts have seen that kind of heat before. Jess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam C Posted September 7, 2004 Report Share Posted September 7, 2004 Hi! I have made many t-shirt quilts. I always use a light weight iron on stabilizer. I purchase it at Walmart. I do sash the blocks. I have broke a needle going through heavily painted areas on the blocks - if this happens you need to slow down your quilting. Or go to precsion mode. I have a Ult. I with Stitch Regulator. I quilt using a allover pattern-meander or large pantograph. Use one thread color for the whole quilt. I can make t-shirt quilts quite fast now. Quilting Designs Pam C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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