Advice on TShirt quilting

[OntheLAM]

I have just completed a TShirt quilt for my son with some very ratty shirts bonded with fusible interfacing. Certainly it needs SID but the squares are up to 16" and will need some center work as well. Am I asking for trouble doing this on the longarm? I am concerned about the thickness of those squares as well as the seams where there is some 'rolling' of the knit fabric (latticed with cotton). I am a certified newbie with great trepidation and any advice or experience would be most welcome!

Caroline

[Mary Beth]

Caroline,

I have done a ton of t-shirt quilts. I stabilize the entire block with an iron on interfacing. Then I apply sashing between the blocks and a border around the quilt - that way there is are no stretchy edges. I usually use a panto - Which Way Did They Go, or I meander over the whole quilt - never SID. Too much trouble.

[TishMarshall]

I would assume you have an APQS? You should have no problems doing an all over on the t-shirt quilt. I haven't.

Good luck.

Tish

[ramona-quilter]

Caroline,

I know what you mean by trepidation. I did one a few

months ago. It was big and heavy and the corners of the

blocks were bulky. I wanted to stabilize the blocks so I did a

fun wavy line with some loops in between each block. SID

on a T-shirt quilt is w-a-y too much trouble. I looped around

(not thru) the corners that were really bulky to avoid that big

bump that is inevitable with that much fabric. But the rest of

the block corners I just stitched slowly thru.

The blocks were quite large so I felt like they needed some

sort of anchoring. I echoed around the design as best I

could. I wanted to avoid stitching thru that heavy screening

they use on some t-shirts. The quilt came out nice.

I try to make it a habit to change my needles with each

quilt. Sometimes I forget. I made sure that I did not forget

to do that after this quilt. The stabilizer on the back of the

t-shirts is supposed to be OK to quilt thru but I didn't really

see any kind of gunk on my needle.

I guess I would say to go slow, you'll be fine.

[Bonnie]

The only trouble I have ever had with a T-Shirt quilt is that some of the designs are of the rubbery material or a really really thick silk screen paint, and the needle seems to like to stick in there and when it does it breaks the thread....I dabble a bit of "Sewer Aid" down the needle shaft as I start each row and it helps it go through the yucky stuff. and it makes my life easier.

[Stagecl]

I usually meander to avoid the rubbery stuff on the shirts and the logos. I personally don't like stitching through the designs. It is a large overall meander.

Cheryl Mathre

Stone Creek Quilting

Sandy Hook, VA

[JAB]

I made my cousin a t-shirt rag quilt. I had made several normal rag quilts and when my cousin's wife asked me to make him a t-shirt quilt I figured someone out there had to have done it before. I searched and searched online for an example and I couldn't find one. So I went ahead and just made it up myself. I'll attach a few pictures.

It ended up being one row too long but I couldn't decide which t-shirts to leave out. I told my cousin's wife she could take off a row off if she wanted to but she told me she liked it the way it was. I also made a mistake but I wont point it out, I'll let you guys figure it out.

[JAB]

Here is the back incase anyone wants to see. By the way, is there any limit to the size of the pictures we should post here?

You all will probably notice the mistake a little easier in this picture.

[onesewise]

Jab,did you applique the t-shirt to a flannel before you sewed the squares together...please give details as it is a beautiful quilt...and there is no mistake that I can see!Elaine

[JAB]

Originally posted by onesewise

Jab,did you applique the t-shirt to a flannel before you sewed the squares together...please give details as it is a beautiful quilt...and there is no mistake that I can see!Elaine

First I cut the t-shirt larger than the size I was going to use and I ironed on some stabilizer (I used a fairly stiff stabilizer but not too stiff). Then I used a 12 1/2" square ruler to cut out the t-shirts. It made it easy to center the design on the t-shirt. Next I decided how big I wanted the final size of the block and cut the flannel boarder for the t-shirt blocks. So no, I didn't applique the t-shirt to the flannel, they are a sewn on boarder. I can't remember if I pressed the seam towards the flannel or if I pressed the seam open. You cut the batting smaller than the block and then you sandwich the back, batting then the top and sew an "X" across the block.

So I didn't end up with two of the same flannels in the same place on the back when I did the block "sandwich" I used the same flannel for the front and back. I had saved a ton of jeans and that is what I used for the jean blocks. I would probably use a lighter weight denim if I were to do it over again, this quilt is HEAVY. I used a 1/2' seam instead of the larger seam you are suppose to use for a rag quilt because I wanted it to fray more tightly than it did on a regular rag quilt.

The mistake is on the top row, middle block. It should be turned so the flannel block is in the upper left hand corner. Because I screwed up I have four diagonal rows of jean blocks and four diagonal rows of flannel. If you look at the rest of the blocks you will see that there are only two diagonal flannel then two diagonal denim blocks. I noticed this after I looked at the pictures and not before I sent it to my cousin.

Julie

[BarbWetzel]

I like the setting in your T-shirt quilt... I have made quite of few of them and I usually add sashing, but I like the offset of jean fabric, pockets, etc.

It is very attractive...

[JAB]

Originally posted by BJWetzel

I like the setting in your T-shirt quilt... I have made quite of few of them and I usually add sashing, but I like the offset of jean fabric, pockets, etc.

It is very attractive...

Thanks!

[Bekah]

Julie, cool quilt.

[quiltjunkie]

I was asked to do a T-shirt quilt (from a guy with a pony tail and riding a bike and I mean bicycle) and when I received it, it was already basted together with really puffy poly batting. I just couldn't bring myself to quilt on the T-shirts, but with that batting it worked out okay.. and the tees did have heavy inking and some were rubbery..take a look. It's all Harley shirts from around the world.

Well when I preview the attachment doesn't show so I hope this works and I hope it's not too big.

Hester:mad:

[JAB]

Originally posted by quiltjunkie

I was asked to do a T-shirt quilt (from a guy with a pony tail and riding a bike and I mean bicycle) and when I received it, it was already basted together with really puffy poly batting. I just couldn't bring myself to quilt on the T-shirts, but with that batting it worked out okay.. and the tees did have heavy inking and some were rubbery..take a look. It's all Harley shirts from around the world.

Well when I preview the attachment doesn't show so I hope this works and I hope it's not too big.

Hester:mad:

That looks great. I didn't have the ability to quilt a regular t-shirt quilt when I made the one for my cousin (I didn't have a longarm yet).

[oregoncarol]

these quilts are wonderful. great ideas with the denim and t shirts.

thanks for sharing;)

[victoriasews]

I've done several tshirt quilts and find that I like to do an elongated meander, longer from side to side than top to bottom. With that style I can underling sections of words and loop up between words without distorting any of the letters. I can still echo picture designs and it fits in with the meander design. Slow is the word for the plasticky (is that a word?) parts.