How to Make a Quilt Using Old T-Shirts

We all have those t-shirts laying around our house that we don't wear anymore. These shirts may be too old or too small to wear, but the sentiment behind the shirts make it impossible to part with. Turning these beloved t-shirts into a quilt can be a great way to preserve there memory while making use of their material. This article will instruct you on how to create a quilt using old t-shirts as well as a few other supplies.

Things You'll Need

• Old T-shirts
• Fusible interfacing
• Cotton fabric
• Batting

Instructions

1. Design the layout of your quilt. Whether you have only a few or a lot of shirts, look at them and decide which shirt you want where and how big you'll want each of the shirt blocks to be. If you have a lot of shirts you may want to consider using shirts as both the front and the back of your quilt.

2. Wash and dry the shirts so that they're clean and won't shrink any more once they're quilted.

3. Cut up the sides of your shirts, if applicable, and remove the sleeves so that you have a large block of fabric with the design on it versus a round shirt.

4. Follow the packaging instructions and add your fusing to the backs of the shirts. Also, keep in mind that you'll want atleast 1/4-inch for seaming your quilt blocks together. Your fusing should be cut with that extra amount on all four sides. Use 1/2-inch if you want a sturdier seam.

5. Cut out your blocks from your shirts. All your blocks are going to be the same size so you may want to create a template that you use for cutting. This will ensure equal sizing as well as straight lines. If you have a rotary cutter and a mat, these would be the easiest tools to use. If using scissors, it is easiest to trace the template onto the shirt and then cut it out.

6. Lay out your final arrangment for the blocks on the floor and begin sewing them together. Begin by sewing the blocks together to create each row and then sew all the rows together.

7. Based on the final measurement of your quilt top, cut your batting and the backing for your quilt. Normally the batting is the same size as the quilt top and the backing is about 1-2-inch longer on each side so that you can bind the sides with it.

8. Making sure it's centered, add the batting and the backing to your quilt top and finish quilting in your desired method (machine quilting or tying a quilt, whichever you prefer).

Tips & Warnings

• Break up the pattern by adding sashing between the quilt blocks.

• Try using flannel or polar fleece for the backing of your quilt.