How to Make Quilts From T-Shirts

Making quilts from T-shirts is an environmentally conscious way to recycle old clothes and, at the same time, produce a record of your children's interests as they were growing up. Sports T-shirts or T-shirts of favorite singing groups seem to miraculously breed in children's closets. Just as miraculously, they outgrow the shirts before they outgrow the interests. These easy-to-sew T-shirt quilts make wonderful graduation and birthday gifts and will provide your children with years of enjoyment.

Things You'll Need

• 20 T-shirts Medium-weight fusible interfacing 3 yards of 54-inch-wide fabric for the borders and the backing 2 yards of 54-inch-wide low-loft quilt batting Scissors Measuring tape Sewing machine Straight pins Iron Embroidery needle and floss

Instructions

1. Measure and cut a 12-inch square around the T-shirt designs. Measure and cut a 12-inch square of the medium-weight fusible interfacing for each T-shirt square. Place a T-shirt on your ironing surface with the wrong side up. Iron the T-shirt to remove any creases or wrinkles. Place the medium-weight fusible interfacing glue side down on the back of the T-shirt square and iron, fusing the interfacing to the T-shirt square. Repeat for the remaining T-shirt squares.

2. Measure and cut 15 strips of the border fabric 1 1/2 inches wide by 12 inches long. Arrange your T-shirt squares, four squares across by five squares down. The 15 strips of border fabric will be sewn vertically between each square on each row. Each row will use three border strips.

3. Place the first border strip facedown on the top left-hand square. Match the long side of the strip with the right-hand edge of the T-shirt square and pin. Sew the strip to the T-shirt square using a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Turn the square over and press the seams open. Place the next square facedown on the previously attached border strip. Match the edges and pin. Sew the T-shirt square to the strip using a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Turn the squares over and press the seams open. Repeat for the remaining strips and squares in the row. Repeat the procedure for the rest of the rows.

4. Measure and cut six strips of border fabric 1 1/2 inches wide by 52 1/2 inches long. These strips will run horizontally above and below each row. Place the first strip facedown on the top edge of the top row and pin. Sew the strip to the row using a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Trim the excess from the strip. Turn the row over and press the seams open. Repeat by connecting each row together with a border strip in between.

5. Measure and cut two strips of border fabric 1 1/2 inches wide by 69 inches long. You will have to piece the strips to get this length. These strips will run vertically along the sides of your T-shirt quilt. Place the first strip facedown on the right side of the quilt and pin. Sew the strip to the quilt using a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Trim the excess from the strip. Turn the quilt over and press the seams open. Repeat for the opposite side of the quilt.

6. Place your quilt batting on your flat work surface, and place the T-shirt quilt faceup on top of the batting. Cut the batting using the T-shirt quilt as your guide. Lay 2 yards of the backing fabric on your flat work surface with the wrong side up. Center the quilt batting and T-shirt quilt on top of the backing fabric with the T-shirt quilt on top and faceup. Cut the backing fabric 1 inch larger than the quilt on all sides. Fold the edges on the sides over 1/2 inch to the wrong side of the backing fabric and press. Fold the edge 1/2 inch again and pin over the edge of the quilt. Fold the top and bottom edges of the backing fabric over 1/2 inch to the wrong side and press. Fold the edge 1/2 inch again, miter the corners and pin over the edge of the T-shirt quilt. Top stitch the binding to the quilt as close to the pinned edge as possible.

7. Thread the embroidery floss onto the embroidery needle. Make a small stitch at the intersection of each T-shirt square. Tie the embroidery floss in a knot and leave 1-inch tails.