How to Make a Blanket Out of My Kids' T-Shirts

Use old T-shirts to make a memory blanket.

Don't throw away your kids' old T-shirts. Whether they are outgrown, torn or stained, they can be salvaged to make a blanket your children will treasure. Let the kids help design, cut and create this special blanket. Or, give a gift of memories to a grown child who is going out into the world. The ideas are many and the steps are few. Whether you are an experienced seamstress or quilter, or don't want to sew, gather up those shirts and create a one-of-a-kind blanket.

Things You'll Need

• Scissors
• Straight pins
• Fleece fabric
• Fusible webbing
• Iron
• Plain paper
• Printed cotton fabric
• Quilting template
• Muslin backing
• Quilt batting
• Sewing machine
• Yarn
• Yarn needle

Instructions

No-Sew Blanket

1. Launder and press the T-shirts you plan to use for the blanket. Cut same-sized squares or different sizes and shapes from the front of each shirt.

2. Pin each piece of shirt onto fusible webbing. Cut around the edge of the fabric to make the webbing the same size and shape as the shirt fabric.

3. Lay out a piece of fleece. Trim the fleece to the size you want for your blanket. Smooth the fleece out flat on a work surface.

4. Arrange the T-shirt pieces on the fleece to create the design you want. Rearrange the pieces until you are satisfied with the way the arrangement looks.

5. Pin the shirt pieces and webbing onto the fleece. Make sure the webbing reaches the edges of the shirt fabric, but does not hang out around it.

6. Press each T-shirt piece, with the fusible webbing underneath. Check the edges of the pieces to make sure they are fused against the fleece fabric. Remove the pins when the fabric cools.

7. Fringe the edges of the blanket, if desired. Cut from the edges to about 2 inches into the blanket, 1 inch apart, to make the fringe. Leave the blanket edges unfringed if you wish.

Quilt

1. Stack several clean T-shirts together. Lay your desired size of template on top of the stack of shirts. Cut out as many T-shirt pieces as you plan to use for the quilt.

2. Arrange the T-shirt pieces in your desired design on a length of cotton fabric. Pin the T-shirt pieces onto the cotton fabric.

3. Sew the T-shirt pieces onto the cotton fabric to create the quilt top. Remove the pins.

4. Cut cotton batting the same size as your quilt top. Cut muslin fabric 2 inches wider than the quilt top and batting.

5. Layer the muslin fabric, cotton batting and quilt top together. Pin the layers together at every corner of each T-shirt piece.

6. Cut 3-inch pieces of yarn. Use a yarn needle to sew a piece of yarn through each corner of the shirt pieces. Tie the yarn ends together to show from the top of the quilt.

7. Fold the selvage of the print fabric to the back of the quilt, making a two-fold hem. Pin the hem into place and press it with the iron.

8. Sew the hem through all layers of the blanket with a sewing machine. Consider sewing the hem by hand and just through the muslin backing.

Tips & Warnings

• Place a piece of plain paper over a glitter, jeweled or pressed-on transfer design on a T-shirt before ironing.

References

• Quilt Bug: T shirt quilts