How do I Make T Shirt Quilts?
Make a quilt from a collection of memorabilia T-shirts from years of vacations for a memorable home decor accessory to hang on the wall, drape on the guestroom bed or give as a keepsake gift to a special person with whom you shared those vacations. You can also make a T-shirt quilt from a closet full of old shirts for an inexpensive home accessory that shows off your recycling savvy.
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Things You'll Need
- T-shirts
- Chalk or fabric pen
- Scissors
- Cardboard
- Sewing needle
- Thread
- Cotton-blend fabric lining
- Cotton batting
- Sewing pins
- Two-fold bias binding tape
Instructions
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1
Lay the T-shirts on your work surface and choose the size for your quilt squares. When using shirts with pictures or images, draw a square around the largest picture with chalk or fabric pen and cut out the square.
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2
Place the square on a piece of cardboard and trace around the square. Cut out the cardboard square. Use the cardboard square as a template to make the remainder of the T-shirt squares. To make a quilt about 48-inches by 60-inches in size, cut 20 squares that measure 12 inches each. When using 6-inch squares, cut out 80 squares.
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3
Arrange the squares into a 48-inch by 60-inch rectangle. When using 12-inch squares, lay them four across and five down. When using 6-inch squares, lay them eight across and 10 down. Sew the adjoining T-shirt squares together with a whipstitch until the all of the squares have been joined into a single quilt.
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4
Cut a 48-inch by 60-inch piece of cotton-blend fabric for the quilt lining and a 48-inch by 60-inch piece of cotton batting.
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Place the lining on your work surface with the good side down. Lay the cotton batting on the lining and the T-shirt quilt on top with the good side facing upward. Pin the sides of the three layers together. Sew a straight stitch all the way around the quilt.
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6
Sew a straight stitch up along the whipstitch between each of the rows and columns of quilt squares. Sew through all three layers to make a plush quilted look.
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7
Cut four pieces of binding tape for the sides of the quilt. Cut one strip for each side of the quilt and cut the ends on a 45-degree angle to prevent the ends of the tape from overlapping on the quilt.
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Slide one side of the quilt in between the two layers of one strip of tape. Pin it in place and do the same to attach the remaining three strips of tape to the sides of the quilt. Sew a straight stitch through the three layers.
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Tips & Warnings
You can use a mixture of solid-colored T-shirt squares and squares with designs or images to make the images stand out a little bit more on the quilt.
References
- Photo Credit Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images
