Lindsay Conner - The T-Shirt Quilt Book: Recycle Your Tees into One-of-a-Kind Keepsakes--8 Exciting Projects Plus Instructions for Designing Your Own

PUBLISHER: Amy Marson

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Gailen Runge

EDITOR: Karla Menaugh

TECHNICAL EDITORS: Susan Nelsen and Debbie Rodgers

COVER/BOOK DESIGNER: April Mostek

PRODUCTION COORDINATOR: Joe Edge

PRODUCTION EDITOR: Alice Mace Nakanishi

ILLUSTRATOR: Aliza Shalit

PHOTO ASSISTANTS: Carly Jean Marin and Mai Yong Vang

PHOTOGRAPHY BY Diane Pedersen of C&T Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted

Published by C&T Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549

Dedication

To my sewing community, and to all those who aspire to create something new from something worn. To the United State of Indiana for donating snazzy shirts and entrusting me to cut them up. To the team at Baby Lock: Thank you for believing in me; its an honor to teach others the love of sewing on your machines. To my family: I would be lost without your love and support. Lindsay

To my amazing kidsI foresee many T-shirt quilts in your future. To my husband, who helped me source T-shirts and put up with the explosion of knit scraps. To the folks at Delaware County Cooperative Extension for their generous donation of 4-H themed T-shirts. Carla

Acknowledgments

To our amazing contributors: This book would not be possible without you. Your designs have inspired us to look at T-shirts in new ways! We are honored to work with the publishing team at C&T, especially our book team. You have helped us bring these designs to life.

INTRODUCTION

If you are like most people, your T-shirt drawer is stuffed to the brim with well-worn Tees youve collected over the years. T-shirts offer a way to express your personality and your interests, including clubs or sports teams you belong to, vacations youve taken, and so much more. And maybe thats why some of us have a hard time getting rid of them, even decades later.

T-shirt quilting offers a way to insert those memories into a keepsake that will be used and treasured for years to come. In this book you will learn the techniques needed to make a T-shirt quilt, such as choosing shirts, planning your project, sourcing extra material, and stabilizing the knit shirts with interfacing. Well also address some common concerns, including how to center and cut out around a logo, how to deal with a shirt thats too small for your chosen block size, and tips for finishing your quilt.

Practice your new skills on a basic T-shirt quilt pattern thats suitable for beginners making their very first quilt! Or try your hand at one of the more advanced patterns in the book. Weve included eight T-shirt quilt projects, from a throw pillow and a baby quilt to stunning star designs and other interesting layouts that give your Tees center stage. In addition, several patterns come in multiple sizes, so you can work on a twin XL quilt for that high school senior going off to college or on a larger bed-size quilt for a wedding gift.

Theres nothing better than an old, comfy Tee. We hope you enjoy these fresh ideas for extending the life of your Tees by turning them into something brand new! Lindsay and Carla

CHOOSING T-SHIRTS

The fun part of the planning process is gathering a collection of T-shirts. Every quilt will be unique and special, but the more shirts you have available to start with, the better. That way you can pick and choose the best graphics and hopefully have a consistent theme and color scheme. Of course this is not always possible, so we will give you some tips for filling in your collection if necessary.

Choosing a Theme

In most cases the theme will depend on the recipients interests. The theme may be very specific or reflect a broad mix of interests and activities or relate to a single time or place. The quilt can even tell a life story and include shirts from special events and activities of all kinds. Popular themes include:

Sports By the end of high school, many teens have collected jerseys and spirit shirts from one or more sports. In addition to shirts from high school, many have little shirts from growing up playing in local leagues. A quilt made from these shirts makes a great graduation gift and will surely keep them warm with memories in college. Dont forget the sports fans, either. Both men and women collect shirts that show off their team loyalties. Before you know it, the drawers are overflowing with spirit. Because there is usually a bright, consistent color theme, these quilts make a big visual impact.

Theater, speech, or debate Most play productions and speech or debate tournaments are commemorated with a really cool T-shirt. Combine them in a dramatic layout for an unforgettable quilt.

Baby bodysuits There is nothing sweeter or softer than those tiny baby bodysuits (such as Onesies by Gerber). By the end of the first year, most moms have amassed a sizable collection of baby bodysuits. With their cute sayings and adorable graphics, they make for the most darling crib-size quilts or wallhangings.

Fraternity or sorority Students involved in Greek organizations acquire many T-shirts during their college years. Shirts from dances, fundraisers, and sporting events look great in combination with their appliqud letter shirts.

Music Great concerts are often commemorated with the purchase of a T-shirt. A superfan may have multiple shirts from one band or artist. In most cases, however, music lovers have shirts from different groups within a certain genre (punk, folk, heavy metal, and so on). Even if they are totally eclectic in their tastes, their quilt will suit them perfectly.

Clubs and camps Organizations such as Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of the USA, and 4-H also provide lots of shirts as informal uniform options and to commemorate special projects. Combining these shirts in a quilt is a great way to show your pride in the recipients achievements.

Memory quilts When a special person passes away, those left behind are often reluctant to part with his or her belongings. The T-shirts are especially precious because of all the memories they bring backtrips, concerts, and sporting events. Memory quilts are a warm tribute to a life well lived.

Dealing with Stains and Holes

Removing Stains and Patching Up Holes

Unfortunately, well-loved shirts are sometimes stained or riddled with holes. With stains, standard laundering techniques should be the first line of defense. Pretreatment with a stain remover, followed by a good, hot wash, is often all it takes to remove greasy or dark stains. On white shirts, OxiClean is a good option. Follow the instructions on the packaging. If that does not work, try adding bleach to the wash water with an overnight soak (again, follow the recommendations on the packaging). To be safe, you can cut out and treat an unused portion of the shirt to make sure the fabric will withstand bleaching.

Tiny holes and clean cuts or tears will likely become unnoticeable once you have fused the fabric to interfacing. You can add a few inconspicuous stitches using matching thread to prevent further spread. Patch larger holes with fabric from another portion of the shirt, or you can even use contrasting fabric (knit or woven) for a rustic look. For the best results, use a double-sided fusible product such as HeatnBond to make an iron-on patch. Or simply hand- or machine-stitch fabric over the hole, after you have fused it to the interfacing. Another option for hiding stains and holes is to cover them with an embellishment. For example, ribbon flowers, buttons, or even bows would work beautifully for a girls baby-bodysuit quilt.

Avoiding Stained or Damaged Portions

If the stain or hole is near, but not directly on, the graphic, it is possible to cut away the fabric and replace it with a border from a different part of the same T-shirt or, for a contrasting look, from a different T-shirt or piece of fabric. If the T-shirt is badly damaged in the area of the graphic, your best choice may be to leave the T-shirt out of the quilt.