Tag: t-shirt quilts

T-Shirt Quilts – My Process FAQ

May 11, 2016

Yesterday, while waiting to have new tires installed on my SUV, I finalized the design of a t-shirt quilt and conducted an initial phone consult with another customer. Pleased to say that after 4 years in business, I finally received a local referral from someone completely unrelated to family, friends or school/work. The person’s name she gave as the one who gave her my contact information didn’t even ring a bell.  That made my day!

Basically, the process goes something like this:

  1. Decide which t-shirts you want to use in the quilt.
  2. Launder your t-shirts as usual, but do not use fabric softener.
  3. Indicate which side of the t-shirt you want used in the quilt.
  4. Think about colors you might want to use for borders & sashing. Most customers let me choose, but blue and gray are very popular.
  5. Make arrangements to get the t-shirts to me (local pickup or ship).
  6. Pay a $100 deposit.That’s all you have to do. I do the rest. 

    Lead times vary, depending on my day job and how busy I am with other quilts in the queue. I have completed a twin-size in as little as 3 weeks (around a full-time job). Lead times during busy season (like right now with graduation) might be 8-12 weeks.

    Final price depends on number of t-shirts, size of quilt, extended borders, photo blocks, pieced blocks, etc. I can give you an estimate when you first contact me; however, the final price will be determined once I see your items.

    I will send you updates periodically during the process. If you have a firm deadline, please communicate this at the very beginning. Once completed, I will send you a photo of the quilt and we will make delivery arrangements at that time.  Any balance due must be paid before I ship the quilt. Local customers can pay at pick-up.

    Then, enjoy your fabulous new quilt and wrap yourself up in memories!

 

Memory Quilt

October 21, 2014

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This t-shirt quilt was made for a customer whose father passed away in April.  Although Dad had several t-shirts, she selected the ones that meant the most to her.  My favorite t-shirt is the one she made her Dad featuring photos of the two of them.  (It’s top row, middle block).  The center block includes an English translation of a special verse from his funeral program.  I used a stylized Old English font and printed it on Electric Quilt’s printable fabric. The verse was then framed with cornerstone and outer border fabric.

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Blocks on this quilt are 15″ and quilted in a wave pattern to mimic the sashing fabric. Most of my quilts call for a solid-color sashing.  This customer wanted to select her own fabrics. She prefers brown tones and loves batik fabrics, so we met at a local quilt shop to find the just right fabrics.  I think her selections work quite nicely.  That’s the beauty of a custom quilt – you can make it your own.

Interfacing for T-Shirt Quilts

November 25, 2013

November 2015 update:  I now use Pellon SF-101 interfacing almost exclusively in my baby and t-shirt quilts. Why? It’s 100% cotton, made in the USA and works well with my steam press.  My customers are pleased with the finished result. To keep costs reasonable, I buy it by the bolt when it goes on sale. 

[Original post follows]

A couple of my local quilt shops carry a 100% cotton woven fusible interfacing that they swear is the best thing for constructing t-shirt quilts.  When one is accustomed to paying $1.50 – $2.00/yard for non-woven Pellon interfacing on sale at the big box craft stores, it is a bit daunting to see $6.59 to $7.99/yard retail on the fusible woven interfacing carried by the LQS.  I bought 2 yards of Bosal Fashion Fuse to experiment with.  It was a pleasure to work with.  I swallowed hard and went back to buy 3 more yards to complete a small lap-size quilt.

The product I used is an apparel interfacing, so I knew that Pellon and HTC had to make something similar.  A little online searching under the apparel sewing blogs yielded the information I sought. Bingo!  Pellon’s Shape-Flex (SF-101) is also a 100% cotton woven fusible interfacing made here in the USA.  Similar in price, but carried at the big box craft stores where one can use a coupon (or a teacher discount if the item is already on sale) to bring the price per yard down to what I consider reasonable.

I had to buy some Pellon SF-101 to complete my project since the quilt shop is closed until Tuesday.  It’s very similar to the Bosal interfacing in hand and drape, but appears to have a little more fusible on the back side, requiring a little more pressure and time to get it to “stick” than the Bosal interfacing.

There is no one best interfacing for t-shirt quilts.  It depends on the type of quilt and how soft you want it to be.  Some people do not interface the backs of their t-shirts.  This is a personal choice.  I choose to interface mine because it makes the quilt a little sturdier and easier to machine quilt, IMHO.

If you want a super-soft, drapey quilt, try Pellon 906 nonwoven fusible interfacing with a bamboo blend batting.

For most t-shirt quilts, a fusible knit or 100% cotton woven fusible interfacing is a great choice with a cotton or cotton-blend batting.

If you like things a little stiffer, then try Pellon 911 nonwoven fusible interfacing.  Use a cotton or poly batting.  I use the Pellon 911 with flimsy knit t-shirts – even if I’m using the 100% cotton fusible on the rest of the shirts.  I also use the Pellon 911 on wall hangings.  It increases the sturdiness factor.  The Missouri Quilt Company mentions this specific interfacing in its t-shirt quilt construction video.

The bottom line:  I already have bolts of Pellon 906FF and 911FF on hand.  I will be adding a bolt of the SF-101 to my stash when I see it 50% off.

You might wonder why the price of interfacing is such a concern?  Consider that it takes 1/3 to 1/2 yard of interfacing per t-shirt.  I went through about 15 yards of interfacing on a full-size mosaic t-shirt quilt (or my version of the Tool Cool T-Shirt quilt).

The Math:
Fashion Fuse 15 yards @ 6.59/yard = $98.85

Pellon SF-101 15 yards on sale @ $2.75/yard = $41.85 (regular retail is $5.49/yard)

The Pellon 911FF averages $2.25/yard every day, so that’s even cheaper than the woven SF-101 on sale.  When it is on sale, that same 15 yards of interfacing costs less than $20.00.

Bottom line:  The project, the recipient and your budget dictate the type of interfacing that you chose.  By careful shopping and brand substitution, you can save at least half on your interfacing.