T-shirt quilts

AGD4me · #1 08-30-2002, 02:14 PM

Has anyone had a quilt made from their t-shirts in college (or any t-shirts for that matter!)? I have several boxes of them that are just sitting in my closet, so I thought I'd look into the quilt idea.

I found one company whose prices range from $225 (wall size w/ 9-12 shirts) to $350 (queen size w/ 30 shirts). It's Deaf Initiatives based in Ohio.

Can anyone recommend any other companies that do this? (Possibly cheaper than that?

)

Thanks!

P.S. - I did find a post with a link to the Kappa website for a DIY t-shirt quilt, but I know that's one of those projects I'll start, but never finish... (http://www.kappakappagamma.org/quilt.htm).

And the other links are broken to websites for t-shirt links.

AngelPhiSig · #2 08-30-2002, 02:25 PM

There are books on DIY quilts, I found one before I knew about the KKG site

nauadpi · #3 08-30-2002, 03:54 PM

I know one of the alumnae from my chapter just took her shirts and made a quilt. She brought it up to show us and it is way cute.

AOIIalum · #4 08-30-2002, 05:30 PM

Here's another way to make the t-shirt quilts, which I got from one of KDonline's sisters earlier this year. Of course, I haven't actually made it yet, but it's in my fall/winter "Things to Do" list

T-Shirt Quilt Directions

1. Cut t-shirt to the desired size.

2. Apply either Wonder Under or Freezer paper to the back to give it stability.

3. Sew as desired, either all the shirts sewn together, or add the desired sashing or appliqué the shirts on to a larger piece of fabric. Personally, I prefer to add the sashing.

4. After you have on all the sashing and the borders, then you can remove the freezer paper as you no longer need the stability of the paper. If you use Wonder Under, you can remove it if desired, or leave.

It doesn't sound too terribly hard and I have a new sewing machine to break in...so maybe this will be the prod I need to get going! Hey, AGD4me and anyone else thinking about making one themselves, we could all get started and cheer each other one during the 'construction' process. What do you think, anyone else game?

Thanks for posting the Kappa link, I'll look at that too before I get started. Who'd want to pay that much money, yikes indeed!

Christin

DRau · #5 08-30-2002, 05:35 PM

When I made mine I cut out all the squares, bought the fabric & stuffing I wanted (at discount price) and took it to a local seamstress. The whole queen size thing cost about $100 ($75 for the seamstress, $25 for the fabric).

KappaTarzan · #6 08-31-2002, 10:57 AM

you guys!! buying these things?! bringing them to seamstresses?! COME ON! we made ours, it is SO MUCH FUN and such a bonding experience for your sisters! we often make letters, too. i had a regular sweatshop going in my dorm room last semester, i was cranking out about 4-5 shirts a day for different campus orgs... its fun, you can wear letters with different fun prints.

use your creative side!!

kdonline · #7 08-31-2002, 11:33 AM

These have GOT to be easy to make. I just gave away all my KD t-shirts to 3 different sisters who are making quilts.

I'd had them for close to 20 years - I'm not the quilting kind of person, though I DID scan the images...yes, I am a computer kind of person!

Anyway, if you want to contact other people who have made these quilts, I know of at least 3 KD's who can coach you through it.

doubleblue&gold · #8 08-31-2002, 12:46 PM

The quilta are easy to make but can be time consuming. My alum group got together to make one and it still took awhile to do it. You do want to use Wonder Under to keep the shirt from shifting while you sew. When we were completed, we auctioned it off to raise oney for the college chapter we support. And.....it went for a lot higher than what the previous posts quote as costing to have made! The tick is to have a really good seanstress to do the sewing. Good Luck!

Pink Rose
---------
First in my heart, you ever shall be
For I love you, my Alpha Xi.

Antoinette84 · #9 04-01-2008, 08:57 PM

My sisters and I bought a t shirt quilt kit from Ticche and Bea (a fellow Delta Chi) and it was so fun, easy and fool proof I thought I would share an image from their site - which turned out way better than ours, but anyway:

SWTXBelle · #10 04-01-2008, 09:15 PM

That is beautiful - and my daughter loves the "Motley Crue Live Entertainment or Death" shirt.

gee_ess · #11 04-01-2008, 10:28 PM

I wish I had one of these from "the good ol' days!" A quilt seems like such a good way to cherish college memories without filling up boxes or bags with shirts you probably aren't going to wear again - unless you pull them out when painting the house or something ( mmm...that's what happened to several of MINE!)

And who doesn't love snuggling up in an old t-shirt? Seems perfect to snuggle under one!

alum · #12 04-02-2008, 06:27 AM

I have made a lot of tshirt quilts over the years, mostly as commissions. They are so vibrant simply because of the large size of the shirt blocks and the graphic designs. Tshirt quilts are not difficult to piece if you prep the tshirt fabric properly. However, like any bedsize or larger quilt, they are unwieldy to machine-quilt on a domestic-use sewing machine since the arm is only 6". It's doable but it does take careful basting and rolling. Some sewing machine manufacturers have designed a domestic-use machine designed with a longer arm.

carnation · #13 04-02-2008, 08:35 AM

Wow, I can't believe all the event T-shirts that students get now! Best I can tell, that started in the 80s because when I was teaching at Auburn the Pi Phis would start planning their T-shirt for an event when they started planning the event. Say it was a beach theme:I'd say, "Wait, y'all, let's get a location and a confirmation from the fraternity," and they'd say, "But we've just got to have a T with this seashell print!"

I estimate that we have at least 20 event shirts from my daughters' 4 sororities floating around the house, even though none of them live at home now. My 11 year old son almost walked out the door in one, oblivious to the fact it was a sorority shirt, and his high school brother yanked it off of him, laughing hysterically.

PhoenixAzul · #14 04-02-2008, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AGD4me

Has anyone had a quilt made from their t-shirts in college (or any t-shirts for that matter!)? I have several boxes of them that are just sitting in my closet, so I thought I'd look into the quilt idea.

I found one company whose prices range from $225 (wall size w/ 9-12 shirts) to $350 (queen size w/ 30 shirts). It's Deaf Initiatives based in Ohio.

Can anyone recommend any other companies that do this? (Possibly cheaper than that?

)

Thanks!

P.S. - I did find a post with a link to the Kappa website for a DIY t-shirt quilt, but I know that's one of those projects I'll start, but never finish... (http://www.kappakappagamma.org/quilt.htm).

And the other links are broken to websites for t-shirt links.

Holy crap, there's a Westerville shirt on there!!! That's the shirt for the high school that's a few minutes from Otterbein.

*wistful for home*

Anywho, I have been trying to get my mom (Captain Quilter herself) to do one for me for ages, from my triathlon and sorority shirts, to no avail.

ISUKappa · #15 04-02-2008, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alum

I have made a lot of tshirt quilts over the years, mostly as commissions. They are so vibrant simply because of the large size of the shirt blocks and the graphic designs. Tshirt quilts are not difficult to piece if you prep the tshirt fabric properly. However, like any bedsize or larger quilt, they are unwieldy to machine-quilt on a domestic-use sewing machine since the arm is only 6". It's doable but it does take careful basting and rolling. Some sewing machine manufacturers have designed a domestic-use machine designed with a longer arm.

I agree. That's why I've just tied the ones I've made.