Anyone made a t-shirt quilt?

**Pemberleyan** · 12-09-2009, 07:58 AM

For years I've been putting t-shirts in a box for the purpose of one day making a t-shirt quilt. This week I've cut out more squares and ironed each onto a backing. I want to put strips between the squares. I understand the basic concept of sandwiching a top, batting and backing, but I've never made any type of quilt before and I don't have a clue how to go about machine-quilting it. I think it would wear better if each square is actually quilted some, but am not sure if I should just randomly stitch or what. Any advice for a quilting newbie?

**imagine** · 12-09-2009, 08:37 AM

I made a t shirt quilt. I just tied mine though. I was making it in secret for hubby so it had to be done quickly while he was away and the baby slept.

I have never machine quilted (only hand quilted) so I'm not sure how that works.

Good luck

**Ceashels** · 12-09-2009, 08:42 AM

You could just make tacking stitches at regular distances (like a grid) to hold the sandwich together. Greebo's grandfather made quilts when he retired and his are tacked with thick red thread.

**nuisance26** · 12-09-2009, 09:18 AM

~I just made a t-shirt quilt and a picture is on my blog. I did it with your described method(backed blocks and strip sashings) but I tied it. I don't have the foot required for machine quilting.
I used my regular foot to sew together my t-shirt window quilts and the bunched up a lot while sewing(pics on my old blog). So if you don't have a quilting foot I don't recommend you machine quilt it. It will just be frustrating fighting the bunching.~

**monkeywrangler71** · 12-09-2009, 09:23 AM

I tried machine quilting once and found it to be the most frustrating experience of my life. I will only tie or handquilt.

**Pemberleyan** · 12-09-2009, 09:46 AM

Ceashels, thanks for that suggestion. I have a quilt like that. The edges are done in a blanket stitch, I think it's called, out of red yarn.

Nuisance26, thanks. I tried to view your blog, but I got a message: "you do not have permission to access this page."

I have a quilting foot, but trying to imagine fitting the quilt under the arm of the machine seems a bit daunting, too. I may have to rethink this.

**tervsforme** · 12-09-2009, 09:47 AM

If you are going to machine quilt on your sewing machine and not a specific quilting machine, you will need a walking foot. The walking foot pulls the fabric through from the top and the bottom and makes it much easier. I machine quilted a quilt just using cross hatching, it took a while, but wasn't too bad. I send most of my other quilts out to be quilted by a person specializing in long-arm quilting. It is worth it to me to not have the frustration and she does a fabulous job and is pretty reasonable with her prices.

Good luck!

**Pemberleyan** · 12-09-2009, 09:53 AM

Tervsforme, that's interesting. Do you mind me asking what you would consider reasonable for a standard quilt, say 12 t-shirts?

I have a few feet that I think may work. One has rollers. Another is like a sort of darning foot with a spring, and the machine allows the feed dogs to drop completely. I have a little attachment that clamps onto what holds the feet to act as a grid guide, so that's a thought. Thanks.

**tervsforme** · 12-09-2009, 10:19 AM

She goes by the size of the quilt and if you have custom quilting or not. But a standard design on a twin size quilt is $40.00. A queen I think is $60.00. To me that is sooo worth it and it looks fantastic. I'm picking up a couple of things that she did for me on Friday, I'll post some pictures.

It takes some preparation to machine quilt. Since I did cross hatching, I taped the lines so I could follow and make straight lines, then I would roll up the the sides and secure them so they would feet under the arm of the machine, then I quilted the area I taped off. I would then unroll the sides, take off the tape and retape a new area, reroll the sides and just went on from there.