T-shirt quilt

I'm fairly sure that fashion has been the topic of some blog post along the way.  It has been an ongoing topic between us as a couple.  During Arthur's last year of school there was some discussion about updating his wardrobe in preparation for a professional job.  Arthur was against this idea and is all for wearing t-shirts everyday for most occasions.  His reasoning is that a person should be respected for who they are an not what they wear.  I agree with him on this but also think it is respectful to dress for the occasion.  Anyway, it was decided (probably more by me than by Arthur) that t-shirts from his high school days were no longer a necessity in his wardrobe.  I at least waited till we had been married about 1 month before we sat down and sorted through his clothes.  I think this was a little difficult for him.  I did not realize the emotional attachment he had to some of his clothing.

We put all of his high school t-shirts in a box in the basement for several months.  (Good news, he still never ran out of clothing.)  This winter I pulled them out to make a t-shirt quilt for Arthur.  My sewing experience has been limited to about 1 niche-- raggedy edge blankets.  I have made about 4 raggedy edge t-shirt quilts and 2 regular quilts.  This method is fairly simple which is why I can handle it.  All the blocks are squares of the same size, all the seams are the same size, and all the sewing is straight lines.

On the left is the quilt I made for my dorm room in college and other is my high school t-shirts.

This is one of my favorites, all my K-State t-shirts (plus some lovely throw pillows in the background).

I have tweaked my technique a little over the years, mostly cutting out the steps I have determined superfluous- ironing interfacing on the backs of the t-shirts, cutting batting, quilting the batting into the blocks.  For this particular quilt I cut all the blocks using a 15" square of plexiglass and a rotary cutter.  Arthur told me that he couldn't handle being in the basement and just standing by watching the carnage and hearing the cries of agony from his t-shirts as I cut them up-- he might have a flare for being dramatic.  I then bought a gray flannel sheet set on Christmas clearance for a much better deal than buying flannel by the yard.  I tore the sheet into strips and cut them into squares with the plexiglass pattern.  On this quilt I decided to use the t-shirt on the front and then two blocks of flannel for the filling and the back.  I have learned that flannel likes to stick to itself just like those old Sunday School flannel graphs. Once my blocks were cut out I pulled out the artistic skills to determine the layout.

That was the easy part.  Next I had to sew.  I did get a sewing machine for Christmas last year so I pulled out the owner's manual and tried to figure out how to use it.  Thank goodness for pictures and instructions.  I felt like I could conquer the world when I got it to wind the bobbin.  When my machine was up and humming I was feeling pretty pleased with myself.  (once again those home economics roots peeking through.)  I then pinned and sewed the blocks into rows and then the rows together.  One problem with my short cut of not quilting the squares or using interfacing is that t-shirt material has a tendency to stretch more than flannel.  My solution to this was tucking all the bunched up fabric under the seams where I hope the raggedy edge will cover up my shoddy workmanship (now all home econ foremothers are cringing- oh well.)    I was also glad that my mother happened to be coming to visit the day my sewing machine started to eat a large hole in one of the t-shirts so she could help me fix that goof.  The next task was fringing all the seams which tasks a while but on this quilt I only had 24 blocks so it went much quicker than quilt with 80 blocks and I had a nice sharp pair of sewing scissors.  I suppose sometimes having the right tools do make all the difference.  The final step was washing it so the seams all ravel out.  This makes a mess in the washer and dryer.  Now it is ready for Arthur to snuggle up under it on a chilly evening while reading or watching tv and reminiscing about his beloved high school t-shirts and the memories and accolades they represent.  I consider this an example of compromise in our relationship-- Arthur gave up his t-shirts but gets a warm quilt in return (and a happy wife).  Maybe I'll have to make him some matching t-shirt throw pillows, but I  won't push my luck.  Omni Vincit Amor.  

Here's the final product!