A close family friend put in a special request for her daughter's birthday this month. I took the plunge on something I had never created before - a t-shirt quilt!
It was quite the adventure. I was given the shirts...
Here we have the front and back of each shirt.
...loose guidelines on patterns for coordinating fabrics...
These were mom's very loose suggestions for fabric pattern starting points.
...and overall quilt design freedom. Excitement comfortably settled in - at first - as I received the shirts during the middle of gardening season giving me plenty of time to complete the quilt.
Then, life happened. The garden was more plentiful than we could have hoped leading to very long days my EDS body would not tolerate for the duration. My day job as a childcare professional at a local center being a lead teacher in the infant room (where I was also tasked with additional duties that required my time and attention after work) was more than enough to wear me down. What portions of this project can, and should, I tackle at the end of my work days and on the weekends - and in what order?
I would sneak in tidbits of time to look up coordinating fabrics...
Here we have the very first fabric choices I was looking at for backing and binding.
Two fabrics I purchased with full intent to use one for the backing and binding.
...or sketch layouts for the shirts.
The layout started with the shirts arranged as they are in the photo on the right, but the size was just too small at only 45"x45". It was at this point that I decided to use the backs from the shirts that had them adding an entire row. With it still being a bit narrow, I decided to not create individual blocks, but custom cut the useful part from each shirt - front and back - and add sashing to build up to an overall column size. From there, a final border could be added to complete the top before quilting to acheive a desireable size. That final layout is what you see sketched on the graphing notebook above on the left.
During that time, we wrapped up harvest (for the most part), and my body decided to let me know that a spring/summer spent gardening in a "new to us" way took a big toll. Every year I deal with some extra exhaustion as the season changes and the cool of fall sets in, but this year was extreme. What I normally deal with in the middle of winter was hitting me hard at the end of September. The good news is time was still on my side.
That necessary physical down-time is where I sat and triple checked numbers on my pattern design and continued looking for a suitable backing. Those measurements need to be correct for ensuring I buy enough stabilizer, backing, and have enough of the batting that I am sure is stashed. Above are good examples of why checking those numbers are so important, with the shirt on the left having a small useable space that was roughly 6"x11" allowing me to pair it with another shirt in it's own space on the quilt top. However, the shirt on the right required figuring out how to use some of the sleeve, and back if necessary, making sure there was enough fabric for the seam allowance without detracting from the graphic. The shirt on the right also happen to have a women's cut to it, creating an additional challenge.
I had research to do on which stabilizer I wanted to use. I chose Pellon midweight knowing that I needed everything to stay put during assembly and quilting. If the stabilizer deceided to spearate or go lax after the quilt is finished, no harm/no foul. This quilt is meant to be loved and used, and this stabilizer is typically more firm, however, after all the handling, washing, and just it being used on the back of knit material, kept things quite flexible like in a typical cotton quilt. When all was said and done, I feel the stabilizer gave the quilt an extra layer of warmth for the duration more than stability for the long haul. Yes, I am aware of the purpose of a stabilizer, but I also know the final feel of this particular quilt. No regrets, and the quilt police can find something better to complain and nitpick about. See, one of the best parts of my day job is that infants and toddlers constantly remind me that tools can have uses beyond their original intent - always!
Next was on to choosing thread color(s) for stitching and quilting, batting, and deciding just how I wanted to quilt this creation.
With my machine, Gutermann thread runs through it the best leading me to choose this neutral grey from my stash. Considering all the colors of the shirts, using Kona in Stone seemed perfect for the background fabric. Bringing the top and back together with a border in the same fabric felt best for finishing the top off. The chosen thread happened to blend pefectly for stitching and quilting.
Then I found this gem and the chosen fabric for outer border, binding, and backing.
With this particular quilt, I chose straight line quilting with an alternating width pattern. The shirts needed to speak for them My goal was to place the memories in a way that kept certain activities together (academics, sports, etc.) and not detract from the shirts. I also strongly feel that any coordinating fabrics should look nice, but also let those start pieces shine. The fabric, Mandala Drops Marrakesh in Cream from Art Gallery Fabrics and designed by Mr. Domestic was perfect for this quilt. The fabrics I previously purchased just felt too dismal in conjunction with the shirts. Something light and happy was necessary. I feel confident saying that goal was met.
Here we see the recipient with her children enjoying the surprise. She said she loves it and is very happy to have the memories to enjoy for many years to come.
What's something homemade that you've received that you treasure? It doesn't have to be a quilt. For me, I have a Christmas stocking that my grandmother made for me when I was very young that is personalized. It is knitted and it is glorious and I wish I could master that skill to create them for my children and grandchildren. Alas, my hands have a hard enough time typing, let alone working knitting needles. Bless my mother's heart, she has tried time and time again to teach me easier ways. It is just not meant to be. Another post for another time.
Thanks for reading and I look forward to reading what your favorite homemade treasures are!
As always, keep quilting.
Fawn
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