Today I am showing off the t-shirt quilt top I finished this week:
Wahoo! I am happy to have this top finished. If you recall, this is for my daughter, who saved the shirts from the political campaigns she worked on years ago. Of course, when she was done was politics, they came to live at our house, and then they lived in a box when we moved to the East coast. And now they are out of the box, and out of the closet, and on their way to becoming a cozy memory quilt.
I had planned to lay this out differently, in columns, and with black sashing, but I was informed that I was incorrect about these choices. Good thing there's someone looking out so I don't make those kinds of mistakes! I did a lot of trimming and rearranging and ended up with a puzzle-style quilt that's almost square, just about 60 by 62.
I'm actually glad that I changed things up, especially the sashing. This is Kona Pesto, which turned out to be a terrific green. I have just enough of it left to use for a binding after I quilt this. I'm not sure how to quilt it right now, mainly because of the difference in thicknesses between the shirts and the sashing fabric. This top is quite heavy, so I'll need a very light batting. Has anyone ever quilted one of these? Any good advice?
That was pretty much all the sewing I got finished this week, but it's a big load off my mind. Piecing this was not difficult, but it certainly wasn't the most fun I've ever had quilting. The piecing was fussy, and not in a good way. Probably did not help that it was very hot and very humid (both in the 90s). I really should get a fan for the sewing room, but it would just disturb the dust.
Hope everyone has a great weekend! I'm going to alter some new clothes for the new year and then work on those schedules some more. Definitely hoping that I can talk the hubs into taking pity on me and getting takeout. I think the odds are good!
Sharing at Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Finished or Not Friday.
10 comments:
I really like the Pesto background! Dark enough to make the shirts pop, but more interesting than black :)
Kudos to you for getting it finished. For now, I've put mine on the back burner while I tackle other projects. I think Sarah from Confessions of a Fabric Addict would be a great resource on quilting a t-shirt quilt; I think she's even written some posts on those quilts.
I have made two and both were quilted by check on a stand up longarm. I don't think I'd want to muscle this through a DSM . . . LOVE the pesto choice and the layout. WELL DONE!
I've quilted 15 - 20 of these in the last 15 years. Most were done on my DSM, some were done quilt-by-check, and the last several were quilted on my longarm. I don't really do anything differently than any other quilt. I use a regular needle. I do a large allover meander or the meander with dips into the design for a semi-custom look. The first method is faster, but the second is more fun... for the recipient AND the quilter!!
Yay for finishing this up. I quilted two of these and one was on my DSM - it was a bit of a chore getting it through the throat. I stayed away from the rubbery part of the logos and just quilted all around it. The second one was done on the long arm at that shop where I rent time on the machines. It was so much easier and again, I stayed away from the thicker parts of the logos.
Hang in there - I hope your schedule settles down. (So,did you have take out??? We had waffles for dinner. Easy Peasy - plus my husband made them. Yay!!)
That;s a cool memory quilt - and she will love it!!!
Love the Pesto, great choice. My friend Patty the Quilt Lady often does T-shirt quilts. She quilts them on her DSM and mixes it with long stitch hand quilting in the t-shirts. Hers have won awards! Mine, on the other hand, get quilted on the long arm. I do a border thing and go inside each t-shirt and echo or enhance whatever is there. I do avoid the rubber printing and pictres. Good luck with yours!
You ended up with a great T-shirt quilt. They can be fun and they can also be a big pain to put together. Hope you are racking up some good Mom points with the effort. Hope you get some cooler weather soon.
I have a t-shirt quilt in my near future, not looking forward to it tbh. I may have to revisit your posts here when it comes time, so thanks for sharing; it turned out wonderfully!
That green is perfect for those Ts! Great job.
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