My husband
has had over 100 T-shirts. He does wear them often, but no one can wear that many. Since there were too many to fit in the drawer and lots, though faded and worn, still had sentimental value, I decided to make a T-Shirt Quilt for him. (That was 2 years ago and it still isn't finished!) I do have lots of blocks made and ready to sew together.
Here's how to do it. First, select the T-shirts you want to use. Roughly cut out the logo or picture you want to feature. Leave lots of space around the logo... a couple of inches if possible. You will be trimming it later.
(OK this isn't really a T-Shirt. Just go along with it!)
Cut medium weight fusible interfacing to fit the back of the T-Shirt. This will help stablize and reinforce the jersey fabric.
Iron the interface on the back of the T-shirt according to manufacturer's instructions. (I never really follow those instructions. I just turn on my iron and do it. That's why I am wayward.)
Now is the time to trim the piece to the size and shape that you want. Leave at least a 1 inch fabric around the logo. Try to keep the about the same margin on all of your squares for a more uniform look.
Some people choose to have all squares the same size. I am not one of those people.
Some of the logos that I selected were embroidered designs off the front of polo shirts. This was a great use for nice, but stained fav polos.
Then, select your border fabric. Again, you might want to use the same fabric for every block. I decided to use fabric that complemented each design. Cut strips of fabric to the desired width. I sewed each side border first and then the top and bottom. Iron the seam allowance toward the border fabric.
I am going to use a white on white fabric as lattice work. I will be using a bandana print for the back because Ben loves bandanas almost as much as T-shirts. I might use old ties in the lattice work, too. That will be another post if I do.
Here are my all my blocks together and a pictorial history of my husband's adulthood:
