My first big project a few months after getting my first sewing machine for Christmas 2007 was a t-shirt quilt. I was beginning my senior year of high school and I had SO MANY T-SHIRTS that I would never wear again after high school. Throughout the course of middle school and high school I accumulated a lot of shirts in out school colors: green, white, and black.
I remember being pretty excited to graduate high school. Even though I had no use for these t-shirts anymore, we wanted to figure out a way to save them or repurpose them. A t-shirt quilt was perfect!
My friend Sadie and I got to work cutting all of our t-shirts into squares to make quilts. I didn't know much about sewing at that point and I forgot to take seam allowance into consideration, so I cut 12 inch squares which ended up being about 10 inch squares once sewn together.
I wanted my blanket to be oversized. I was sick of throw blankets that were only 5 ft. long. It turned out to be a little smaller than a twin blanket.
I love how comfortable this blanket is! The t-shirts were all soft and worn in, so the blanket is, too. For the backing I used a super dense fleece fabric that makes the blanket so heavy and warm. I was unable to find fleece fabric wide enough, so I had to do a little bit of piecing together, but it is hardly noticeable. I did not include batting because I figured it was already heavy and thick enough without it. Each corner is reinforced with a yarn knot.
There are a few things I would have done differently. It would have looked better if each knit square was reinforced with interfacing. It would have taken away the stretch of the fabric and given it more structure.
I also would have made it the size of a standard twin quilt.
For years now this blanket has been my go-to for everything! It has spent most of its life in the trunk of my car and comes along on every beach trip.
Each time I use this blanket, so many memories come back to me about going to football games, serving on class council, the ongoing rivalry between Bonita and San Dimas, and the dreaded P.E. classes. I am so glad I chose to keep these shirts and repurpose them.
I remember being pretty excited to graduate high school. Even though I had no use for these t-shirts anymore, we wanted to figure out a way to save them or repurpose them. A t-shirt quilt was perfect!
My friend Sadie and I got to work cutting all of our t-shirts into squares to make quilts. I didn't know much about sewing at that point and I forgot to take seam allowance into consideration, so I cut 12 inch squares which ended up being about 10 inch squares once sewn together.
I wanted my blanket to be oversized. I was sick of throw blankets that were only 5 ft. long. It turned out to be a little smaller than a twin blanket.
I love how comfortable this blanket is! The t-shirts were all soft and worn in, so the blanket is, too. For the backing I used a super dense fleece fabric that makes the blanket so heavy and warm. I was unable to find fleece fabric wide enough, so I had to do a little bit of piecing together, but it is hardly noticeable. I did not include batting because I figured it was already heavy and thick enough without it. Each corner is reinforced with a yarn knot.
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| Yarn knot at each corner |
I also would have made it the size of a standard twin quilt.
For years now this blanket has been my go-to for everything! It has spent most of its life in the trunk of my car and comes along on every beach trip.
Each time I use this blanket, so many memories come back to me about going to football games, serving on class council, the ongoing rivalry between Bonita and San Dimas, and the dreaded P.E. classes. I am so glad I chose to keep these shirts and repurpose them.
