"I don't read your blog."
So with that statement I'm pretty sure she still doesn't. (Don't worry, Auntie K isn't some mean, "don't care about what you write about" sister. She's a junior at LSU, captain of the swim team, biology major. So I forgive her for not having time to read my blog about things that are pretty useless to a 20 year old--I digress).
I decided to make Auntie K a t-shirt quilt out of all of her old high school and club team swimming shirts since she doesn't wear them anymore (and my family can't seem to get rid of things like that). Having made my own t-shirt quilt from old sorority shirts (and could probably make another out of cheerleading shirts--I know, the stereotypes keep on coming), I had a pretty good idea about how to make one for her. Here's the cut and dry version:
Cut t-shirts into 13x13 squares. I use both the front and back of most shirts. With pocket graphics, I cut them into smaller pieces and sew them into a 13x13 square to use in the quilt. There were enough t-shirts to make 2 sides so I don't use a sheet or other material for the backing. I simply make 2 identical sides and go from there. After cutting them, lay them out in the order you would like them to be on the quilt. Hers ended up being 5x5 (mine is 5x6 so it can be bigger if necessary). I sew the rows together first, then take the rows and sew those together until I have what looks like a blanket of each side. I then use batting (the row kind, not the fluffy cloud version) and sew the sides together along with the batting leaving an opening through which to pull the quilt to make it right side out. Once you have it pulled through, stitch up the opening. You can sew down each square corner to ensure the batting stays in place or leave it as is. Auntie K's isn't finished just yet, so I don't have a picture; but I'll try to get one up when she opens it on Christmas Day.
I just hope she likes it! So try it out. I am NOT a pro sewer, I have sewn 3 projects (counting this one) in my lifetime. If you have t-shirts that you can't bear to give away, dust off that sewing machine and put it to work. Make a t-shirt quilt!
Note: T-shirt quilts are EXTREMELY comfortable. They make a heavy blanket and are great to snuggle with, but watch out--it might get snatched from you because the Farmer loves mine.
