T-Shirt Quilts

What a pleasant surprise for E – a memory t-shirt quilt made from her cherished t-shirts. This quilt is a great example of the planned approach and is the typical t-shirt quilt encompassing a variety of t-memories.

Something Different for Samantha

Tammy wanted some special for her daughter Samantha’s t-shirt quilt. She wanted a large turtle in the middle.  Tammy had sent some beautiful batik fabric swatches that I thought would be perfect for the turtle. One thing was immediately evident about the t-shirts – they all had something to do with water, waves, or swimming.

After much thought, I asked Tammy if I could do whatever I wanted and she agreed. So I placed older, darker logos at the bottom, as if they were the sea bottom, and arranged the logos on a “sea blue” background as if they were various types of sea life floating or swimming in the sea. I did make the turtle, but he didn’t really get center stage! 

Label for Samantha’s Seascape T-Shirt Quilt

Fortunately Tammy loved the quilt, and I had a blast making it.

A Butterfly Lady T-Shirt

Michaela loves butterflies, so when it was her turn to have a t-shirt quilt, her mother sent me a picture of a butterfly lady. She also sent me some of her fabrics that she thought would help make the lady. The t-shirt quilt above is the result – not your usual t-shirt quilt, but one made for a special lady who loves butterflies. Her sister Samantha is more of a fan of sea creatures, especially turtles, as the quilt just above this one displays. If you’d like a unique quilt, please call me. I love to make this kind of stand out quilt.

Lindsay’s Cheerful T-Shirt

Lindsay’s cheerful birthday t-shirt quilt is typical of another planned t-shirt quilt.  After I measure all the logos, I usually arrange the larger ones in the middle.  If there are enough light and dark shirts to keep the logos separate, I don’t use framing for these shirts.  Instead I frame the entire center to separate it from the border blocks. In this quilt, I decorate the top layer with the smaller logos.

Samantha’s Graduation Sorority T-Shirt Quilt

Samantha chose the popular hodge-podge pattern for her precious collection of sorority t-shirts. Her mother gave this to her as her graduation gift and she loved it.

David’s Graduation T-Shirt Quilt – Simple can be Beautiful

David’s graduation t-shirt quilt illustrates the notion that simple can be beautiful. The shirts themselves and their bright colors make this quilt lovely despite or because of the simple way they are displayed. Some quilts need to be complicated and detailed. Others are better without fuss. I find that t-shirt quilts for boys and men tend toward the latter.

Jeff’s Gift to his Wife

Jeff’ and his wife had a little boy plus a new baby. I’m not sure what the occasion was that made Jeff think of having his wife’s sorority t-shirts made into a quilt, but I thought it was a lovely gesture. The quilt above was the result.

Memory T-shirt Quilts – A Retired Firefighter’s Quilt

T-shirt quilts aren’t just for girls!  The quilt above displays one firefighter’s collection of t-shirts gathered over the years. His wife said Tommy fell in love with it as soon as he saw it. As befitting an organized collection, this quilt has a plan and a theme. This quilt with its predominantly black and white shirts shows the necessity of framing.

T-Shirt Collection of Kuni Auto Dealers Honoring Retiring Owner

When the former Kuni owner retired, his staff wanted to honor him with a quilt displaying t-shirts from each Kuni auto dealership.  I was honored to be the one to make his quilt.  

T-Shirt Collection of Job’s Daughters Shirts

All t-shirt collections are unique and personal. Mary worked with Job’s Daughters for years and has a wonderful collection to display.

Hard Rock Cafe T-Shirt Quilts

First Two Hard Rock Cafe Quilts

Hard Rock Cafes are famous world-wide and their t-shirts are collected far and wide.

Greg traveled as a roving minister so his kids grew up living in various nations, collecting Hard Rock Cafe t-shirts along the way. As Christmas gifts, he commissioned me to make the following two quilts for his son and daughter.

Third Hard Rock Cafe T-Shirt

Charlene handed me a collection of Hard Rock Cafe t-shirts to make a quilt for her husband as an anniversay present. It represents a lifetime of memories that she and her husband share.

Fourth Hard Rock Cafe T-Shirt Quilt

I recently finished the fourth Hard Rock Cafe t-shirt quilt for Elizabeth who has been collecting these shirts all over the world.

Graduation Gifts – Taylor’s Quilt

My aim is to make t-shirts that are distinctive, no matter what the number of t-shirts are. Each t-shirt quilt is customized according to the needs of the customer. The large amount of colorful t-shirts and the diamond shaped pattern both added an extra zing to Taylor’s quilt – as did the colorful border. This has been the most popular quilt I’ve made that was pinned on Pinterest!

Graduation Gift – A Quilt for a Cheerleader

The cheerleader outfits, added to the bulk of colorful t-shirts makes this t-shirt quilt unique.  I had no idea how popular cheerleading quilts were until I made this one, and it got pinned on Pinterest almost every day for years!

Graduation Gifts – Sports Shirts

In this graduation gift that Dane’s mom had me make for him, I used my usual pattern of large logos in the middle, bordered by smaller ones. It is the best way to use t-shirts when there is a large number to accommodate and the customer doesn’t want a hodge-podge type.

Graduation Gifts – Miranda’s Sorority Quilt

This sorority t-shirt quilt also uses the hodge-podge style. This large collection of bright and colorful t-shirts lends itself to the style since the logos on the shirts are of varying sizes and the customer prefers it.

Sports Quilt – Amelia’s Quilt

Amelia had a large number of t-shirts but didn’t want a hodge-podge type of quilt. In her case there had to be two borders of blocks to accommodate the many lovely t-shirts she owned. When making these quilts, I often think the math involved is as important as any sewing skill!

Sorority Quilt – Collette’s Quilt

Collette wanted to see her collection of sorority t-shirts rather have them stay in a box. This pattern frames each logo distinctly and displays her collection very nicely.

Treasured T-Shirts – Carlos’ Quilt

My granddaughter Megan collected her boyfriend’s old t-shirts for a quilt. Since he treasured these old t-shirts, he had a hard time releasing them although they were quite worn. He loved his finished quilt however and now can easily access all those memories yet have a warm quilt as well. 

Sport Shirts Collection – Sierra’s Quilt

To display Sierra’s beautiful collection of cared for sports shirts, I chose a unique pattern – a play on the ‘baby block’ style.  Sierra loved it!

Rick’s Anniversary T-Shirt Quilt

Rick’s t-shirt quilt is a perfect example of a very beautiful, extremely simple t-shirt quilt.  If the “clothes make the man”, then the “t-shirts make the quilt.”  No sashing or extra special borders required. Large logos make large quilts – this one was approximately 90 inches square.

Sport Shirts Collection – Chris’s Quilt

Some kids are lucky enough to have a mother who recognizes how wonderful a quilt can be if made out of their favorite t-shirts. Chris received this birthday present when he was in the eight grade.  It also included some of his scout badges.

Track Team T-Shirts – Sarah’s Quilt

Sarah saved all her high school track t-shirts for the day when she could make them into a quilt. Now married, a mother of two, a small business owner, Sarah never found the time to make her quilt. Don’t wait until that someday that never comes. Contact me and discuss the possibilities of turning your collection into a quilt NOW.

Father-in-Law’s Christmas Gift – T-Shirt Quilt

Sarah’s father-in-law collected t-shirts from auto racing shows, so many his wife threw away a bunch of them. Sarah collected a few that were left and I made the quilt shown below. Below he is shown proudly showing off his new quilt. This is an example of a t-shirt quilt made with just a few shirts.

Click on picture to enlarge it.

Both quilts above were gifts from a father who traveled extensively throughout the world when his children were growing up. These quilts display the t-shirts they collected from their journeys, and were a delightful Christmas surprise. Diamond shaped blocks were possible because the logos were not too big, except for the few in Kerrick’s quilt which were showcased in the center.

Bereavement T-Shirt Quilts

Bereavement T-Shirt Quilts for Brothers Using their Mother’s Shirt

After her sister’s death, Jenna wanted to do something to help her two teenaged nephews in their grief. She commissioned me to make them each a bereavement t-shirt quilt using their mother’s shirts.

 

Jenna sent me pictures of the grateful boys each wrapped in his wonderful t-shirt quilt:

 

Unique T-Shirt Quilts in Honor of Ben

Ben was a young man of many interests. His mother Debby wanted a wall hanging that spanned the wall but was only about 20 inches high. She preferred a seascape and was happy for me to include the logos of some of his favorite t-shorts. I made this quilt a few years ago.

More recently I made a throw for Debby with the remainder of his t-shirts.

The theme of this quilt were places Ben loved – mountains, forests, rivers around his home in Half Moon Bay. The central feature is Charlie Chan, shown here attacking a chicken. The waterfall is made from a piece of Ben’s treasured baby blanket. The roads are from his Little League Baseball uniform. The VW vans are from t-shirts commemorating family reunions. As are the dogs.

Not all t-shirt quilts are large:

Debby had a specific place for this small wall hanging which showcases his two Ninja Turtles t-shirt logos. The bottom logo must have come from a shirt that was much loved because it was almost worn out. When Debby received this quilt, she wrote, “First, I opened the wall hanging and couldn’t stop smiling!! 

Remembering a Wyatt, a Beloved Son

After losing his son Wyatt in a tragic swimming accident, Jason wanted to help his family grieve. He wanted four t-shirt quilts made (shown below) for Wyatt’s grandmother, mother and two sisters. Plus I made one for Jason himself, because he needed one as well.

 

 

T-Shirt Quilt for 7-year-old Connor who lost his Father

I made this little quilt for a very young Connor who had recently lost his father who was in the Army.  After his mother gave Connor the quilt, she wrote: “Wanted to let you know that Connor immediately recognized his Daddy’s shirts on the quilt.  When I put him to bed last night he wrapped himself in it, even gave up the baby blankets he’s slept with since he was born.  He shed a few tears and wanted to see his Daddy one last time.  These are normal emotions he will work through.  But I want you to know how truly grateful I am to you for doing this for us.  It’s the most special thing that Connor can keep and remember his Daddy.”  These heart-felt words sum up why I love this career.

Shannon’s T-Shirt Quilt – Wife’s Gift to her Husband – A T-Shirt Quilt Made from T-Shirts Belonging to their Beloved Son

Soon after they lost their son Shannon to a motorcycle accident, his mother contacted me wanting to know if I could tell her husband on his birthday which was coming up that he would be receiving a quilt made from Shannon’s t-shirts.  I told her that of course she could. She contacted me when I had finished the quilt but hadn’t yet had it delivered, asking is she could get a picture of it before she received the quilt. She said she was having a difficult day and knew it would cheer her up. In most cases I like for people to actually see their quilt for the first time rather that see the picture of it – but of course in her case I agreed.  I love this quilt.  They do too.

The photos they sent me were beautiful and truly enhanced this quilt.

Quilts for the Family – Phil’s Gifts Honoring his Adored Wife

Phil sent me loads of clothes that his adored wife had worn. I made the quilt above for Phil out some of her treasured t-shirts and other shirts. And the one below for his mother-in-law.

Phil also had me make a quilt for his son Justin . . .

And one for Jenna’s aunt . . .

He was a thoughtful and generous man who wanted to help all those around him who were suffering as he was.

Bereavement Gift – Aaron’s T-Shirt Quilt

“Remembering Aaron” was a t-shirt quilt honoring a young man’s life. This was a gift to the family, and one of my first bereavement quilts. Two artistic items – the white sashing and the diamond shaped blocks – added to the intrinsic beauty of the t-shirts. Pockets from his blue jeans were attached to the back with labels. His mother said they would be used for tissues.

Bereavement T-Shirt Quilts – Gifts for a Young Family

These three throws were made for Cheryl and her two daughters from her husband Eric’s t-shirts.  I also made the family log cabin quilts from his cotton button-down shirts (seen under Traditional Quilts in the Bereavement section). Similar patterns were used in all three throws with the distinctive sashing made from three of his striped shirts. Each one chose which t-shirts they wanted in their quilts.

Bereavement T-Shirt Quilt – Bill’s Quilt

Above is another example of how a few t-shirts can be turned into a beautiful quilt using a simple pattern. Bill’s family joined together to help Bill’s sister commission this quilt for their mother which helped her in her grief at losing her lovely son Bill. Each person wants a quilt that speaks directly to them. This one definitely says “Bill” to his mother.

Various Bereavement Quilts – T-Shirts Used with Other Clothing

One Quilt out of Six Made for Grieving Family

More and more I am making quilts that cannot be called t-shirt quilts, but that incorporate t-shirts within the quilt. On the Bereavement page, I show six such quilts (for five siblings and their parents), each one having a center display of selected t-shirts.  Above is Jonathan’s quilt. Cotton button down shirts were used in the large borders, each person getting a different design.

In Peter’s quilt above, I used both front and back of two of his father’s cotton shirts, plus a Hawaii shirt in the center, along with the two t-shirts displayed on the four corners.

Cathie’s Quilt made to honor her son Ben is a beautiful example of t-shirts incorporated into a bereavement quilt. The center mariner’s compass was made from t-shirts, as are various blocks throughout, although much of the quilt was made from Ben’s large collection of regular cotton and rayon shirts. Really, in a bereavement quilt – anything goes. I’ve even incorporated hats. Ben’s little christening sweater is sewn into the very center of the quilt.

This small quilt illustrates that a memory quilt can be made from just a few items.  Often people have given away almost all the clothing since they never thought about having a quilt made. Lionel’s sister-in-law had me make this lap quilt for his mother using two t-shirts, a pajama top, and an old wool cap (corners).  Vernice was quite moved when she received this quilt honoring her son Lionel.

 

The inner circle of Collin’s Quilt was made using his Mom’s t-shirts. Collin was just a young boy when twelve of his mother’s friends joined together to have quilts made for Collin and his younger sister Mackie out of their mother’s clothes. The blue in the center was from one of Collin’s t-shirts which was bought for him when the family was in France.

Below is the quilt made for Mackie.

Below is a picture of Collin and Mackie with their quilts.