During my spring break “staycation” I showed a few pictures of my fabulous t-shirt quilt… but I didn’t really go into much detail about the process, or about how you could create your own t-shirt quilt.
And since I absolutely LOVE the fact that I was able to transform a bunch of t-shirt clutter into an extremely useful, practical, and memorable item — I figured I should share a few more details {plus, writing one post about this is easier than answer all the emails and questions I’ve been getting!}
Seriously… doesn’t it just look fabulous!
My sister thinks she wants a quilt for a wedding present this summer and Dave liked it so much that he’s already setting t-shirts aside for his quilt! I suppose I can’t blame them.
A Few More Details:
Jane, of MaidenJane.com, is the woman who made my t-shirt quilt — you can find her sewing lots of creative t-shirt quilts over on her website AND at her Etsy shop.
My quilt looks so fantastic, and I was simply amazed at how quickly she finished it! The whole process was so simple — I just sent her my shirts, she emailed me with some color choices for the fabric around the t-shirts, I selected the color I wanted (black), and then she contacted me a few days later with pictures of the finished quilt!
If you’re feeling creative (but don’t have a ton of sewing skills) you can purchase her t-shirt quilt kit — which includes everything you need to make your own t-shirt quilt (except the t-shirts of course!)
Or, if you are a more experienced sewer but just need a little guidance, you can buy Jane’s t-shirt quilt pattern and do the rest of the work yourself.
If you’re looking for something a little different than a traditional t-shirt quilt, you might also look into Jane’s “Daddy Quilts” that she makes with men’s button-up shirts!
Special Discount for SOL Readers!
If you order anything through the Maiden Jane Esty Shop, make sure you include the following code for 10% off! SIMPLE10
Since I only wanted to use 12 shirts for the quilt (you can use up to 20), I sewed a few of my shirts together before I sent them to Maiden Jane (see image above).
That way, I was able to use parts of 16 t-shirts and get the most “bang for my buck”!
Nora’s Taggie Blanket
Many of you also asked about the taggie blanket she made for Nora with one of my tie-dye t-shirts and several ribbon scraps I had lying around.
Nora love her taggie blanket, and we’ve already gotten SO many compliments on it!
If you are interested in giving a taggie blanket to a cute baby in your life, you can either have Jane make one for you, OR you can download Jane’s FREE taggie blanket pattern from her site.
You can see many more pictures of Jane’s gorgeous t-shirt quilts here, and of course you can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Pinterest.
I’m simply thrilled with my t-shirt quilt and I can’t wait until Dave gets enough t-shirts so we can order one for him too.
If you have any questions about my quilt or about the process, either contact Jane directly or leave a comment below and I’ll try to answer as many of them as I can!
Susan says
That’s a fun idea, especially for those meaningful T-shirts that just don’t fit any more.
Your Calvin and GR (River Run) squares caught my eye. Hello from a fellow Calvin alumna who preceded you by a couple of decades!
Andrea says
yay — go Calvin!!
and yes, I love my t-shirt quilt!
red2red says
Hi…
I am thinking of ordering a t-shirt quilt similar to the one you had made as a gift for my daughter. As I look at the order form on the Maiden Jane site, would you help with a couple questions:
*Type of backing — did you use the sweatshirt fleece, polar fleece or minky?
*Color of the back — did you use the same color for the back as you used for the border?
Excited to get this together – Thanks for your help!
Andrea says
you should be able to customize what types and colors of fabric you use for the back — but yes, mine is the same as the black fabric in between the squares. I’m not really sure what “type” of fabric it is — but again, she has many options to choose from. you might have better luck contacting her directly 😉
red2red says
Thanks – now to get those shirts together!
Andrea says
yes, that is often the hardest part — deciding what shirts to use!
Gretchen says
I make quilts out of baby clothes for my friends – rather than tubs of clothes sitting in the basement, they have a lovely quilt to use! Also, I am saving all the shirts from my kids’ sporting teams. When my youngest graduates, I’m planning on making myself a quilt.
Andrea says
This is a fabulous idea Gretchen — I’m sure your friends really appreciate it!
Jenny says
Hey! You went to Calvin! Are you from Grand Rapids? I went to Grand Valley, but my brother and his wife were at Calvin and swam for them all 4 years. They graduated around 2000 or something. Anyway, it’s always fun to see shirts from our smaller schools 🙂 Love your site!
L. says
if we don’t have a sewing machine (and sewing skills) would Jane be willing to make a t-shirt quilt for a fee?
Jane says
Thanks so much for sharing my quilt and my shop! L. I would love to make a quilt for you – I already have a few in the works from readers here! Stop by http://www.maidenjane.com/t-shirt-quilts.html to see the basic information, but we usually always start with an email!
Diana says
I never knew there were companies who make t-shirt quilts, lol. My friend helped me make one quite a few years back. It doesn’t look quite as nice as it doesn’t have a border between all the shirts but it works well. For the backing I used other t-shirts, sometimes the backs of the shirts I used the fronts of. So it is reversible, either side looks nice and it is tied together. A great way to reuse and hold onto some memories!
Robin says
Andrea I too had a t-shirt quilt made for our son when graduated from high school. He love it! The company I used, also created quilts from men’s ties and baby clothing. 🙂
Leanne says
I loved this idea so much! She’s going to do a similiar quilt for me using several of my boys receiving blankets…I can’t bear to part with them, but they are taking up space! Love this idea! and her prices, compared to others on etsy, are VERY reasonable!
Andrea says
Awesome — so glad you’re going with Jane… she’s fantastic!
Tanya says
I’ve had t-shirts and a pattern for my own quilt for many years now, and i hope to accomplish it this year! I will probably do it double sided, so it’s more of a throw. i like your quilt a lot, it turned out great. I’m sure mine won’t be quite as nice looking, but i’ll do my best. thanks for sharing! i also hope to do a blue jean picnic quilt for a friend getting married next year, and i’m so glad i have a year to do it!