T-Shirts Transformed to Love

They are faded, stretched out, well worn t-shirts sitting in dresser drawers or laundry baskets, just waiting for someone to gather them together and transform them into a work of art. There might be sch0ol shirts, concert shirts, camp shirts, sport shirts. Not a problem even if there are grungy armpits, yellowed and stained. Get those sharp scissors cutting after you have your plan on graph paper and you've made your calculations.

This T-shirt quilt is LOVE. Love of favorite hometown sports teams, love of a city, love of a school, love of Aiello's pizza, Football camp, the Gateway Clipper was the first place of my son Mark's employment. Lots of memories stitched together. Mr. Rogers a Pittsburgh native reminds us we are special and to be kind to on another.( I took that shirt from his sister Laura as it was in my house on a pillow- OOPS!)

You need about twenty shirts to make a twin size quilt. If you are short on the number of t-shirts you can supplement with one from the used clothing or consignment store. Make sure the receipient is cool with your cutting up the shirts. I left a Grateful Dead concert shirt whole, uncut, as I was advised. But you can give a shirt new life, too. The parts come together to become a unified whole.

First you get some sharp fabric shears and go to it- slice off the sleeves, cut up the sides. T-shirts aren't always sew up the sides. You need sharp fabric shears so the shirts don't get chewed up. You need a clean edge. Of course you don't even begin to cut them up until you follow a few steps. The preparation and proper tools are essential to the satisfactory results of the finished product.

Prepare the shirts to reecive some iron-on interfacing you've cut to sixteen inch squares. Keep those edges of the cotton jersey from curling. You need the cotton knit fabric stable so you can sew on the sashing. Measure, measure again, cut the squares. The better you measure and cut, the better the result. That is the truth. Use good tools. Use good materials. Don't skimp. Me? I used Grunge fabric between the shirts and a 108" wide quilt backing flannel. The edging is a glowing web design that seems to pull the whole quilt together., The three layers of the t-shirts, the cotton battimg and quilt backing are then long-arm quilted expertly by Storm Sew. You should see her scissors and cutters collection. If you have a wool pressing mat you will be really happy, too. You handsitch the binding all around, snip off any extra threads. There are ALWAYS stray threads it seems. Then cut and sew a laudry bag to hold the quilt, wrap up in a box and ship it off to your son. The son who is no longer a little boy but a man who is grown up and has his own family now. But he'll remember where he grew up and feel the love his mom sewed into his birthday T shirt quilt.

One thing I realize is when I preparing, cutting and sewing one quilt project, I am always thinking abou possibilities as to what quilt I will stitch next. And for whom wil I create this quilt of love? I remember cutting into some French lace with some very sharp scissors to sew my Vogue wedding gown in 1974. A yard of that lace cost $28 and it needed to be precise. I remember cutting out patterns of corduroy overalls for my now grown up son. As an art teacher for 26 years in the city (now retired) the Fiskars scissors that could be used by left or right handed students were the favorite, not those old dull pointed ones in the scissors rack.

A drawer full of old T-shirts becomes a much loved cozy quilt with patience, a creative eye, nice complementing fabrics and good tools. I have been sewing since I was in Home Economics Class with Mrs. Phelan at Morris Plains Borough School in New Jersey. One time I remember getting a B plus on a blue and red polka dot dress because I had not cut off the threads inside the dress. I think of Mrs. Phelan when I am snipping off threads with scissors. How mortifying to not receive an A on that sewing class project

Talk about joy? My son Mark face-timed me when the box arrived and showed himself opening the box and unwrapping the quilt. His facial expression told me everything i needed to know. He didn't just like it, he LOVED it. He even showed me Henry the Airedale Terrier sniffing it. The family dog loved it, too. There are no words to describe the sense of satisfaction that your handmade gift has been received enthusiastially and gratefully. That's right, it just feels good. Makes you want to find more t-shirts and getting cutting and sewing for people you love.