Table of Contents. Introduction 4

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1 Table of Contents Introduction 4 Hints and How-To s 6 Tools and Notions 6 It s All About the Fabric 6 Cutting and Stabilizing T-Shirts 7 Piecing Hints 9 Incorporating Curves into T-Shirt Quilts 10 Design Opportunities 14 Finishing Touches 15 Quilting Recommendations 16 Projects 18 SUGAR & SPICE 18 LOGAN S SHIRTS OF FIRSTS 20 JUNIOR TWIST 22 Grid Method Quilts 24 CHARMED JOURNEY 24 SCAVENGER HUNT 27 FANGS 2 U 28 SPLIT FORMATION 30 SAFARI SASHED 34 TWISTIN FUN 36 T-SHIRT MEMORY PILLOW 38 Gallery 40 Easy Planning Guides 49 Comparing the Quilt Designs 49 Cut Block Charts 50 Let s Do the Numbers 54 Block Set Guides 55 Resources 62 About the Author 63 FANGS 2 U, detail. Full quilt on page 28.

2 Hints and How-To's Cutting and Stabilizing Children's and Baby T-Shirts To preserve the maximum surface area of small T-shirts, use scissors to cut down the back, then across the top back of the sleeves. Neck facing and sleeve seams may need to be ripped to access maximum shirt surface. T-shirt right-side down on a pressing surface and press. Place the interfacing adhesive side (bumpy side) down on the wrong side of the T-shirt. The straight-of-grain (non-stretch direction) of the interfacing should run across the T-shirt. Fuse following the manufacturer s instructions. Place the T-shirt right-side up on a cutting mat. Center a square ruler over the printed image on the T-shirt. Cut to the desired dimensions. If necessary for a more centered T-shirt block, cut slightly above the neck fabric so a sliver of interfacing peeks out. This omission of T-shirt fabric will be hidden in the seam allowance. Cutting and Stabilizing Adult T-Shirts Using rotary cutter and ruler or scissors, cut up the sides and through the sleeves of the T-shirt. Next, slice the shoulder seam. This will expose the maximum surface area for stabilizing. When working with baby onesies, pull the bobbin thread for fast removal of stitches. Since vertical length above the printed image is usually desired, do not cut off the neck band. If your T-shirt needs to be cut 18½" wide, cut according to the instructions for cutting a child s shirt. Stabilize the T-shirt using iron-on interfacing. Cut a square of interfacing roughly 2" larger than the dimensions you want to cut your T-shirt. Place the Place the T-shirt right-side down on a pressing surface and press. Center an 18" wide piece of iron-on interfacing on the wrong side of the shirt, adhesive- 8 T-Shirt Quilts Made Easy G Martha DeLeonardis

3 Hints and How-To's Quilting I recommend quilting T-shirt quilts on a longarm machine. T-shirt quilts are heavy and unless you are quite competent quilting on your domestic machine, it will be well worth the expense of having it quilted by a professional longarm quilter. Talk to your longarm quilter before purchasing backing and batting. Each longarm quilter will have personal preferences to consider. To load onto a quilt frame, backings need to be signifi cantly larger than quilt tops. If you don t know any longarm quilters in your area of the country here are some ways to contact one. G Talk to your local quilt shop staff. If they do not have a machine on premises, they may know of professional longarm quilters in your area. G Contact your local quilt guild. If your local guild publishes a newsletter, longarm quilters will often advertise there. G Perform an Internet search of longarm guilds in your state. They can provide a listing of their members. G Investigate the ads in the back of quilt magazines. Tying Tying a T-shirt quilt, rather than quilting it, is another option for completing your project. HOTTEST BRAND RUNNING, detail. Full quilt on page 41. Martha DeLeonardis G T-Shirt Quilts Made Easy 17

4 Grid Method Quilts Amy Bradley Designs Block Party Studios Greater Houston Area Shop Hop West Houston Quilter s Guild Quilter s Guild of Dallas Charmed Journey 64" x 86", made by the author, quilted by Quilt N Sew Studio, Katy, Texas Using fabric squares in a standard grid is a great method for incorporating T-shirt blocks of differing dimensions into an asymmetrical quilt design. Turning a grid design into a Cinderella quilt only requires infusing the project with many fabrics. CHARMED JOURNEY, FANGS 2 U, SCAVENGER HUNT, and QUILT CITY were all assembled using this Grid Method. 24 T-Shirt Quilts Made Easy G Martha DeLeonardis

5 Hard Rock Café 2011, Texas A&M University Katy Independent School District, Katy, Texas Split Formation 67" x 88", made by the author This Cinderella quilt appears much more complicated than its humble Nine-Patch block beginnings. A very big bang for the buck! All the T-shirt blocks need to be the same size. 30 T-Shirt Quilts Made Easy G Martha DeLeonardis

6 Split Formation Martha DeLeonardis G T-Shirt Quilts Made Easy 33

7 Gallery Texas Music Educators Association 2011, Texas A&M University University Interscholastic League Katy Independent School District, Katy, Texas JUSTIN S T-SHIRT QUILT 60" x 90", made by the author. From the collection of Justin Bauman, Fulshear, Texas. Martha DeLeonardis G T-Shirt Quilts Made Easy 43