T-shirt Quilt for Daughter #2

 Daughter #2 with her t-shirt quilt for graduation.

 Some close-ups of the quilting.

 Backing chevron flannel and binding.

 Little sisters are so helpful!

 This is probably her favorite tee.

 I had Lynn quilt her graduation year onto the quilt because she didn't have any with her year on it.

Details:

• For this quilt I used about 25 shirts, including 2 sweatshirts.  A couple had both a back and a front that we used. 
• 5 columns of t-shirts
• 6 yds. of Grey Chevron Flannel for backing that I bought at JoAnn's.
• Quilted by Lynn Peterson
• Finished Dimensions 76 inches by 88 inches

Graduation Quilt Top

Our second child will be graduating from high school in a couple of weeks.

I completed her t-shirt quilt top this week and got it sent off to the quilter today.

 Hers looks a little more crazy than what I've done in the past.

However, that is probably because she has attended 2 different high school during her time.

 This is also the first time I've made a t-shirt quilt without any sashing or borders.

It is definitely a bit more random than others I've done.

This is the backing: gray chevron flannel.

So happy that I got the pattern lined up perfectly!

Linked up to CrazyMomQuilts

Scrappy Rectangles #2 Completed

Details:

• First version of this quilt found here and directions and pattern info.
• Second version in progress here.  I started #2 last summer.
• Quilted again by Lynn Peterson.

And yes, crazy me, I've started the next round of blocks for version #3. 

If interested in purchasing this quilt you can find it in my Etsy shop.

Wide Stripes T-shirt Quilt

As many of you know we like to make t-shirt memory quilts around here.  What you may not know is that also leaves us with quite a bit of t-shirt scraps--some pieces are smaller than others, but sometimes we have entire blank backs that go unused.

So after finishing my last t-shirt quilt I decided to challenge myself and use up the "leftovers" of the t-shirts and turn them into a quilt of some sort. I've been holding onto these for quite some time.

What I came up with was a brick like pattern using 6 inch and 3 inch strips.  Basically getting the stripes as wide as I could based on what I had. 

 This baby is LARGE!  And crazy, but I am pleased with the final result.

My 6'5" son and I are holding this up--widthwise--because it was too big to hold up lengthwise.

The backing was made from a chambray sheet and then added some additional stripes

so that it would be long enough.

Close-up of the quilting.  I asked Lynn for some simple lines to hold it all in place and then some random pebbling on a couple of the smaller stripes.   I love the pebbling!  If I ever do one of these again I would have her do every other or every 3rd row with the pebbling.

And here is my dad enjoying his new quilt.

He likes them HUGE so he can tuck it under everywhere.

And he also likes the added weight of the t-shirt fabric.

Details:

• Don't forget to interface all the t-shirt pieces so there is no stretching, especially for the quilter.
• Finished size 82 inches by 105 inches.  Yes, it is HUMONGOUS!!  Just the way this Arizona boy likes it so that he doesn't freeze to death.
• Quilted by Lynn Peterson.

Links to some other t-shirt quilts we've made or featured here on our blog.

• Samuel's quilt
• Lexanne's quilt
• Madisson's quilt
• Bria's quilt
• The twin Harley-Davidson quilts
• Ann's quilt for her daughter Lucy

Next up for me in another random improve t-shirt quilt.  It is done and needs a backing and to be quilted.  And I'm almost finished with daughter #2's t-shirt graduation quilt.  Hers will be interesting as it is a combo of 2 different high schools and other random shirts thrown in.  Can't wait to show them off when they are finished.

Spool Quilt for my Birthday

This weekend is our annual Sewfest Weekend in St. George.

For various reason I am not there this year.

Mostly I'm O.K. with it.

I am planning on sewing as much as I can here at home while my sisters and cousin

are doing their thing.  I'll post some of my finishes later.

Until then I'll show you what my sisters, Emily and Leslie (and a few of their buddies)

did for me last Fall for my 50th birthday. 

I have to say I was super surprised.  Not that my gift was a quilt, but that it was this quilt.  I knew Emily was working on it but I didn't have a clue that it was coming to me.

I LOVE it!! 

The two different fabrics that make up the backing.

The fun quilt label.

And Awesome binding.

THANKS!!

Alexander's T-shirt Quilt

Alexander is the son of my good friend Cindy.  I've known him since he was born. 

This Spring he graduated from high school.  I told him that if they wanted to pay for the materials I would put the time in and make him a t-shirt quilt for his graduation gift. 

Alexander was all over that. 

He is a funny kid.  He has Asperger's and is very OCD about some things.  It was difficult for him at first to go thru all his shirts and "give" them away, even though the majority of them didn't even fit him anymore. However, having them in a quilt will make both him and his mom happy (i.e. less shirts in his dresser drawers sitting there doing nothing).

I had him go thru his t-shirt stash with me and he showed me the ones that for SURE had to go in the quilt and then depending on how the size and design ended up we had another pile of shirts to add to as needed.  I didn't use up all the shirts he gave me, but we did use 24 of them.  Not everyone will have that many shirts but Alexander NEVER wears a solid t-shirt....NEVER.  It has to have some logo or something on it.

This is the first time I have put together a t-shirt quilt that didn't involve the majority to be school or sports themed shirts.  In fact, he only had one shirt that represents his school.  Instead, Alexander likes video games, goofy sayings, Star Wars, Pokémon, etc.  So I had to pull that all together in this quilt.

Here is the top all put together before sending it off for quilting.

He picked out his sashing/border fabric as well as the backing fabric.  He wanted to choose and not have me pick out something for him.  Fine with me.

I just heard back that the quilting is done and I should get it back next week.  I asked Lynn to quilt his name and graduation year on a blank block that I included in the quilt since he didn't have any shirts with his name.  I guess I need to go find some binding fabric to go with now that I know the quilt is coming back.

Details:

• Zelda and Gang fabric from JoAnn's.  Needed 6 yds. for the backing and it couldn't be matched perfectly.  I tried.  From a distance it will hardly be noticeable.

• Mario border fabric also from JoAnn's. Used about 1 1/2 yd. 
• 24 t-shirt fronts pieced together.
• T-shirt quilt ideas from Pinterest.

The other t-shirt quilts that we've put together.

Daughter #1 grad quilt

Harley Twins

Bria's grad quilt

Samuel's grad quilt

Madisson's grad quilt

Samuel's T-shirt Quilt Top

Our nephew Samuel, in Nebraska, just graduated from Hastings High School this past May

(as well as received his Eagle Scout Award). 

Post graduation he gathered up the t-shirts he felt he could part with and sent them to me so I could put together this t-shirt quilt.

He is a tall guy (goes without saying for our family)--about 6'3"

and so I had to make sure this quilt was long enough to cover his frame.

That was a trick as he didn't have as many shirts as his sister did.

His older sister is the blondie middle one of this trio of cousins. 

I had to be a bit more creative in how I put his quilt all together.

The finished top.

I am really loving the gray/black keyboard look.

A little close-up of some of the t-shirt piecing I did for the borders.

Now to pick out the back, binding and send it off to the quilter.


Details:

• Front and back (where possible) of about 7 t-shirts plus a sleeve logo.  He had an EXACT duplicate of the white shirt front and back so I only cut the paw print off the second shirt and placed it in the quilt.
• For this quilt I pieced much more of the solid color portion of the t-shirts to add to it, including the sashing. I might have even pulled some solids from other t-shirt quilt extras I had.
• Post about his sister's t-shirt quilt. You can see how different they ended up being even though they attended the same high school and both ran cross country.
• Finished quilt top dimensions: 69 x 89 inches

Scrappy Rectangles Quilt Version #2

I hadn't necessarily meant to make another one of this quilt pattern.  However, daughter #2 has overtaken the first one and uses it on her bed constantly.  She loves it--mainly for how large it is.  I assume that when she leaves home this is one of the quilts that she will take with her.

So as I was trying to clean out and purge part of my sewing room, fabric, and materials, I decided to start another one of these.  And it just went from there.  I'm kinda hooked on this pattern design. Normally I'm not a big fan of putzing around with small pieces, etc. but this one is good.  And really this is probably as small as I will go on cutting pieces (2 x 3 1/2) for a quilt.  I'm no CrazyMomQuilts when it comes to scrappy quilting.


This is how I start it off.  Put all the pieces in a bucket.  Then start sewing.  Then add more pieces, keep sewing.  Repeat until you have 90 blocks.


Almost completed blocks.




Finished top overtaking my basement.

So move it outside and have 2 kids help hold it for pictures.

Details:

• See post on Version #1 for quilt pattern info.
• This is a good quilt pattern for "ugly" fabric.  Cutting it down small enough makes it appear lovely.

I like Big Blocks and I cannot lie

While in St. George in February for our annual sewfest retreat I took some fabric that had been "aging" in my stash.  I'm not really sure how long I've had it.  Maybe 2 years!?  Anyway, I had a pattern picked out and thought this would be a good time to try and come up with something concrete.  More minds and opinions together to get my own creative juices flowing.

This was also another exercise in getting out of my comfort zone.
I've never made blocks this big, or with this big of a print fabric.
I was really nervous that I wouldn't even like it when it was all said and done.

I'm happy to report that "it's all good in the 'hood."
Mission accomplished: quilt  top completed and I really like it....a lot.



It took some finagling with the placement and discussion over the little corner blocks but in the end I am really please with how it turned out.

Next step: to find the perfect backing to go with it. I already know I don't have anything in my stash that will compliment this very well.

Details:

• Fabric is Hand Drawn Garden by Anna Maria Horner
• Pattern is a modification of  "Sweet Life", pgs. 74-79 from Simply Retro by Camille Roskelly.  
• I made the blocks as she indicated, finishing at 18 inches square.
• Cut 3 1/2 inch strips for both border and sashing out of white, and the center squares of solid color.
• I also only did a 3 x 4 pattern instead of 4 x 4 as she did.  That was mainly because of what fabric I had in my stash.  Plus I do not love square quilts if I can avoid it.
• Flickr group of this pattern book found HERE.
• The finished top is 66 inches wide by 87 inches

Modern Solids Improv Quilt #1

This was an exercise in doing something out of your comfort zone.

I had a bunch of scraps left over from three different solids quilts that I had made and didn't feel like throwing them out or giving them away.  So I thought I would try my hand at some modern solid improv and this is what I ended up with.



Details:

• Quilted by Lynn Peterson
• Solids from the Omaha quilt, son #1 quilt, and son #2 quilt.
• Some Kona cottons and then an assortment of scraps from wherever.
• 6 inch white border (I wanted it bigger than it was)
• Backing used a Ralph Lauren chambray sheet.
• Binding is a combo from the scrappy solids also.
• Finished dimensions: 56 inches by 69 inches.  The inner improv piece without the border is 45 x 57--definitely not big enough for our tall crew.

Sawtooth Solids Quilt for #2 son

My youngest son was so happy when I came back from my sewing retreat in February because I brought back his quilt that was finally finished. He picked out the pattern and the majority of the colors.  And then I put them together.

Here is the "in the process" picture. Making all the blocks and hanging them up on my design board.




He is very happy with it (although it doesn't necessarily appear that way in the picture above)



He also picked out the C.R.A.Z.Y. backing fabric. 


I think I really like it though. I have to say I am impressed with myself how I lined up the fabric to sew it together. Unless you are really up close you can't even tell there is a seam right down the middle of the backing.



I just bound it with a black Swiss dot. 

Details:

• Used assorted Kona solids and other solids from my stash.
• "Fanciful Twirls" pattern from Quilts A to Z: 26 Techniques Every Quilter Should Know.
• Solids quilt for son #1 found here.  The two quilts are meant to coordinate, not necessarily be matchy-matchy since they currently share a room.

Ahhh, Spring Break laziness.....

Parasol Ladies Vintage Quilt Story

This quilt top has quite the long and traveled story.
It was made by my great-grandma, Gertrude Cooper, back before my parents were married in 1965. 





Grandma Cooper gave it to my mom as an unfinished top and big enough to be a bedspread.
She never did anything with it and then somehow I ended up with it. It sat in my cedar chest unfinished, and I hauled it around for who knows how long, before my sisters, mom and I were trying to decide what to do with it. Here we had kept it for 50+ years as just a quilt top and nothing had been done.


We contemplated cutting it up into pieces and quilting it as individual wall hangings and still no one was thrilled about it.  As a bedspread, for sure no one wanted it.  Finally our mom decided that she would use it as a quilt in one of her spare bedrooms.





We cut off all the excess border that would be the bedspread and Emily found some cute vintage sheet material and had our favorite Lynn quilt it for us.








I think that Emily bound it up and off it went to our mom.








Detail of the quilting.





Some up close and personal pictures of the parasol ladies.





Since it is so old Lynn quilted it pretty densely everywhere.
Also, Grandma Cooper had just done a topstitch zigzag that wasn't too tight and pretty small.  We didn't want anything to come apart.





Close detail of her embroidery and applique.





I had actually started to re-applique the ladies, but after one I stopped because I didn't like how it was turning out.  Unfortunately I also couldn't pick it out without wrecking her applique.


I'm glad that we got this quilt top completely put together as an actual quilt.
It is a fun little piece of our ancestry and heritage and probably one of the few things that we have that belonged to great-grandma Cooper.