From Worst to Great
June 30, 2014 11 Comments
A few weeks ago I wrote about the WORST quilt ever! I recently got an email, with photos, from Charlotte in NH, about a t-shirt quilt she had made. Charlotte’s t-shirt quilt is one of THE BEST t-shirt quilts I have ever seen!
With her permission, I am posting her photos and her story about the quilt.
Click on any photo for a larger view.
This all started when my husband was deployed to Kuwait. Somehow, Jim (co-worker) saw my Picasa album of my finished quilts. He said to John (husband), do you think there is a way to incorporate my collection of t-shirts into a quilt? John said – oh sure. John volunteered my services free of charge. I had never made a t-shirt quilt before but knew I could do it. Jim left Kuwait in May of 2013. Mid June I got a box with 15 t-shirts from Jim. These t-shirts commemorated road races that he participated in. He wanted someway to display and pass on his collection of t-shirts to his family.
Because this is likely to be passed on for generations, I wanted a unique design. I took pictures of all the shirts and brought them into EQ7 to start the design process. When I spoke with Jim, he said that he wanted something like a ‘spoke’ with emphasis on the first race. The center medallion represents his first race then from upper left clockwise the others are positioned around the quilt.
The backing of stars was chosen by John. He wanted something patriotic since both work for the Dept. of Defense. I quilted it on my HandiQuilter Fusion with ProStitcher using Quilter’s Dream Select Poly and Anne Bright’s design – Vanilla Cream. This is a big quilt – 100 x 110. I am very pleased with the finished product; I hope Jim is as well. The quilt was sent to him and he should be receiving it soon. My charity of choice is Quilts of Valor.
Cindy’s Comments – This is a beautiful quilt and you did an EXCELLENT job! I know he will be proud of the quilt.
Feel free to leave comments about this quilt. I will make sure Charlotte sees them.
About Cindy Roth
Machine Quilting Business 
This is my sister’s quilt, and I agree it is magnificent. She is a meticulous and accomplished quilter, as she is with everything she does. Multi-talented!
A great looking t-shirt quilt. A creative and unusual setting.
Awesome T-shirt quilt! And, what a beautiful way to set off the t-shirts – the checkers even remind me of the checkered flag of racing.
Absolutely beautiful. I am sure he will be overjoyed when he receives it. I would be interested in the pattern too if she decides to sell.
Absolutely stellar! The design is so well done leading your eyes all around the quilt. The colors are so well balanced with shots of yellow and red amidst the blue and white. The backing is wunderbar! 🙂 Jim will be blown away, I know I am.
Beautiful! Is that checkerboard pieced or is that a fabric? Jeannette Ruark Hill Country, Texas Sent from my iPhone
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Pieced. Jim told me his favorite color was blue. The white is tone on tone.
I must know: What type of fusible did she use on the back of the shirts and is the rest of the fabric just regular quilting cotton?
Least expensive Pellon non-woven (purchased at Joanne Fabrics) – featherweight / light weight.
Yes, regular quilt shop quality cotton.
WOW! Best yet! Does she/he have a pattern to sell for this design? I’m sure it would be a big hit! va.
You are certainly right Cindy. She did an excellent job in planning the design and doing what Jim wanted in a unique way. The design is simple yet so eye-catching. The T-shirts are the center of attraction, but the blue and white squares just add the perfect touch to a racing theme. Great job Charlotte.