T-Shirt Quilt

Last week I made a t-shirt quilt for a customer using her husband's shirts.  It turned out quite nicely, if a bit plain.  The black that she chose really makes the colors in the shirt graphics pop.

 
At first I didn't like making t-shirt quilts, but as I have had more practice, they have really grown on me.  I doubt I will be making them for my children because they tend to wear their shirts out.
If you make one of these quilts, remember that the interfacing for the t-shirts is key.  It has to be the stretchy kind.  And when quilting, raise your foot a little to make sure you clear the fabric and seams. 

End of the Journey?

I am calling it done.  Except I forgot to put on the label I made.  Please leave a comment!  Positive, negative, suggestions, observations, anything.  I love feedback, it's how I learn and grow. 

This was definitely a learning experience.  And I must say, the finishing (border, backing) was the most difficult part.  Much more so than making and embellishing the blocks.  Before you read further, I do not receive anything for linking to store sites.  I simply do it because I like to know what people use and where they get their supplies, so I assume others do, too. 

I tied the quilt with Petunia 2mm silk ribbon, hiding the the knots.  I went through the backing and the foundation fabric because I did not want the ribbon to show on the front.  I buy most of my silk ribbon from silkribbon.com.  Their ribbon takes dye very nicely.  They are reasonably priced and ship very, very quickly. 

This is the "soaring bird" from Urban Threads.  I also have the "floral fascinator" on another block, but the picture came out way too fuzzy.  You can see it in the top right corner in the picture of the whole quilt.  This was my first foray into Urban Threads freestanding lace designs and I am very happy with the results.  I bought a few other downloads that I am looking forward to making up.

I also purchased several pieces of lace from Sew-Biz Fabrics to dye. They are very reasonable and also ship very quickly. For someone who lives in the middle of no where, that is super important. These I finished with buttons from my small stash (hand me downs from grandmothers and other places), from Roxann, and from my aunt. Check out the cameo button from Aunt Tricia. It is my hands-down favorite.

Things to be Thankful for:

After a rotten weekend of being sick (congestion, allergies, cold, etc, whatever), I thought it important to regroup and remember what I was thankful for on Thanksgiving.  It already seems like sooooo long ago, but laying around in bed for two days will do that to a person.  I didn't spend time doing anything creative!  Not even planning something in my head.  What a sad waste of quiet time.

I am thankful for my children, who are finally old enough to realize that leaving me alone when I'm sick is in everyone's best interest. 
I am thankful for my husband.  No, really!
I am thankful for the roof over my head and the fact that we both have a job.
I am thankful for my family and friends, both in person and cyber!
I am mostly thankful for God, who has blessed me with a creative mind and full heart. 

I am also thankful that the ribbon I ordered to tie my quilt came in today!!  It is 2mm silk ribbon in "petunia" from silkribbon.com.  I notice that now, after I've ordered, of course, you can get 15% off until December 2nd.  I have enjoyed using their Cam Creations silk ribbon in both the colors and the white that I have dyed. 

I hope the colors come out right on your screen.  This is the backing fabric, a golden green, with the rich, bright pink silk ribbon.  I have decided to tie off and try to hid the knots.  I am also going to try to just go through the foundation fabric instead of all the way through the front of the quilt.  Cross your fingers for that!  And thanks to everyone who had a suggestion or comment, either on the blog or my facebook page.