T-Shirt Quiltathon Wrap-up

 I'm doing a happy dance because I've finished the T-shirt Quiltathon!

I finished the final t-shirt quilt in mid-April, but nature and other forces prevented picture-taking until recently.  This quilt is for me, and contains lots of great memories.  I love how the quilting (thanks, Diane Knott!) softens everything - kinda like time makes our memories get hazy!

I found the perfect backing fabric in my stash.  It must have been on sale when I bought it, otherwise why would I have five yards of flamingos?

I've also been clearing out stash fabrics by making pillowcases to store each t-shirt quilt.  Yet another flamingo print got used up!

So, to recap:  I made four approximately twin-sized t-shirt quilts between December 31, 2020 and April 15, 2021.  All four quilts were quilted by Diane Knott of Butterfly Threads Quilting.  Each quilt was finished with machine-stitched binding, a label, and a storage pillowcase.  

The memories are all stitched and stored, and now my quiltathon is done!

T-Shirt Quiltathon: Three Down, One to Go!

 The T-Shirt Quiltathon is almost complete!

To recap:  on December 31, 2020, I decided to turn four plastic bins full of t-shirts into the quilts I had procrastinated on making for years.  I opted for a simple plan of stabilized t-shirt designs (cut from the front or back of the shirt) with basic sashing, borders and cornerstones.  It didn't take long to assemble four quilts, and I used up some chunks of fabric from my stash in the process.

Dear Hubby had enough t-shirts for two quilts, so I separated them by theme.  

Thanks goodness Diane Knott of Butterfly Threads Quilting agreed to long-arm quilt my creations!  Trying to manipulate these guys on a domestic sewing machine would have been a pain.

Once the quilts were quilted, I started making LOTS of bias binding.  Using the machine binding techniques I had recently practiced, I was able to get the bindings completed in relatively short order.  

Dear Son David's quilt was so big I had to fold it over the gate for a picture.

Dear Hubby's second quilt has t-shirts that celebrate life and vacations in Florida. 

I debated labeling these quilts, since I consider them just a step above utility quilts.  Labels won out, in part because of the memories reflected in all the t-shirts.

I found the perfect size scrap of baseball fabric for my hubby's sports-themed quilt.  The gray and blue zig-zag fabric I used for the backing was also a fortuitous find in the stash.

David is a fan of puns, so I thought he would appreciate this musical name for his quilt.

I haven't finished the label for hubby's vacation quilt, but it will include this last bit of t-shirt remnant.  The backing fabric on this quilt is from Fabric Finders, a regional fabric firm that makes lots of fabrics with Louisiana themes.

There's only one t-shirt quilt left to bind and label - of course I saved mine for last.  We're in for a spate of stormy weather over the next couple of days, so I have the perfect Stay Home and Sew project!

Quilt Whatcha Wanna

There's a popular song in New Orleans - performed by the ReBirth Brass Band - called "Do Whatcha Wanna".  It's about getting ready to hit the streets on Mardi Gras, where the day holds the promise of all sorts of fun.  The rhythm of the music gets your feet moving and your spirit soaring.  I always wind up dancing and singing along whenever I hear it.

Since we're not celebrating Mardi Gras this year (well, almost - more on that in a minute), I turned my Carnival energy to quilting what I wanna!

Final t-shirt quilt.  Just needs outer borders and cornerstones.  I'm procrastinating - can you blame me?

Finished hand-stitching the binding on Ring of Stars (pattern by Nancy Rink).  It's too cold for outdoor photographs right now, so this one will have to wait for warmer weather before I take some glamour shots. 

We had to do some weather prep at our camp in Mississippi, as a hard freeze was predicted beginning Sunday night.  Dear Husband wanted to spend the night, so I knew I needed something to work on while we were there.   I prepped block #5 from Poppy's Polka Dot Garden to work on during the evening.  After spending the morning taking precautions to protect the plants and pipes at the camp, DH decided we should head back to our warm(er) house in New Orleans!

The weather has been so rainy, cold, and nasty I wanted a bright and colorful quilt to cheer things up.  I hung the 2014 Rainbow Scrap Sampler quilt on my dining room quilt hanger, and now I smile every time I walk through the room!

I made some more 25-Patch Star blocks.  I haven't decided on a final layout, but I know I need a dozen or so more blocks to have a decent-sized quilt.   More block parts are cut and ready for stitching.

OK, there's more quilty stuff to talk about, but I'll save it for another post.

In the meantime, it's Mardi Gras y'all!

I need to make more Mardi Gras quilts.  This wall-hanging is all I've got so far!  Purple, green, and gold are the colors of Mardi Gras, so it's not even difficult to come up with a quilt color scheme.

This year's Mardi Gras celebrations (at least in New Orleans) were all cancelled long ago due to the pandemic.  It's hard to keep New Orleanians from observing one of their favorite holidays though, and enterprising and socially-distant alternatives started popping up all over.

One of my favorites is the idea of House Floats.  Instead of having parades with floats and marching bands and hordes of participants (Mardi Gras parades are not for genteel observing - you have to participate in them!), folks took to decorating their houses like parade floats.

One of my favorites is Saint Dolly - Dolly Parton as the patron saint of Covid-19 vaccines.  It's hard to see in the picture, but she's holding a vaccine syringe in her right hand.  The sign on the left side of the yard, "Vaccine, Vaccine, Vaccine, Vacciiiine!" is sung to the tune of her song, "Jolene".

Another favorite is the Mystic Krewe of Unicorns.  I don't think there is an actual Krewe of Unicorns, but if there is, I want to be a member!

If you have a few spare minutes, do a Google search for New Orleans House Floats and click on the Images option - guaranteed to put a smile on your face!

T-Shirt Quiltathon Update

 The end of the T-shirt Quiltathon is in sight!

Back on New Year's Eve, I decided to tackle several bins full of t-shirts that had been waiting to be made into quilts.  I had saved enough t-shirts to make four quilts:  one for me, one for my youngest son, and two for my Dear Husband.

Fortunately, most of the t-shirts for my quilt were already cut apart and backed with fusible stabilizer.  I also found some fabric in my stash that worked great for sashing the t-shirts.  This got the quiltathon off to a good start. 

Here's my t-shirt flimsy.  The sashing fabric looks a little washed out in the picture - it's a little more vibrant than what you see here.

I even found backing fabric in my stash.  It's pink flamingos on a black background - what could be more perfect?!

Dear Son's flimsy is also finished.  His sashing is the same as mine, just a different colorway - Kaffe Fassett Paperweight.  Sigh - no backing fabric in the stash for this one.

One more completed flimsy - DH's sports-themed quilt.  

My stash supplied the light blue sashing fabric, and I had a big chunk of the darker blue (Grunge-Navy), so I knew it would work for the borders.  I had to order additional fabric to have enough for the borders, but it arrived last week and I was able to get the borders done yesterday.

The fabrics remind me of a comfortable, well-worn pair of blue jeans, which is perfect for my hubby!

I don't have any full-size Valentine-y quilts to decorate with for February, but I did pull out this mini (15 inches square) heart quilt I made in 2013.  

I didn't have any pink vintage tableware to display with the mini, so I pulled together some vintage sewing items instead.  I miss being able to hit up the flea markets and antique malls on the eternal quest for treasures!

In honor of Super (Something) Sunday, DH and I decided to have our own Super (Something) Party!  We'll be the only guests, but that's how things roll right now. 

We don't really care who wins the Big Game because both teams feature players from New Orleans.

Reminiscing back to times we actually could entertain at home, I pulled out a big flamingo platter and filled it with veggies.  Instead of ranch dip/dressing, we've got Avocado-Cilantro dip - yum!

Also on the menu:  chicken wings cooked in the crockpot (lots of garlic and ginger) and Loaded Sheet Pan Nachos.  Since it's just the two of us, I reckon I'll have leftovers to last for a couple of days!

A Fine and Fancy Flock of Flamingos

 First Flimsy Finish of 2021!

I finally finished assembling all my hand-pieced flamingo hexagons.  I made over 100 pieced hexagons, and threw in a number of plain hexies to even things out.

The flamingo hexie quilt began in April, 2017 - inspired by Barb Vedder's Hex Vex quilt and pattern kit.  I prioritized finishing the project in 2020 and focused lots of hand-stitching time on the individual hexies and then stitching them all together as a flimsy.

This week involved a lengthy session of removing the paper pieces behind all the hexie parts, and starching/pressing the top in preparation for quilting.

I also prepped the quilt backing, which includes another chunk of flamingo fabric that didn't get used in the hexies.

In other news -

You may remember I was contemplating a t-shirt quilt marathon to use up a large collection of vintage t-shirts.

I found a chunk of Kaffe Fassett Paperweight (in gray) fabric in my stash that worked perfectly for sashing these shirts together.  I had to order additional fabric (Glorious Color; no affiliation, but they shipped the fabric the same day I ordered it!) for borders, so I'm waiting on that.

This will be shirt #1 for Dear Husband.  Some of these shirts are pretty stained, and there are some holes, but I couldn't convince DH to swap them out for shirts in better condition.  They all have happy memories for him, so I'm happy to help preserve the memories.  The fabrics being auditioned above probably won't get used in this quilt, as I found a big chunk of light blue and gray scrap that will be perfect for sashing, and some blue Grunge that will work for the borders.  Yay for shopping in the stash!

I'm contemplating how to approach this stash of Dear Son's shirts.  There are 22 shirts here, and not all of them have large designs, so I may do some cutting and piecing of the t-shirt designs to keep the quilt from being a monstrous size. 

Time to stop procrastinating and get back to the t-shirt quiltathon!

Is 2020 Really Almost Over?

Here it is, the last day of 2020 - and I think most of us are wondering (anxiously?) what 2021 will hold in store.  I feel optimistic in general, but only time will tell if 2021 turns out to be better than 2020.

On a personal note, Dear Hubby and I have been left unscathed by our brush with the Covid-19 virus.  DH never had more than very minor symptoms, and his second Covid test (at the appropriate interval) was negative.  I never had any symptoms, and since he tested negative both times, it's safe to assume I was never infected.  DH's colleague - who was infected - has recovered enough to return to work, although he's still reporting fatigue.  The best news:  the hospital where my husband works got their shipment of vaccine, and DH has already received his first dose!

After sewing up a batch of 25-patch blocks at the beginning of our quarantine, I didn't have much sewing energy.  I came up with a mindless sewing project that took a few days: 

Yes - seven more Lego quilt blocks - another row!

These went quickly and I added them to the Lego quilt flimsy.  Now the quilt measures 70 inches by 80 inches, and I'm happy with the size.  Time for quilting. 

We had a very quiet Christmas.  Dear Hubby gave me a copy of Barbara Brackman's new edition of The Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns.  I look forward to many hours of study.

Sometime after Christmas, I started having dangerous thoughts about a post-holiday T-shirt Quiltathon.

I had the makings of at least three large t-shirt quilts stored away in various bins and baskets.  

Some of the shirts have been waiting a long time for their day in a quilt.  I decided now was the time to get these UFOs crossed off the list.  This batch of dark/bright shirts were already cut and ready for fusible stabilizer to be ironed on.  I need some sashing fabric and I can start assembling.

The next batch of shirts still need trimming and stabilizing.

Some aren't in great shape, but they have happy memories, so they're going in a quilt anyway!

The third batch of shirts are from my youngest son.  I haven't even looked at them yet. 😱

I'll be happy when the quilt are finished - and when they're done, I don't plan on making any more t-shirt quilts! 

I decided it would be a good idea to organize my quilting thoughts for the coming year.  Life has a funny way of interfering with our plans, but I'm hoping I'll at least make a dent in the list!

Wishing everyone a healthy and uneventful 2021!

One More 2016 Finish: Ole Miss T-Shirt Quilt

Chalk up one more quilting finish for 2016!

 

I finished hand-stitching the binding and label on this quilt earlier this week.  It's a t-shirt quilt commissioned by my good friend for her daughter and son-in-law.  The t-shirts represent memories of their school days and courtship at the University of Mississippi, better known as Ole Miss.

 

The quilt's recipient requested all the t-shirts be the same size, and she selected the sashing fabric (Kaffe Fassett's Paperweight in cobalt blue).  BTW, "Hotty Toddy" refers to a famous cheer at Ole Miss, not a warm alcoholic beverage! 

 

I made a small label, commemorating the wedding - which followed graduation (names covered for their privacy).  It's hard to believe they've been married almost 20 years - it seems like the wedding was only yesterday!  I saw their oldest daughter two weeks ago - she'll be a college freshman this coming fall.  Her parents aren't too happy - she's going to Louisiana State University, not Ole Miss!

 

Blue in Bits & Strips

Blue bits and strips were the story of my life this week.  Some blue bits found their way into Quilty 365 circles, which will be shared during the February link-up.  Other blue bits were incorporated into Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects.  And lots of blue strips helped me finish out a t-shirt quilt that has been hogging up my entire design wall for weeks.

 

I used some medium blue scraps to make up some 4" Sawtooth Star blocks.  This is a carry-over RSC project from last year.  I didn't have a particular plan in mind when I started making these, but they're kind of addictive to make and I just enjoyed playing with them last year.  I'm starting to have an inkling of what I'd like to do with them, but for now I'm just going to keep churning them out.

 

Scraps prepped for more Sawtooth Stars.  For the Flying Geese portion of the Sawtooth Stars, I like to use a no-waste, speed-piecing method I first saw on Marcia Hohn's Quilter's Cache website (see Method B).

 

A batch of scrappy blue stars.

 

The big story at my house is that I finally finished piecing this t-shirt quilt!  I added lots and lots of blue strips - Kaffe Fassett's Paperweight fabric - for the sashing and borders.  It currently measures about 84" x 90", so it's awkward to handle.  I did a final pressing and thread clean-up, so I can take it to the long-arm quilter as soon as I have the backing prepped.  Yay!!

So after spending most of today wrestling the t-shirt quilt, I'm looking forward to putting my feet up and enjoying a cup of tea and lots of other scrappy projects from the RSC.

 

 

 

RSC 15: Contemplating Finishes...or Not

I thought two of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects for 2015 would be ready for finishing by the end of the year.  However, after counting up finished blocks and contemplating quilt layouts, I'm not sure I'm happy with the number of blocks I have ready.

 

There are 64 of these 9 patch blocks, which finish at 6 inches.  I was planning to color block the 9 patches in groups of 4 and add white sashing between the resulting blocks.  When I did the math for the finished quilt size, I decided I would be happier with a larger quilt.  My plan is to make additional blocks in a reverse pattern - white surrounding one colored piece in the center.  I already have plenty of miscellaneous 2 1/2" squares cut thanks to Bonnie Hunter's Scrap User's System.  I can cut the appropriate sized white scraps and have everything ready to use as a leader-ender project for 2016.

 

These scrappy Maverick Stars are ready to be turned into a quilt top, although I'd like to do a little playing before I make a final decision on the setting.  My plan is to use a straight set (I don't care for how these look when set on point) with blank squares between each block.  Rather than just using plain fabric squares, I wanted to experiment with string-pieced squares using white and off-white fabrics.  I haven't made the playtime to do that yet, so the stars will have to wait a bit longer for their final assembly.

 

I never considered these string blocks (or spiderweb blocks) to be an "official" RSC project, but they are definitely scrappy and on their way to being finished!  I have 9 more blocks to stitch together and then I can start laying them all out for final assembly.  I think they'll probably need a little trimming, too, as some of them have slightly concave sides, despite careful pressing.  

 

So with the prospect of all that fun, scrappy sewing ahead of me - would you believe I am procrastinating?   That's because this t-shirt quilt has to be finished before I can focus on any scrappy quilting.  Chris, the quilt's recipient, finally agreed on this Kaffe Fassett print for the sashing and borders.  I had to order the fabric, but now everything is ready for me to finish cutting and sewing.  My reward will be free fabric playtime, but it's hard to just go get started!

Other Rainbow Scrap quilters are also finishing up their projects and you can see the results at Angela's Soscrappy blog.

 

RSC 15: Are the 9 Patches Done Yet?

Although the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month is lime green, I've fulfilled the lime green needs in all my scrappy projects.  Instead, I'm filling in the palette with varieties of aqua.

 

I've been piecing together these color-themed 9 patches for over a year.  I think there are finally enough blocks for a quilt.  I'd like to get them laid out on the design wall so I can start assembling them - but - there's a t-shirt quilt muscling everything else aside right now.

 

A dear friend asked me to make a t-shirt quilt for her daughter and son-in-law.  The shirts are from their college days and courtship.   Daughter Chris had very specific instructions on the quilt layout, so I have felt limited in terms of creativity.  I spent most of last weekend cutting shirts and adding stabilizer.  I still need to create a block from smaller t-shirt designs that didn't make it to the full-block size.  There's also a big stack of 5 inch size logos/designs that could be used to add two small, narrow rows on the top and bottom of the quilt.  I'm auditioning some fabrics for sashing and once I decide on the right fabric, I can get the quilt assembled and off the design wall.

Whatever the color, I'm looking forward to seeing lots of creativity over at Angela's Soscrappy linky party. 

Throwback Thursdays: T-shirt Quilts

 

I made my first t-shirt quilt in 1996.  It was something of a collaborative effort, as a group of online friends donated t-shirts and the finished quilt was raffled off as a fund-raiser.  This is the quilt top before quilting.  I'm amused to see I used a multi-color, pieced inner border - a technique I'm still using today!

 

This quilt also traveled to Key West, Florida with our group and the lucky winner got to take it home.  I don't remember what group received the money raised by the raffle.  For a closer look at the t-shirts, click on the picture.

 

I so enjoyed the t-shirt quilt process - I made another one almost immediately!  This one features an assortment of Caribbean Soul Jimmy Buffett t-shirts.  

 

I pieced together some of the smaller designs to make a block that would fit in with the other, larger t-shirt designs.

  

One of my favorite Caribbean Soul designs - I don't have to worry about the t-shirt being worn to shreds, it will always be a part of my quilt!  You can't see it real well, but the background fabric was an early batik featuring multi-colored fish.

 

I also used the pocket designs as border cornerstones. 

 

Five years ago, I dug into the collectible t-shirt bin to make a quilt for our camp.  Most of these shirts are from the mid-1990s and commemorate music and road trips between Florida, Louisiana and Texas.

 

Another favorite shirt, from Mi Tierra's Restaurant in San Antonio, Texas.

(Ha!  I just looked at their website and they still have the same t-shirt!)

 

It seems using the pocket designs for cornerstones is one of my signature techniques!

I still have a LARGE basket full of already cut t-shirt fronts & backs, plus drawers full of my kids' t-shirts.   I need to get busy and make more t-shirt quilts!!