Smart tip: T-shirt Quilts

When you take a look inside your dresser or closet, are you a keeper of old t-shirts? Do you still wear these classic, but maybe a bit worn memorabilia? If you're anything like me, a bit of a clothing hoarder, then you likely have more shirts than you know what to do with. But there is a solution!!

A few years ago, while working down in South Carolina, I spotted what I thought was the coolest looking blanket. It belonged to my friend and fellow staff member Callie and, drum roll please, it was a t-shirt quilt!! And she made it herself! I ogled the cool cut-outs of all the summer camps she'd worked at and various adventures that will be remembered with this quilt backed with cozy fleece. I was in t-shirt quilt heaven. So, I asked Callie to put her mad skillz to work. I had more than my share of shirts that I just couldn't get rid of even though they were on their way out, so this was a great way to reuse them in a cool way. It is my favourite blanket and gets compliments whenever people see it (photos above and below).

What do you need to make a t-shirt quilt?

• 20-25 t-shirts (more depending on how big you want your quilt to be)
• Patterned fabric to fill in the spaces (try going to Value Village or Goodwill to save buying new)
• Fabric for the edge and back of the quilt (fleece was a nice choice, but you may like something different)
• A sewer who knows how to quilt (and work with various t-shirt square sizes!) 

I asked Callie to make my quilt because she's so good at it (it cost me about $150 US + shipping as she lived in South Carolina at the time). Callie has since set up a blog for her quilting biz, so I thought I would share that: http://quiltsbycallie.blogspot.com/. If you are looking to keep this project as sustainable as possible, I'm sure there are local quilters you can source out, too. Yay, t-shirt quilts!