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Sunday, July 10, 2011

Design Wall Monday - T-shirt fun

Well vacation is over. Oh, it was soooooo nice!! I spent time sewing, swimming, biking and enjoying the lazy days of summer with my husband.  I got in 66 miles on the bike this week which I was very pleased with.

I really really really did want to finish the Balitmore album this week.  But the pool kept calling me, then the bike would call me and then 26 t-shirts showed up in my sewing room calling out my name!!!  Daughter number 4 (youngest and just graduated from high school) had a friend who really wanted a t-shirt quilt.  Hey, how can I say no to the kids???  So I made my first t-shirt quilt.  Not my favorite type of quilt, but something that you can get a really big top done in a day!!  Took longer cut the fronts and back, and add interfacing then to sew the whole thing together! I do have one more black border that I want to put on and then I'm calling it done.  What a  nice fun distraction.  How do you quilt these thing?  I'm just not good at an all over design. Recommendations are welcome and appreciated!!



So the Baltimore Album, I did work on it some this week, actually for about 16 hours this week.  I think I really underestimated the amount of time it would take to quilt this one.  I think I underestimated all the other summer time fun distractions that would get in the way!  But back to the progress that was actually made.  I finished all the squares in the middle, finished quilting the sashing. Quilted about all the border applique and started on the border, about 25% done.  I have it all marked so I just need to get quilting.  I noticed I was getting a bit sloppy so it was good to have a distraction.  You know I think I liked this quilt a lot more 3 years ago when I started it.   It should be done soon.   I want to have 4 quilts to change out through the year, this will be quilt number 3.  I have no idea what quilt number 4 will be, but I hope it doesn't take me another 3 years to finish!!

I also finished the True Lover's Knot quilt for my husband's God son. The shower if coming up in a couple of weeks, just need to get the label on it and that will be done completely. I did make a little progress in the kaleidoscope quilt, but it really doesn't look any different than when I showed it last.  Hope everyone has a good sewing week!!

 Linking up with {Sew} Modern Monday at Canoe Ridge Creations and Patchwork Times

13 comments:

  1. T-shirt quilts...I have so many to make! Some people don't like to quilt through the design, but I do! Your Baltimore album quilt looks wonderful...your quilting adds so much to it!

    LaDonna

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  2. I haven't done a T-shirt quilt. My mom either sends them to be meandered by the long armer or she hand quilts them with a large cross hatch. My daughter has done a few and uses her machine to do a large cross hatch finish - she uses smokey monofiliment so the stitching doesn't take from the t-shirt designs.

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  3. Wow! The quilting on the Baltimore album is incredible and you are asking us how to quilt a t-shirt quilt?! The last one I made, I quilted in the ditch around the sashing and did a big stipple around the designs on the shirts. I tried not to stitch through the silk screening. Sometimes that paint is thick!

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  4. Your Baltimore Album is spectacular, just wonderful!

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  5. Are you hand quilting the Baltimore Album? And, everyone I know does an all over on t-shirt quilts, right through everything. They hold together better if there aren't big gaps where the pictures are. You are a very nice mother to do that for your daughter's friend.

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  6. Goregous!! Gorgeous!! I LOVE your Baltimore Album quilt.

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  7. You go girl... both are coming along nicely -- especially that Baltimore Album.

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  8. The Baltimore quilting is just wonderful. I still have a bag of t-shirts and have yet to try a quilt. Love yours.

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  9. I've just done 2 tshirt quilts so far...did some basic and simple outline quilting in each block. I have another one I'm supposed to be sewing, but am not inspired to do it!

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  10. My son would like me to make a T-shirt quilt for him one day so I am always interested in seeing how they are done.The interfacing sounds like a good idea!

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  11. Your quilting is really lovely on the Baltimore Album. As for the t-shirt. I always do an overall pattern, usually a panto, sewing through everything. I just use a thread color that blends with all the shirts. I have not found any problems with the fabrics as long as they are stabilized. Have even thrown in a few sweatshirt blocks and windbreaker fabrics from sports warm up suits.

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  12. I love T-shirt quilts, see my latest versions at my site www.goodearthquilting.ca
    This is a lovely one, keep recycling!


    I just got an order of certified organic cotton in and I'll be posting photos as I go.

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  13. Your quilting is beautiful on the Baltimore Album quilt. I have to make a T-shirt quilt for my SIL and am not looking forward to it. I don't know if I want to interface it as most T-Shirt quilts I have seen are very heavy.

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