by Allison Roberts
Managing editor
Staff photo by Allison Roberts
My blanket as it awaits cuddle time.
Memory quilts, made from sewn together cutouts of T-shirts, are a popular and practical way to repurpose shirts that are no longer worn.
While making a quilt might seem like a daunting task for many crafting beginners, such as myself, it really wasn’t as difficult as I anticipated, and the effort put forth was more than worth it.
“Perfection is overrated,” my mom repeated our sewing mantra frequently as we pieced our quilts together.
Maybe she was trying to subtly tell me that my not-quite-rectangular blanket was definitely not going to be perfect. Most likely, she was just trying to find a reason to hurry up and finish sewing.
Whatever her reason, the phrase stuck and proved useful when constructing our quilts.
As everybody in existence should know, sometimes things just don’t go exactly as planned.
This was doubly true for us when cutting fabric, designing patterns and measuring materials, especially since we weren’t following steps from a pre-made how-to.
Still, our quilts turned out to be beautiful for reasons other than solely physical appearance.
Memory quilts are special because of the emotional attachments they hold while also being more useful than stacks of T-shirts that will never again be worn.
This is especially practical for me, an extremely sentimental and permanently cold hoarder of clothing.
I can’t stand the idea of throwing away shirts I once loved to wear, even if they are too small or from nearly ten years ago.
I’m serious. I still had shirts from 2003. Pathetic.
Though memory quilts can be themed—high school, extracurricular, etc.—they can also include random extra shirts for a more colorful or eclectic appearance. Remember this as you are choosing the shirts you’ll use to make this quilt.
My quilt includes not only school organization and senior class T-shirts but also cute old favorites from high school that simply no longer fit the style I want.
For incoming freshmen looking to change their styles as they enter college, this is a good way for favorite tees worn during high school to make a graceful exit from their wardrobes.
Whatever your motivation, the first steps of making a memory quilt are first choosing a theme (or lack thereof) and then choosing the T-shirts to be used in the pattern.
Pick as many as you want, keeping in mind that not all shirts will likely be cut out into perfect squares, therefore making most attempts at planning-by-number futile.
For the next step, it’s best to have a straight edge and flat, hard surface available. Cut designs from your shirts’ front, back or both into square or rectangle patches.
One way of beginning this process—and don’t be scared; just do it!—is by cutting along the seams going up the sides. If using both front and back designs, however, it was easiest for me to first cut the sleeves off before cutting up each side.
Next is the step that will require the most physical space: lay all of your patches on a flat surface when creating the design you want.
Try to make rows based on patch width, positioning the rows of wider patches closest to the middle and working outward to narrower patches.
Remember, this is your quilt; it doesn’t have to be fit anybody else’s standards of perfection. Make it awesome to your eyes.
Next, the sewing of patches into vertical rows begins. From here on out, it is easier and much quicker if you have a sewing machine.
Pin two patches together so the designs face each other, and sew a seam less than half an inch from the edge if possible.
Continue this process, making sure before you sew that the patches are centered with each other, facing the correct direction and aren’t angling to one side.
After you have sewn all of the patches into however many rows you have, pin and sew the length of the rows together, beginning with the center rows.
This step may require a bit more time and dedication, as this is the part where alignment matters most.
After you are done sewing these together, breathe deeply, relax and admire your handiwork so far.
Next, you’ll measure the length and width of your quilt and choose fabric of appropriate measurements for the backing of it.
The softer, the better, in my opinion. It is also a good idea to keep in mind how much stretch a fabric will allow. If you choose a stiff fabric, it may not allow for much movement when sewing or covering up with the quilt.
Again, you’ll need a large flat space. Lay out your fabric backing first, and lay your quilt top on top of it with designs facing down. Try to avoid wrinkling either.
Carefully pin the two fabrics together along each side. Add several pins to the middle to prevent it from moving around when sewing.
Sew almost completely around the edge, making efforts to have a consistent seam width, and leave approximately 18 inches separated.
Cut the hard angles from the corners, remove all pins from the fabric, and turn your quilt right-side-out so the designs are facing outward, the corners are squared and the rough seam is no longer visible.
Re-pin the 18 inches left undone, and sew as close to the edge as possible to close the quilt.
The final two steps go quickly. No pins are needed.
If desired, sew three-fourths of an inch around the edge of the quilt to make it lay flat rather than curl in on itself.
Lastly, tie the quilt with embroidery thread. This step isn’t absolutely necessary, but it will keep the quilt from awkwardly bunching up or separating if it is washed or tossed around.
Tying a quilt means pushing embroidery thread from the front end of the quilt through the back end and back out the front in a small space and tying a knot with the two ends of thread. Do this in several places, perhaps at intersections between patches.
After all your hard work, congratulate yourself and whoever you worked with (crafts are often more fun with a friend), admire your new quilt and, finally, cuddle up and take a well-deserved nap.