Upcycled men’s shirts
My next project is working with all of the men’s shirts I have purchased at Goodwill. The most popular color must be blue since I have more light, medium and dark blue shirts than any other color. Most of them are either striped or plaid ranging in size from medium to 2X. To add a bit of sparkle and interest I am adding a few yellow prints.
Carla (fellow quilt group member) has made a couple and I thought it was time for me to make one. I am using the book Wonder Blocks by Terry Martin. (only adding link so that you can see what the book and quilts looks like – no affiliation/sponsor). Terry includes a chart showing the sizes of the units that make up the 7 different block layouts. I decided to make the blocks 6″ square in three different layouts.
Took awhile for me to figure out the best way to get maximize the fabric. This is what the shirt front looks like when I cut up the squares and rectangles.
People who know me – know that I can’t just randomly sew pieces together. I take the pieces I have cut and individually position them into blocks.
Only the darker blocks are sewn but you can see the other fabrics I am using.
Winter garden – Normally, you never know how many small critters run through your yard. That it, until you get a fresh layer of snow. There are hoards of little bunny tracks. I am optimistically hoping it is only one bunny and not a herd. They are cute to look at but they can destroy plants. Eating the young shoots from many plants in the spring and in the winter them seem to really like my spireas and even have attacked my blue spruce tree.
Check out my ‘Linky Parties’ page to find some fabulous blogs where I share my projects and get inspiration.
8 Comments
Lea
This quilt is going to be so pretty! There is something about quilts made from men’s plaids shirts that I love. It’s such a cozy, comfy look.
Sharon - IN
That is going to be a nice quilt! I had to chuckle about your ‘can’t just randomly sew piecing together’. I was sewing with a gal last night who doesn’t chain stitch b/c she likes to neatly pile up her pieces as she goes! Quilting is fun, no matter one’s methods!
Ashley B
Such a fun quilt! Might need to hit up Goodwill for some shirts!
Lisa J.
Thanks for sharing this. My brother in law passed away a couple of weeks ago and I’ll be making a quilt in the new year made from his plaid shirts.
Suzanne
Thanks for coming to visit All the Good Ones and leaving a comment about the disappearing nine patch quilt photo. I still haven’t quite worked out how the blocks all go together – hence the photo! Good on you for working with the shirts – while I love the look, I don’t have the patience to cut from all those odd shapes! Give me nice flat quilting cotton any day :o)
Connie
Great job on getting the maximum cuts out of the shirt and I like the way you are arranging the blocks. Have fun!
Beth
What a fun project! Looks great!
Jen
Goodness knows, my husband has loads of shirts that need to repurposed. Your blocks look amazing! Thanks for linking up to Building Blocks Tuesday!