Today I just finished a Memorial T-Shirt Quilt.  The quilt will be gifted to the father of the deceased young man.  Theme: Star Wars.  The prominent colors of the shirts were red and black, so I used that color scheme for the borders.  

It went from a pile like this to this! 

  To This!  This is a big quilt!  Measures 87 by 107!!

First I cut out each shirt larger than the block size.  I used Pellon Feather Weight Fusible Interfacing 911FF to the back of each shirt. I cut the pellon larger that the shirt size too.  This way all of the t-shirt is stabilized.  If you skip this step you will have lots of puckers if you do an overall quilt pattern on top or freehand work.  I put the interfacing on in sections.  I love my stream press for this.  

I photograph each piece and "lay" them out in my EQ8 program.  Great program because not only can you preview your quilt, but you can change the size, color & layout  of your quilt.  When you are done you can print out the quilt and templates if you like.  Sure beats moving 30 pieces around the bed! 

FOR more close-up and construction details go to:

http://luv2sew-dinahsquiltsandembroidery.blogspot.com/2020/07/star-wars-theme-t-shirt-quilt.html

Check Out the Video ——- From start to finish —— Enjoy the process.

Two Memory Quilts.

Memory Quilt Number 1: This quilt is the 5th that I have made for the same customer. She made 4 quilts a year ago for her children. The quilts where made from her departed husband’s clothing. See post here: https://www.dinahsquilts.com/journal/2018/10/21/memorial-quilts-from-scraps-to-treasures . This year I competed one for Christine. The clothing used in this quilt were different than in her children’s quilts. The clothing used in this quilt had a very special meaning for her. Items used: dress shirts, suits, ties, Christmas Tree skirt, bath robe, infant shirt, t-shirts, tea towels.

Memory Quilt Number 2: was made for another customer. She used her children’s clothing. The original intent was to make a memory pillow. There were so many design elements that were to stay intact that a lap quilt was made in place of the pillow. Clothing used were: hats, sweaters, blankets, pillows, onesies, receiving blankets, gloves, toys, knitted items, towels, religious memorabilia, socks, rope & some “mini” pieces of clothing. The doll is tucked away in a knitted sweater. There is a snap closure so the doll can be removed for cleaning. Back of the quilt: The snake was originally a very large pillow. I combined the front of the pillow with the back . It’s bordered with roping. Loved making both of these!

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Quilt Number One: Christine's Quilt Quilt Number Two: Susan's Quilt Read about them here: https://www.dinahsquilts.com/journal/2019/6/15/two-memory-quilts

I often get asked how long does it take to make a quilt.  My answer is always-- "It Varies".  Sometimes I can complete a quilt in a week-end and others it takes months.  The quilts I am working on now falls into the months category. 

Crazy patch quilts take a long time to make because they consist of multiple fabrics, decorative stitches and construction.  To create the block, fabrics must be prepped, cut, ironed and sewn together.  Each block takes about 30 mins. just to sew together. That is roughly 8 hours to construct all the blocks for one quilt.  That is not including the time to prep, cut or embellish each block. 

The video is a mini tutorial of how one block is constructed.  (part 1)

Enjoy the process! 

Starting a new project for a customer. Making four memory quilts from her husband's  clothing. One quilt for each one of her children.  I always feel blessed making these types of quilts.  Really excited to begin.