Graduation T-Shirt Quilts

In the last 25 years, I have made over a thousand T-shirt quilts. By far, graduation is the busiest time of year, as these make fantastic gifts. Preserving clothing memories is an amazing way to pay tribute to the new graduates and give them something that will be treasured for a lifetime as they look back at all they have achieved. Here is some of my advice on making graduation quilts.

1. Keep it about the memories.

You may be tempted to be very creative in your layout, piecing, or quilting. I urge you to think about why you are making this quilt and keep it simple. It’s literally preserving and framing memories. If a technique (intricate quilting, for example) will draw attention away from the logo on the shirt, then it’s time to rethink and simplify. The clothing selected for the quilt is loaded with memories for the recipient, and those should be the focus. Simple is good!

2. Use unique materials.

I am known for using unique materials in my quilts and like to say that almost anything that can be washed, sewn, and made to lie flat can be used. Many quilters think that a T-shirt quilt always uses just T-shirts. This is not true. Though T-shirts are by far the most common clothing item used, I routinely use sweatshirts, mesh jerseys, pillowcases, socks, arm bands, varsity letters, tank tops, karate belts, baby blankets, scout uniforms, tote bags, and much more. When prepping the materials, the goal is to make everything flat and then into a square or rectangle. My course, More Than a T-Shirt Quilt, can help with this if you are stuck.

3. Size matters.

Routinely, people want to make double, queen, or king-size quilts. In my opinion, with very few exceptions, T-shirt quilts should be no bigger than a twin, preferably a smaller twin or large throw. The ultimate destination for these quilts is the couch, not a bed. Nobody wants this on their bed past the age of 26 or so. It does not match the curtains and it will become a couch quilt eventually. You would never grab a huge quilt to wrap up in to watch TV because it’s just too unwieldy. If the new graduate has a large bed, think about folding it over the end of the bed rather than making a quilt to cover it. As well, I don’t think it’s necessary to make this a twin XL size to fit a longer dorm bed. You don’t need the space to do a pillow tuck, and they never make their beds anyway.

4. Look back, not forward. 

Many of my customers want to put a college shirt into a high school graduate’s quilt. I always urge them to reconsider. Think of these quilts like a fabric scrapbook. They contain loads of memories, not the future quite yet. Plans can and do change. You don’t want a piece of the quilt to be something that has not happened yet, because what if it doesn’t?

T-shirt quilts are not difficult to make and are very precious to the recipients. Consider making a graduation gift quilt this spring in time to display it at the graduation party!

Sign up for More Than a T-Shirt Quilt at Creative Spark: https://creativespark.ctpub.com/courses/more-than-a-tshirt-quilt

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Over the last twenty years, Beth Sullivan has made over a thousand memory quilts and pillows. She teaches and lectures about these unique quilts and says that she can use anything that can be washed, sewn, and made to lie flat. As someone who loves a challenge, she fearlessly launches into creative problem-solving mode when a client says, “You probably could not use this, but…” Beth lives with her husband and children in Bellingham, Massachusetts. She is an audiobook addict and used to love to crochet and scrapbook until she found quilting.