quilt | So This is Julie

… is FINALLY done! Countless hours, countless seam rips, startovers, facepalms… but it’s done, and it’s a beauty. (Really, don’t ask me how long it took – I first mentioned the t-shirt quilt way, way back.) Can’t say I’d ever do a king-sized quilt again, but I’ve been known as a repeat offender of crazy crafting projects.

The quilt entertains and keeps us warm, the perfect summer-weight cover. It makes me smile remembering some high school and college memories. I love it.

The quilt is hand-tied and hand-embroidered with binding finished by hand. I could have sent it to a full-arm quilter, but I had come so far on my own investing time and intended careful planning. Too much emotional attachment, I guess. Besides, I like crooked lines. Adds charm.

Don’t forget to sign your quilts, right?! This was done with a silver paint marker. The two little dots were completely accidental from shaking the pen. Lucky placement.

Sixty-one t-shirts make up the front, and each square has its own story.

I love the backside of the quilt – sort of makes it reversible, right? And, the colors for the wonky squares are significant. Each represents a school I attended.

So there you have it. The quilt took time, but it was worth the effort. It’s definitely not the prettiest quilt, or the most artistic…It holds memories and it’s remarkable to me. I dare you to pull out those unfinished projects you’ve stashed away. (I have many. Ha!) Or start those projects that you’ve always wanted to do. Everyone has some… do it. Do something remarkable!

Remember this?

Now it has a backside.

It would’ve been finished a long time ago except for three things.

One – I miscalculated the amount of solid color fabric (Kona Coal) needed and bought too little.

Two – I usually wait until the sales to buy fabric, but Kona Coal is one of the most popular color at our local store which means it’s almost always out. I didn’t attempt to “special order” it, or comb the online stores either. So I waited. And then waited some more. Finally got the end of a bolt last week.

Three – I could’ve just made the quilt back all easy-peasy, but no. I had to get all fancy and try my hand at some wonky squares, and it was difficult just figuring out the final layout. Oh, the amount of sketches I did, and piecing things together on the floor. I told myself, “Sheesh, it’s just a blanket… just finish it already.”

And now, it’s done!

Going BIG with my first quilt.

Now it’s time to make the quilt sandwich… I have the batting, and a ton of safety pins to put it all together. As much as machine-quilting looks fun, my machine would probably explode if I even attempted to freestyle quilt. So, I think this one will be hand-tied the good old-fashioned way. My daughter really wanted to help out, and I think it’s something we can do together. Any tips on what sort of thread to use? Next time I go to our fabric store, I’ll be asking the ladies at the counter… they’re just as excited that my project is moving along, too.

So This is Julie

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Tag Archives: quilt

My Monster T-Shirt Quilt

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