Rock Legends Cruise T-shirt Quilts {3 Cruises - 3 Quilts - 3 Finishes}

As I prepared to write this post on my latest finish, a T-shirt Quilt for Native American Heritage Association's Rock Legends Cruise, I realized I had failed to share the quilts from the previous two cruises.

After the whirlwind finish of two quilts at the beginning of 2015 the Association contacted me about the possibility of making another quilt for the 2016 cruise (Rock Legends Cruise IV), of course my answer was yes. I had enjoyed making the first two so much and it was for such a great cause I couldn't say no. Click HERE for info on the Native American Heritage Association and HERE for info on the Rock Legends Cruise, with proceeds going to support the Native American Heritage Association.

Just as with my previous Rock Legends Cruise T-shirt Quilts I used the "Too Cool T-shirt Quilt" method of construction. If I have my choice it's the only method I'll use for all the  T-shirt Quilts I have the privilege to make.

 I hear you out there, asking, "What is it I like so much about this method?" first the fact that there is no need for adding a stabilizer to the back of the T-shirts, which saves a bunch of time and money. Best of all with no stabilizer the quilt is wonderfully soft and cuddle worthy.  Secondly the fact that each block is custom cut to the design so that no design is cut off and lost and small designs aren't left floating in a huge square of fabric. In my humble opinion it's simply the best T-shirt Quilt method out there.

On the design wall - working out the puzzle and the partial seams.

I hear you protesting, "But look at all those partial seams, aren't partial seams hard to do!?!"

Not difficult at all. They just take a little forethought and some planning. Probably the biggest thing is figuring out the order of your seams, making sure to pay attention to which seams you need to leave open until later. On those seams leave a couple of inches or so open so that when the other seams are sewn together you've got room to come back and finish up the seams as you go.

 When it comes to quilting I choose to custom quilt in and around each t-shirt design. Then after custom stitching each design I go back and do a medium meander across the open areas between the designs.

Finished December 2015 for Rock Legends Cruise IV - January 2016

Quilt Name: "Rock Legends Cruise IV T-Shirt Quilt"

 Finished size: 64" x 72""

Pattern Method: "Too Cool T-shirt Quilts"

Batting: Heirloom Premium Batting 80/20 Blend

Quilting Thread: 50wt. Aurifil

Quilting: Free Motion Quilted using my Husqvarna Viking Sapphire 875Q


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Rock Legends Cruise V - 2017 at the Fundraising Auction during the cruise

 When I'm handed the box of T-shirts for the next quilt I always feel a surge of anticipation and excitement, as if looking at a blank canvas ready for those first brush strokes.  I start with washing and drying all the T-shirts to remove any sizing, loose dyes or allergens that might be an issue while working on the blocks. Then out come the rulers.  I absolutely love this set of rulers ranging in size from 4.5" square to 16.5" square with the ability to combine the rulers for larger blocks when needed.

The best investment I've ever made for making T-shirt quilts

Layered and ready to pin

Quilting with my Artistic Quilter SD18. Love this machine!!

Finished January 2017 for Rock Legends Cruise V - January 2017

Quilt Name: "Rock Legends Cruise V T-Shirt Quilt"

 Finished size: 72" x 80""

Pattern Method: "Too Cool T-shirt Quilts"

Batting: Heirloom Premium Batting 80/20 Blend

Quilting Thread: 50wt. Aurifil

Quilting: Free Motion Quilted using my Artistic Quilter SD18
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Finished January 2018 for Rock Legends Cruise VI - February 2018

Quilt Name: "Rock Legends Cruise VI T-Shirt Quilt"

 Finished size: 76" x 84""

Pattern Method: "Too Cool T-shirt Quilts"

Batting: Heirloom Premium Batting 80/20 Blend

Quilting Thread: 50wt. Aurifil

Quilting: Free Motion Quilted using my Artistic Quilter SD18

 If you're interested in having a soft, cuddle worthy T-shirt Quilt made from your T-shirts send me an email to info@littlepinkrose.com and we can discuss creating a treasured quilt just for you.

Thank you for stopping by and sharing in my quilting journey!

Happy Quilting and God Bless,
Marcia

Rock Legends T-Shirt Quilts {Two Finished}

Rock Legends T-Shirt Quilt at Auction.
Photo from Rock Legends Cruise III

Until recently I dreaded making T-Shirt quilts. But when I learned about the "Too Cool T-Shirt Quilts" method I immediately downloaded their book with step by step instructions and tips. I poured over the book and was excited about my next T-shirt quilt.

In the Too Cool T-Shirt Quilts book I discovered:

• there is no need to use stabilizer on the T-Shirts
• no sashing is required
• a faster method for cutting the fronts and backs of T-shirts
• template sizes to ensure designs aren't cut off
• a formula to figure the size of quilt needed for the number of blocks
• a quicker method for fitting the puzzle together
• an important step that insures the stretchy T-shirts lay flat after quilting.
• the joy of creating a beautiful T-shirt quilt to be proud of.
• the method I will use for all future T-Shirt quilts.
• a book I highly recommend! 

Several months ago I was asked to make 2 Queen size T-shirt quilts for the raffles on the Rock Legends Cruise III presented by the Native American Heritage Association. I had just 2 weeks to piece, quilt and deliver both quilts. Because of the Too Cool T-Shirt Quilt method I was ready to dive in and knew I'd be able to save time with cutting and skipping the stabilizer. These would be my first quilts with this method so while I was ready, I was still a bit nervous about the time frame.

 Cutting T-Shirt Designs and keeping all the autographs and designs intact was a bit of a challenge on some of the shirts. When my brother learned what I was working on he told me it was just sacrilegious to cut up all these autographed T-Shirts. I'm sure many agree with him, but I had to do what was asked of me. It was an honor to work on such a great project.

Autographed T-shirts were among what I had to work with

 After cutting it was time to organize all the squares by size.

 I'm not the best with computers and the excel program so I went old fashioned with graph paper and a marker to create all the pieces for my puzzle. Then it was onto organizing them into an arrangement I liked.  Once finished arranging and rearranging I divided the design into four quadrants for piecing.

 Partial seams are a necessity when piecing a quilt with multiple block sizes.

I was thrilled to discover who flat everything was after all the quadrants were sewn together!

 Once layered and pinned together with Pinmoor anchors and straight pins I was ready to Free Motion Quilt. For these quilts I outlined each of the designs with matching thread and then did a large meander across the rest of the quilt.

Completed Rock Legends Autographed T-shirt Quilt....Auctioned off on the cruise earlier this year.

The second Rock Legends T-Shirt Quilt

I really like how both of these quilts came together and turned out. In the end I was able to finish both quilts with a day to spare thanks to the Too Cool T-Shirt Quilts method of preparation and construction. Amazingly I'm actually looking forward to my next T-shirt quilt.

Thanks for stopping by and letting me share another quilting adventure with you.

God Bless & Happy Quilting,

Marcia