Saturday, October 15, 2016

Starting Another T-Shirt Quilt

The desire for t-shirt quilts never dies. A friend wants one from her college shirts and I finally have time to start. Because her college and sorority colors are cardinal red and black or white I first pulled the two fabrics on the left. Although I like the multi-colored floral, it dies against black so the heart-printed paisley will be the sashing.

Sashing fabric possibilities on the left.
Border, sash, frame choices on the right.

M. has so many pocket t-shirt prints I decided to use them as posts. They all finished 4-inches. That meant the sashing had to be wider than normal {for me.} And that caused the shirts to start fading into all that sashing. So I added a frame around the shirts. Problem solved.

The blue circles create a fun border.

Preliminary layout for this t-shirt quilt

Coming along!

We travelled through Phoenix recently and had time to visit a small National Park Service museum at their airport. Now I want to see more of Arizona's stunning parks and monuments.


Among the artifacts was this cast of Smilosuchus gregorii, the top aquatic predator of his day (220-230 mya.) Just as impressive to me was the woven textile by Walnut Canyon cliff dwellers in the 1100s. So intriguing to see some of their pottery designs woven into this piece.

Enjoy the day, Ann

14 comments:

LA Paylor said...

cripes! I'm surprised that animal didn't puncture his own mouth with all those sharp teeth.
A much brighter and more interesting Tshirt quilt than usual. Good job there!

Stephie said...

Great fabric choices Ann - i love that blue! your idea for a frame was a perfect solution :) I've always wanted to go to Arizona, lucky you - unless of course you come across a live Smilosuchus gregorii!! i'm with you on the textile, they're always so fascinating to see.There were some stunning pieces in a museum in Cuzco that i'd love to back to see. Have a great weekend!

Lara B. said...

How large is that skull? The teeth are crazy!
It's just amazing to realize that textile is almost 1000 years old.

The way you solved the t-shirt puzzle and used the pockets is so clever Ann! I love the fabrics you added to the mix!

Mystic Quilter said...

How amazing to see that piece of woven textile from all those years ago, not forgetting the skull of the predator into the bargain. I do like the multicoloured floral, it pulls everything together.

Mel Beach said...

Ooooh...I look forward to watching this fun t-shirt come together. I love that paisley print--as well as the fun border print! I am sure your friend will treasure her t-shirt quilt!

Ann said...

Makes me want to stay out of the water!
T-shirt quilts give so much pleasure to the recipient that they are a joy to make. I think of them as the scrapbooks of our time - so many memories in one place.

Ann said...

Thanks, Stephie. I love that blue print, too. So bold.
Our West has so many gorgeous parks. I love returning to old favorites and visiting new ones. At one time I hoped to spend summers as a docent. Don't think that will happen but it still sounds like fun to me.
Isn't it amazing how many techniques/items various cultures invented on their own. Weaving, pottery. And as soon as they developed a technique they each start decorating it. We humans love beauty.

Ann said...

It was arm-length at least, Lara. I think I'll stay out of the water.
It's a treat to make t-shirt quilts for friends. They represent so many happy memories.

Ann said...

So much work went into making textiles. Gathering, cleaning, creating yarn/thread, dyeing, weaving. Every piece was precious. We are so spoiled today.

Ann said...

The paisley will show off the stitching I think. Like you, I love the border. I'm always a sucker for a large, loud print.

Mary Marcotte said...

I really like the idea of using a print in a tee shirt quilt. I've only ever used solids but this looks great. Thanks for getting me to think outside the box! Like Mel, I'm going to keep an eye on this one to see how it works out with that fabulous print.

Ann said...

I think prints usually look better than solids in t-shirt quilts. Good fabric enhances these older shirts. Thanks for writing, Mary.

patty a. said...

So the pockets will be the corner blocks in the sashing? If so, that is a great way to use those small bits!

Ann said...

This quilt has so many pockets. It was a good way to include them all.