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The Great T-Shirt Memory Quilt Challenge

The Great T-Shirt Memory Quilt Challenge – Week Three

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The challenge: To construct a T-shirt memory quilt for my niece
for her high school graduation

I don’t know if you ever saw the Disney Pixar movie UP, but I definitely relate with Dug the dog. He is distractible and so am I. Dug will notice a squirrel and all thought flies from his mind as he turns and shouts “Squirrel!”

Every time I start working on the quilt something catches my attention and all of a sudden I am doing something else. I went to the fabric store early in the week to purchase Pellon #906F fusible interfacing. A wonderful clerk talked me into purchasing french fuse interfacing. “Squirrel!” So… instead of spending $9 for my Pellon interfacing I spent $17.99 for French Fuse. I sure hope it is a better performer.

I brought my interfacing home and went right to work. As I was removing an unfinished project from my sewing table I was drawn to my sewing machine and before I knew it, I was sewing something that had sat dormant for 8 long months. “Squirrel!”

This past weekend I completed the unfinished project, a rag centerpiece quilt. Today I gifted it to a friend for her birthday.

I returned to work on the memory quilt. After pondering the project for a few moments I decided I need a little more help so I went on the web to my local library and requested the book How to Make a Too Cool T-Shirt Quilt by Andrea T. Funk. “Squirrel!”

The next day I stopped at the library and checked out the book. It is not due until November 16th, so I have some time yet to figure out what in the heck I am doing!

So my accomplishments for week 3 of the great T-Shirt Memory Quilt challenge are:
  1. I purchased 2 yards of French Fuse interfacing from a very engaging clerk.
  2. I have borrowed the book How to Make a Too Cool T-Shirt Quilt by Andrea T. Funk from my local library.
  3. I finished a rag centerpiece quilt.
  4. Sadly, Pohey remains in the bin for at least another week.

If you want to keep up with my weekly progress, see Week One and Week Two.

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To make this rag quilt centerpiece:

  1. Cut two 10-inch blocks of fabric and one 9-inch blocks of cotton batting (for the center square)
  2. Cut twenty-four 5 1/2-inch blocks of fabric and twelve 4 1/2 inch blocks of batting (for the small squares)
  3. Center a square of batting between two squares of a matching cotton print (wrong sides together)
  4. Top stitch an “X” on each block going from corner to corner, creating 1 large and 12 small squares
  5. Arrange squares into a pleasing design
  6. Sew the blocks together into strips with a 1/2″ seam allowance
  7. Sew each strip together with 1/2″ seams
  8. To create the rag effect, snip each seam at 1/2” intervals to within 1/8” of all seams being careful not cut into the stitching
  9. Bind edge with a binding (Heather Bailey’s Quilt Binding Directions are wonderful)

To rag your quilt, wash the quilt in warm water and detergent. It is important to shake the quilt before drying to shake off loose strings. Dry, with no dryer sheet, making sure to clean the lint trap once or twice during drying. Once dry, repeat with a second wash and dry this time with dryer sheets. Remember to clean the lint trap half way through.