A trip to my favorite children’s used clothing store and a purchase of gently used baby t-shirts is the beginning a handmade baby t-shirt quilt idea.
It took me awhile to browse the many aisles and sizes since I was not looking for any particular size, color or even style. The baby t-shirts in this particular used clothing store are mixed in with the other clothes so I spent some time just picking out a selection of t-shirts that might be perfect for my baby quilt. Once I had my first pass through the aisles, I had a wide variety of colors and designs to choose from.
Since purchasing all the t-shirts I had first selected was not an option, the huge pile had to be narrowed down to 9. The handmade baby t-shirt quilt I had designed was to be 9 blocks in total, which meant I needed to be more selective and the pile in my cart needed to be pared down before I got to the cash register.
With the block design I had chosen, the cut block made from the t-shirts would be 7 ½ square. With this in mind, some of the shirts went back on the rack since their designs were either too small or far too large for that dimension. Also I needed to remember how that t-shirt design would look in the square block as I continued to piece the remainder of the quilt block around the t-shirt block.
Furthermore, some t-shirts were returned to the rack due to the size of the t-shirts. With the 7 ½ block size needing to be cut from the front of the t-shirt, I had chosen some smaller-sized t-shirts that did not have sufficient area to cut that sized block. These didn’t make my final pile.
Finally, I had made my last decision and the pile of t-shirts was cut down to 10 shirts. With only needing 9, I took the 10th t-shirt just in case. Once I got home and before starting to make my quilt, I made the final decision on which 9 t-shirts to use by laying them out on my design board.
My handmade baby quilt also includes 100% baby cotton flannel besides the t-shirt blocks. This soft and cuddly material is wonderful to touch and feel, plus it adds an extra softness to the quilt.
Save your gently used baby’s t-shirts and transform them into a handmade baby t-shirt quilt that is both durable and adorable.