Making a T-shirt quilt (or getting one made). Anyone done it? Recommendations?

[DawnM]

My middle son is my T-shirt guy.  He has lots and lots of T-shirts and memories from those T-shirts.  Scouts, scout camp, church camps, church mission trips, vacations, schools, colleges, etc....

I put them all in a pile and told me to get rid of them, he doesn't fit into them and he no longer likes to wear T-shirts with writing on them (which isn't true, he just bought a T-shirt from a concert, but whatever!). 

I did not get rid of them, they are in a box in my closet where he can't see them.  I would like to get a small quilt made from them, maybe twin size or maybe even throw size.

I see online where you can send your T-shirts in to get one made ( I have no time and would be afraid to mess it up anyway), but thought I would ask if anyone had gotten it done and where you had sent it?

I see lap size for $75 and twin size for around $125.  Are those prices around normal?

This is a Christmas gift, so I have time, thought I would ask here first.

[Clemsondana]

I used these folks https://www.tshirtquilts.com  when I had one made for my husband.  It was expensive (I don't remember what it cost - it was 10 years ago, and I got a big one) but they did a great job.  I'm planning to do one for each of my kids when they graduate from high school.  

[DawnM]

1 hour ago, ClemsonDana said:

I used these folks https://www.tshirtquilts.com  when I had one made for my husband.  It was expensive (I don't remember what it cost - it was 10 years ago, and I got a big one) but they did a great job.  I'm planning to do one for each of my kids when they graduate from high school.  

 

Oh wow, ok, those are $375 for a twin.  Might be worth it.  

[Annie G]

I’m a quilter and just the backing, batting, binding, and thread for a twin size costs me at least $75.  So $125 for a twin seems like a bargain.  Sounds like a great gift for a guy!

[plansrme]

I have used toocooltshirtquilts.com.  It is not cheap, but their quilts are amazing.  I think I paid about $650 for each quilt, one for each daughter's high school graduation.  The back of the quilts are possibly even more amazing than the front, and they will use things besides t-shirts.  My oldest was a gymnast, and they used leotards, warm-ups, part of a ballet costume and even her name and the gym logo from a backpack.  

[Corraleno]

I haven't seen any businesses that do actual quilts for such low prices ($75-125). Usually what you get for those prices is a blanket — the tee shirt squares are sewn together and then a piece of fleece is just sewn on the back, with no batting or quilting. I'm planning to do one for my son as well, and I've been looking into doing the top myself and then hiring a local person who owns a long-arm quilter to do the backing, border, and actual quilting. And even with doing the front myself, the prices I've seen are more like $200-300 for a twin XL, depending on the fabric, batting, and quilt pattern.

 

[mumto2]

Here’s a link to a tutorial I have saved in case I ever want to turn my son’s favorites into a quilt so you can see what’s involved.  http://thermoweb.com/blog/sweet-memories-t-shirt-quilt/. Going to be honest and say I think that I would probably end up spending 75 on the project before I was done and I am a quilter with lots of stuff needed in the project already. 😉

[Beth S]

I responded to similar (recent) WTM thread:

This is the quilt I did for our son.
I used a cheap fleece THROW, rather than making a full bedspread.
I don't believe the tshirts would hold up (for the long run) to daily (hard) use on a bed.

I enjoyed it, but I think $100 for the labor is too cheap! 
There's the additional MENTAL work of trying to arrange the tshirts, which I would seriously hesitate to do for a stranger.
You , as customer, would have to be comfortable giving the quilter some decision-making authority!

You could do the piecing, & have someone else do the quilting (which is very easy, along the edges of each block).

[AK_Mom4]

Hopefully the picture attaches.  I had responded on the other quilt thread - DD18 made this mostly herself. I just helped with the binding. 

Its just straight sewing because I don’t have a quilting machine.  But it came out great using just light weight fleece for the backing. 

[DawnM]

7 hours ago, Corraleno said:

I haven't seen any businesses that do actual quilts for such low prices ($75-125). Usually what you get for those prices is a blanket — the tee shirt squares are sewn together and then a piece of fleece is just sewn on the back, with no batting or quilting. I'm planning to do one for my son as well, and I've been looking into doing the top myself and then hiring a local person who owns a long-arm quilter to do the backing, border, and actual quilting. And even with doing the front myself, the prices I've seen are more like $200-300 for a twin XL, depending on the fabric, batting, and quilt pattern.

 

 

You may be right.  I didn't look too closely as I didn't know what I was looking at.

[DawnM]

4 hours ago, mumto2 said:

Here’s a link to a tutorial I have saved in case I ever want to turn my son’s favorites into a quilt so you can see what’s involved.  http://thermoweb.com/blog/sweet-memories-t-shirt-quilt/. Going to be honest and say I think that I would probably end up spending 75 on the project before I was done and I am a quilter with lots of stuff needed in the project already. 😉

 

Hmm.....that doesn't look too difficult.  Maybe I will cut up a few T-shirts that were destined for Goodwill anyway and practice.  

[HS Mom in NC]

10 hours ago, Annie G said:

I’m a quilter and just the backing, batting, binding, and thread for a twin size costs me at least $75.  So $125 for a twin seems like a bargain.  Sounds like a great gift for a guy!

Agreed.  I've made 3.

[mumto2]

7 hours ago, DawnM said:

 

Hmm.....that doesn't look too difficult.  Maybe I will cut up a few T-shirts that were destined for Goodwill anyway and practice.  

That’s exactly what I plan to do first. 😉. 

[DawnM]

2 hours ago, mumto2 said:

That’s exactly what I plan to do first. 😉. 

 

I think my issue is TIME, but maybe if I can get started on the test one before Halloween and get started, it won't be so bad.