Quilted Tee Shirt Memory Blanket

Envelop yourself in all your favorite memories with this Quilted Tee Shirt Memory Blanket.  Perfect for showcasing all your favorite sporting, music, or theater shirts, this t shirt quilt makes for a lovely (and useful) memory keeper.  This would be a wonderful gift to give a college or high school graduate, and is a fun way to personalize a meaningful gift.  You could even print out some photos on transfer paper and add those to the quilt as well.  One thing's for sure, this quilt made out of t-shirts is sure to be the gift that keeps on giving.

Materials:

• Cutting Mat (24" x 36")
• Collection of old tee shirts
• Fiskars 8" Easy Action Scissors
• Cardboard
• Sewing machine
• Patterned fabric
• Fusible backing
• Iron

Instructions:

1. I decided to make a simple cotton throw that incorporated some of her favorite t-shirts. This would also be a great project for clothes that your child has grown out of. You can make this project as elaborate or as simple was you’d like.
    
2. I decided to take the simple approach. I used Fiskars 8" Easy Action Scissors and firm piece of cardboard to trim a 10 inch square from each t-shirt. I wasn’t worried about capturing the entire logo or name, but if you are, be sure to allow at least a 1 inch border all the way around. I find it easiest to work on a large surface, so I protect my table with Fiskars 24" x 36" Cutting Mat.
    
3. After cutting the squares, I stitched each edge to a strip of patterned cotton. If I got off track, the seam ripper in the Fiskars Sew Taxi made it easy for me to correct my mistakes. After stitching all the squares together, I ironed on a fusible backing, then pinned the right side to the right side of a coordinating fabric. I stitched around all sides, leaving a small opening to turn right-side-out. I then hand stitched the opening closed. As this point, you can quilt the throw, or simple leave as is.