Introducing the Custom T-Shirt Art Quilt

Well, the T-shirt quilt sample is complete and ready to make its debut at the Sunday Morning Market this weekend.  (You can read previous posts on this subject by clicking on "T-shirt quilts" at the bottom of this post)

It's a smallish quilt (34 x 52") and kind of long and skinny.  I made it this way on purpose for easier display at the market.

I was curious how the quilt was going to feel after washing, never having used interfacing before (I used Pellon 906F, if anyone's looking for a recommendation).  But it's DELIGHTFULLY soft and cuddly.  I used my usual Thermore batting, so it's a lightweight quilt as well.

As I expected with a completely new project, there was a lot of learning along the way.  Just in the course of handling this quilt the yo-yo flowers started to come apart, so I sewed them down with invisible thread.  They're definitely on for the duration now.

This T-shirt quilted smoothly and easily

 This one I tried quilting with a "crazy clamshell" pattern.  It's not terrible but it's not perfect either, there are a few puckers.  But I love the applique and button embellishment on this one!

Each block quilted just a little bit differently.  I wouldn't have thought that there would be that much difference among cotton T shirts, but there really is.

I do love the fancy stitches on my sewing machine, too, so this was a great opportunity to use them!

This block in the upper left corner demonstrates an "unembellished" block, meaning it's just fabric and quilting (no buttons or yo-yos or anything like that).  Since the embellishment is going to be an extra charge, I wanted to show that the quilt can look nice and fancy without embellishment if someone chooses to have it like that.

That lavender gingham on the back is an absolutely ANCIENT piece of fabric that's been hanging around forever.  I can't remember where it came from, and I wouldn't swear that it's 100% cotton.  I think it found a good home, and it was JUST big enough for this quilt-- no leftovers!

This weekend will be a first for me, since I am actually doing 2 markets.  I committed to do Wiregrass this Saturday back in the fall, and then the opportunity to do the Sunday Morning Market came around a few months later.  I don't plan on making this a habit but it's ok for this one time.  And luckily I was able to take a few services off from orchestra work this weekend, so I won't have 2 market days in a row followed by 2 concert nights in a row (yes, I've done a market during the day and then played a concert the same night.  It's possible, but not a lot of fun, to be sure.)  I've printed up information sheets and order forms for the T-shirt quilts, so I'm curious to see if there's any interest.  And how will Mother's Day impact things?  Well, I know 2 things FOR SURE:  it's going to be hot.  And it's going to be FUN.