Tuesday, March 16, 2010

The Valedictorian
















On the borders, I did two rows of free-motion feathers, which I learned from Philippa Naylor, a master quilter. Mine are still a work in progress. The body of the quilt is covered in flowers, also a design I want to improve upon.

The backing fabric is what my sister picked out for a border, but it didn't match once the quilt was assembled, so it became the lovely backing.
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My sister graduated from Paschal last year, and I made (am still making) this quilt for her. I used the idea presented in "How to Make a Too Cool T-Shirt Quilt," although you needn't buy the book for the pattern if you already have a good idea of how to

assemble a t-shirt quilt. I made thin plastic templates for each possible block size (any size divisible by 4" + 1/2". For example, the smallest template is 4.5" x 4.5"; the largest is 16.5" x 16.5". Another is 12/5" x 8.5").

Andrea Funk, author of the book (new version out now), directs quilters to assemble the quilt based on the size of the blocks, but she never mentions the importance of color. I ignored her suggestion and spent a lot of time balancing color and filling in blank spots with bits and pieces from my scrap bag.

Quilts from the Too Cool T-Shirt quilt company cost $378.00 for 20-30 shirts, including backing fabric and shipping!! I did my own hand-guided machine quilting. I would charge between $500 and $750 to make another. Technology is hard to beat when you're looking for the lowest price.

As of today, I have half the binding sewn down.

(Excuse the hairs in the photos...I have to wash away what my cats left behind!)