Making Something Out of Nothing: New Quilts from Old Shirts

I've been really busy with t-shirt quilts lately. That's a good thing! Not complaining but it's not really a busy time for quilt orders. My busiest times are graduation and Christmas. I do have several more to do. Hopefully I can get to them after the window seat cushion and throw pillows and a slipcover for a chaise lounge. This one is a 36 square, king size quilt. The top photo shows the quilt folded and ready to deliver. It folds up really nice with the micro-fleece back. It's not too bulky but SUPER warm!

Monkeyin' Around

I know what you were thinking! 

I get restless (and hungry) on snow days so I tried a new recipe. I've seen recipes for monkey bread before but not monkey bread muffins so I thought I'd try 'em. I have an overflowing file folder of

 "hmm...this-looks-good-I-think-I'll-try-this" recipes. It looks to be from the newspaper. Don't ask which one or when I got it. The file is an inch thick and I've saved clippings and print-outs for about 19 years. I left out the chopped pecans because I didn't have any but they were pretty yummy anyway!

A Departure From the Normal: Breakfast for Supper

Actually, breakfast for supper is NOT a departure from the normal here and this was NOT all I cooked to eat for supper. I suppose the departure is that I'm writing about food and not sewing for a change. I love to cook and I was so hungry I forgot to take pics before we chowed down. These are pictures of what was left the next morning. I had breakfast on the brain and not what I was writing for my next blog entry.
It was quite the spread. You'll have to just take my word for it! I don't know what's normal in other households but our house is breakfast-crazy! I baked biscuits, fried some sausage patties, ham, and eggs. I had to make cream gravy AND chocolate gravy. Oh! Almost forgot to mention the hashbrown casserole! This rounds out all the major food groups: chocolate, bread, meat, and dairy ( there was cheddar cheese and sour cream in the hashbrown casserole). I know, I know, not very healthy, but as far as I'm concerned, nothing says winter comfort food like this did! Unless you have chicken and dumplings...or meatloaf and mashed potatoes...or loaded baked potato soup...or homemade mac-n-cheese (which is the only kind my family will eat!). I also make some mean chicken enchiladas with salsa verde! Hmmm...sounds like the making of another blog entry. I'll try to get the photo before we eat everything up!
Below is my recipe for chocolate gravy. It's not super-sweet like hot fudge sauce but it's thicker than the chocolate from one of those chocolate fountains. It's easy but you have to stay close and stir while it's cooking. It doesn't take long to make and you should already have everything in your pantry to make it. This would be good on waffles or to dip bananas or stawberries in (if you have to be halfway healthy!).

CHOCOLATE GRAVY
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 heaping Tbsp flour
- 2 heaping Tbsp cocoa
- 1 cup water
- 1 Tbsp margarine or butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
Combine sugar, flour, and cocoa. Add water. I use a small suacepan and stir with a fork. Cook on medium heat, stirring frequently. When thickened, remove from heat, add margarine and vanilla. Enjoy!  

Auld Lang Syne

This is a king-size t-shirt quilt I made for a police officer who travelled from Tennessee to New York City after the tragedy on 9-11. He collected t-shirts that memorialized the heroes from that day as well as t-shirts from his career as a police officer.  

Close-up of king-size quilt

Happy New Year! I thought it fitting to show a few t-shirt quilts as we close 2011. The meaning of Auld Lang Syne is "for the sake of old times". That's one of the main reasons I love making t-shirt quilts. They are a comfy "scrapbook" to remember good times, lifetime accomplishments, and memories of loved ones. I love seeing what people pick out for their quilts and listening to what they tell me about the t-shirts. Stories and memories, like photographs, that are sewn into something that can be treasured and passed on to the next generation. I guess I'm just nostalgic and sentimental like that. As much as I like sewing home decor, I love seeing clients' reactions at the final quilt.

Baby quilt: dad is a hunter (thus the camo back) and the plaid flannel squares are from a grandfather who passed before the baby was born. The camo square and Screaming Eagle patch are from the other grandfather.

Memorial quilt made for a mother who lost a beloved son too soon. These are some of his favorite t-shirts and some that reminds the family so much of him. His sister said it even smelled like him.   

A different kind of memorial quilt. This was for an auction at a school fundraiser. Each child in the pre-k class made handprint animals for the squares. The theme was Noah's Ark. The quilt sold for over $2000.  

Mix-n-Match

This is how it began, 20-something yards of cording that I covered in oversized-check material.

Here is one 10 yard package of cording covered. I think I did 2-3 packages. 

I used all of that cording for the throw pillows and window seat cushion.

Here is the finished window!

Close-up of the cushion and pillows.

Rod pocket valance using a flat 3 inch metal rod, a very clean tailored look. I designed the valance myself!

Cover and Re-cover





Making slipcovers for your outdoor cushions will save you a lot of money if your foam is still in good shape. Foam is petroleum-based and pretty expensive, even in bulk. Take 2 rectangular pieces of fabric and square off the top and bottom when you have both pieces sewn together around 3 sides. The bottom is where I attached velcro to close it.   

 



Matching window seat cushion, covering 1" foam. The homeowner already had the throw pillows. 



Matching table cloth

Make It Work!

Sometimes a challenge is just what I need to prove my mettle! Whether it's fabric or food, I don't believe in backing down from a challenge! I usually go by just a photo to sew something or make my own pattern. Maybe it's my confidence (naivete) or I'm too stubborn to think I could fail. Yes, this is the person who decided to "wing it" when my daughter told her teacher I could make a Greek meal. BTW, I made some mean stuffed grape leaves and baklava (I don't pick a salad to get off easy!) for my first try at Greek food. They loved it!
I think my daughter is a "chip off the old block". She has decided to make an evening gown for her first-ever sewing project! This will be for part of her mid-term art grade (fiber art, I suppose). Go big or go home!
By now you're thinking "what do these photos have to do with Greek food or evening gowns", right?! All challenges.
These are some drapery panels made from a beige linen/burlap textured type fabric with wooden rings sewn at the top. The smaller window is 1 panel, 97" long. The double window has 2 panels about 125" long with all panels having about 20 wooden rings sewn at the top. I was doing a reconstruction job. I added another 1/2 width to each panel to make the curtains fuller, disconnected the lining from the bottom (it's not supposed to be sewn together at the bottom), and sewed the rings (by hand) to the top. They were originally clip-on rings but the curtains were so heavy they would pop off every time the home owner touched them. I hope you can see them ok. The sun was shining in the windows that morning so my photos turned out a little dark. They're beautiful!