Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Upcycled Baby Quilt



Finished!

I made this quilt for my son using a bunch of his old t-shirts and onesies.  It was my way of holding onto those memories a little longer in a way we could all enjoy. 

I made it basically like you would make a t-shirt quilt except I opted not to fuse the shirts because I wanted to use really thick batting to give it a really poufy look and wanted to retain the "give" and stretch of the t-shirts as much as possible. 


From each onesie or t-shirt (I used 48) I cut two 6 inch squares.  Then I separated them into lights and darks and paired coordinating fabrics into four patch blocks.  THEN I spent about 3-4 hours arranging them on my design wall in a way that made me happy (basically keeping similar colors adjacent as much as possible).  After that I sewed the four patch blocks together.


Sewing with the unfused knits was a little tricky and involved some patience, but I wasn't too worried about everything being perfectly aligned because I figured the batting would disguise any irregularities and I was mostly right.  I also couldn't stick to a strict 1/4 inch seam because the knit kept getting pulled into the machine so it was more like 3/8 of an inch.  The finished quilt is 44" x 66".  I used two layers of the highest loft batting I could find and tied it in the corners of each block using a coordinating yarn from my stash.  I bound it with satin blanket binding (just cause it saves me a step and I'm lazy like that).  The finished quilt has the feel of a comforter.  Theoretically, the blocks should tighten up a little more after it's washed and dried and should make it look nice and fluffy (I'll let you know how it washes).


My son loves it.  He like looking at all the different images on the front and pointing out all the animals he knows.  AND he likes the back.  I wasn't sure what I was going to use as the backing fabric until I got to JoAnn's, but as soon as I saw it I knew there was no turning back.



Buzz always wins.  :)

Linking up to many of the awesome parties in my sidebar including Sew & Tell Friday and Met Monday... check 'em out!

54 comments:

KimMalk said...

Cute, cute, cute! What a great mom using your son's old clothing. I like how you placed the same colors together, it gives it a nice flow. Plus, I love the Sponge Bob faces. I was hoping this was your project, I'm happy to see you this week :). It must be about midterms, huh?

Tashia said...

I love this idea and if I knew how to quilt I would make one! Your son had a lot of the same shirts that my son had!

Tashia @ http://homeinspiredbliss.blogspot.com

CraftyMummy said...

I love it - especially the idea of saving those "memories" by using his onesies. The back looks perfect for snuggling.

Robin Ange said...

So awesome! How long would you say sewing it took you?

Mama.Mommy.Mom. said...

I hope to do this some day!

Belinda said...

That was a great idea and it turned out wonderfully!

Vanessa said...

Beautiful quality, it looks so comfy!! I can't bear to cut up my old shirts like this.. yet :D I suppose I have to do something with them, can't fit 'em!

Jan said...

Very cute and fun. You did a great job.

bookaddict4real said...

I love how this came out you are more than welcome to link up this project on my blog.I think my followers would love it ,too.@scrapaddict4sure.com

Amber D said...

What a great idea, it turned out well. You should link it up at my reuse party and maybe you will win a Lunch Skins GC!

http://www.lifelovegreen.com/2010/10/green-challenge-reuse-week-2

Amber

Suzanne said...

What a great way to use those outfits. You made a great memory.

Amy at Ameroonie Designs said...

Really cute! I love how you arranged the colors! Way to go mama!

Sonya@Beyond the Screen Door said...

I love this concept! I've made t-shirt quilts for teenagers but what a sweet idea for the little ones, too! You did a great job.

Lindy said...

I love this idea. I wish I had done something like this myself. Hummm, I do have grands!!!

Jules said...

This is something your little guy will treasure! I loved looking at all the details, so I can't imagine the fun HE is having! Jules

WonderWhyGal said...

I still have my quilt that Grandma made using this same technique. It becomes it's own time capsule.

Yours are beautiful.

Tasha said...

this is sweet!!!
Ive been wanting to learn to do this

Carol, The Answer Is Chocolate said...

What an amazing project and keepsake! Thanks for linking up to my Open House :)

KristyLou said...

Sooooo cute! What a great way to use the onsies!

Suzy Myers said...

My favorite part is the sponge bob squares! Ha!

Come stop by and link up to my Commercial break and promote your blog! http://suzysartsycraftsysitcom.blogspot.com/2010/10/commercial-break-thursday-promote_14.html

suzy

Dee said...

what an awesome memory quilt of your son when he was little! oh, I wish I had done this when mine were younger!

perfect back and thanks for all the tips on the process!

Hanna said...

HI There! I am your newest follower from the blog hop!!! Lovely blog you have here:) You can find me at www.bouffeebambini.blogspot.com

beth said...

what a great quilt!! How old is your son? Great job mom!

Cathy said...

Oh I love when people make quilts like this! It's how quilts started in the first place! It's so special, I love it!

Leslie said...

oh my goodness this is so precious...you are brave to cut into those sweet little clothes. it turned out beautifully

Erica {B is for Boy} said...

I absolutely love it! I've been toying with a similar idea- some of the baby clothes that both my sons have worn have the cuties appliques and sayings this is a great way to capture them!

Gloria said...

GORGEOUS!!!!! Wow, you did such a beautiful job and I love how it is kind of 'pouffy' as you say. And the opposite side is another fantastic feast for the eyes! Your little boy has one great mommy who is so talented to do this for him!
Best,
Gloria

Mary said...

This is so cute - I just love the pouf of it too! Awesome way to hang on to those memories!

CK said...

This is SO adorable, you are making me really wish I knew how to quilt!!!

Katie said...

So happy to see you at A Crafty Soiree again! Omigolly I love, love this! I want to do the same thing for my daughter. I'm saving all the stuff and hopefully one day I'll be able to sew well enough to do it too. Thanks for sharing and looking forward to seeing you next time too:)

Kristen said...

Very cute! I am sure he will enjoy and love it for years to come. We are fans of the TS too!

Yanet @ 3 Sun Kissed Boys said...

Such a cute idea! And great way to up cycle and hang on to sweet memories of the little bitty things they wore. The quilt came out awesome! Where do put my order? :•)

Amy @ Chicy-Creations said...

I love this! I want to do this with my girls onesies and shirts when I know I want have any more girls to "hand them down to". Your quilt turned out so sweet and how fun for your son to have something so neat to cherish!

Dianne said...

I absolutely LOVE this quilt! What a wonderful idea and a great way to hold onto those precious little memories for you and your son. It looks so incredibly snuggly! I am new to amylouwho's site and her "Sew & Tell Fridays" and I'm so glad that I found her site and your's as well! :-)

{Bellamere Cottage} said...

What a treasure... My little grandson would have loved that toooo..... We didn't save his t's however... darn it.

Warm blessings,
Spencer

Lisa said...

You did a wonderful job with this!! I love how you colorized it. You really have an eye for color and layout. No reason at all not to use a larger seam allowance- I use 1/2" seams regularly and those quilts never shred at the seams! And your double batting is sooo cozy. What a cuddly quilt.


My sister made one of these memory quilts with my niece's baby pjs, so I saved all my boys' footie jammies so I can make one. I looooove how little kids look in footie jammies. However, I am not going to share it with them. It will be mine so that when they go to college I can wrap myself in it and sob... LOL! Seeing yours makes me want to get working on it.

Megan Gunyan said...

Oh, so cute! I love this way to save memories! What a great idea.

Dandelion and Daisy said...

Fun quilt, soft and warm...what could be more perfect for baby!

Anonymous said...

Oh, what a sweet idea! I love your darling quilt and what special memories it will hold through the years! Just precious!
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

K&B by the Sea said...

This is the most original and charming quilt I've ever seen!! What a wonderful way to preserve the memories of your little guy's baby days :-)

Love Buzz on the other side of the quilt :-)

Kelly

Joselyn said...

Definitely a keepsake. Nice idea!

Gwen @ Gwenny Penny said...

Love the final product, Cecily! I'm sure your son will love it for a very long time. Such a special gift.

malia said...

incredible! this has been on my to do list for years... great job!

Heather said...

That is so adorable and I absolutely love the way that it's color-coordinated.

I hate to hang onto a lot of THINGS, but this is a great way of keeping the memories.

Well done!

memakingdo said...

What an awesome idea I wish I would of held onto my kids clothes now instead of passing them all on to someone else. I should of kept a few things and made them one of these, so cute! Come link up to my party memakingdo.blogspot.com

Melissa said...

Google reader is irritating. How is it I lose people who I want to subscribe too and I can try to unsubscribe from someone a dozen times and still find them in my feed reader?

This quilt is adorable. It sounds like a putzy bit of work but it looks like it was worth it.

Elizabeth Dackson said...

Adorable! Never seen this concept before other than fused memory quilts. This looks way more fun! Happy Fabric Tuesday to you!

Christie describeHappy said...

I really like this! I am just itching to start a quilt here in the next week or so and plan on also using recycled clothes for the majority of my squares. This is such a darling memory for your son!

Sew Many Mamas said...

Cute idea and so special! Happy Fabric Tuesday!

emilyc @ Sew Super Sweet said...

This so, so cute! I love it!

Dayle ~ A Collection of Days said...

Clever idea! Precious memories all in one place.

I’d like to invite you to a link-up event at my place on November 5th and 6th called, The Airing of the Quilts. I’d be pleased if you could join us, and hope you’ll hop over to my blog and grab the party button so you can help me spread the word.

Stephanie Lynn @Under the Table and Dreaming said...

Cecily, I just adore this idea. How creative to make such a wonderful piece full of memories. Fantastic job! I featured this today. Stop by and grab a featured button if you like. Thanks so much for linking to The Sunday Showcase. I greatly appreciate it. Hope you enjoy your week! ~ Stephanie Lynn

Quiltstory said...

I LOVE this idea and I LOVE your baby version! What a sweet way to hold on to those memories. Thanks for linking up :) See you next week!

Cathi said...

What a great way to hold on to memories!