So how about August 1?

I've been having a pretty special month of July-- between summer classes, home renovation projects, and a variety of bizarre illnesses, I've obviously gotten behind on the quilt project.  However, all of the squares are now ironed onto the interfacing (thanks to Mom's help!) and are ready to be mailed/ dropped off today.  

I'm going to do some sample squares tonight to show you what I've got in mind, but basically you're getting 7 squares of t-shirt.  You can cut them up (using straight lines) and reattach them however you'd like.  The goal is to make as many 10x10 squares out of the 12x12 ones you have in whatever design you'd like, as long as the lines are straight.  Feel free to make them as elaborate or as simple as you'd like to.  The picture below shows sort of the ultimate goal.  I think when I put the quilt together that I'm going to put strips of quilting cotton between the squares so there's a little more framing, but the squares are the right idea.

Quilt Trip 2010: Project #1-- T-Shirt Quilt

Okay, this is my first time on a blog, so I hope this is the right way to publish my comment. Sounds good, glad I live near two of you because I'm not quite sure what I'm doing... but I'm looking forward to getting started. Quilt Trip 2010: Project #1-- T-Shirt Quilt: "Ok, I've decided. I've been planning to make a t-shirt quilt for about 5-ish years. I've got a huge collection of old shirts of Tom's and ..."

Project #1-- T-Shirt Quilt

Ok, I've decided.  I've been planning to make a t-shirt quilt for about 5-ish years.  I've got a huge collection of old shirts of Tom's and mine.  I've even got a few dozen squares cut out.  As I've been looking online at pictures of t-shirt quilts, though, they all seem to feature the picture on the front of the t-shirt, something like this:

However, in my preparations, I got rid of the pictures and cut my squares out of the soft t-shirt backs.  The pictures were all weird and crinkly.  Some had chipping paint.  It didn't seem like the makings of a soft, patchwork quilt made from a collection of finely aged jersey cotton.  What I have to work with is a bunch of soft t-shirt cotton squares in a variety of my favorite t-shirt colors: grey, shades of blue and green, and a little pink.

I also don't want to make a plain block quilt.  I didn't find too many "outside the box" t-shirt quilts online.  These (below) were the best I saw.  I especially like the last one and am hoping to pull off something that cool (without the elaborate quilting over the top.)

I'd like a quilt that incorporates whole 12x12 (I think-- I haven't gotten them out of the closet yet) squares in with a variety of squares made up of many colors in some sort of arrangement.  I'll send you some of the squares I've got and you can cut them up and rearrange them in the patterns of your choice-- kind of like the one above.  The only real rule is that you cut straight lines with your squares and that all the squares end up the same size.  I'll include the sizes in with the squares when I send them out to you on Tuesday.  Tuesday feels like a good deadline since there's no way it'll be done by tomorrow morning and the post office will be closed until Tuesday for the 4th.  I'm hoping you wouldn't mind making a few, maybe 3 or 4 squares?

Anyway, I hope you like the idea and I'll post pictures of the materials and hopefully a couple of sample squares tomorrow.

Quilt trip Fantastic

Hey This is cool. Thanks for getting it started. I look forward to what we all will do.

How cool is this?

I just saw this while I was looking for project inspiration.  I'm not exactly inspired to make my own Donkey Kong quilt, but it's cute :)

Still thinking...

I thought I had a good idea for a first project, then I started second guessing it, and so I'm going to keep thinking about it today and hopefully have it figured out by tomorrow.  I need to spend some time going through the fabric I've got to see what would be good and maybe cruise some craft blogs.  

Anyway, I just emailed to let you all be administrators and post on the blog so we can all read what the others have to say about projects, inspirational sites, etc. It's pretty self explanatory-- just hit new post and write what you'd like.  Save pictures to your computer first, then upload them-- they don't work just cutting and pasting.

Happy Friday!

So here's the plan...

Each month, one of us will take the lead on a project and distribute fabrics and directions to the rest of the group.  The directions can be as specific or general as desired by the leader for the month.  When the leader gets the squares back, she will assemble them as desired and we'll get together around Christmas to show off the finished products.  

We won't necessarily be making traditional quilts, but crafting squares to be used for quilts or other quilted projects based on the directions of the person in charge for the month.  So I'm starting it off and will post the first project hopefully this afternoon!!