T-shirt Quilts: A Buyer’s Guide
A t-shirt quilt can be a wonderful and beautiful keepsake, and when it’s correctly made from the best materials it can last a lifetime. Many online companies offer custom t-shirt quilts that are very inexpensive, and while inexpensive isn’t necessarily bad, it’s important to ask the right questions of your t-shirt quilt provider before you buy. Cheap materials and poor technique will result in a quilt that breaks down over time. Here are the questions you should ask a t-shirt quilter:
Q. Will my quilt be custom-made?
Many internet websites offer decent t-shirt quilts at fair prices, but they aren’t always “custom”. The patterns, colors, and arrangement are usually very similar. The point of creating a t-shirt quilt is to have an heirloom that can be passed down - it’s important the quilt you buy is truly custom.
Q. Is the batting polyester or cotton?
Cotton batting is superior to polyester. Polyester batting doesn’t breathe and will degrade substantially over a long period of time. Cotton batting is more expensive but also more comfortable for everyday use and will last much longer. When cotton batting is used, the quilt will hang flatter and more beautifully against a wall. Sometimes quilts are not made with any batting. In this case, the quilts cannot really be considered quilts at all.
Q. Do you separate my t-shirts with sashing?
A ribbon of fabric, or sashing, is used between t-shirt squares to separate them. It is important that your quilter use sashing. This will enhance the design, as well as help your t-shirt quilt last longer.
Q. How is the quilt built? Do you bind you or “flip and quilt”?
The older “flip and quilt” or “flip and sew” method is the less time-consuming way to make a quilt. It is less expensive, but the quilt usually won’t hang or lay completely flat. The bind method, on the other hand, takes longer. However, the finished product lays or hangs flat and looks much nicer.
Q. What are the fabric’s thread weight and thread count?
A quilt should last decades if the best fabrics are used. The thread count of the best type of fabric is 75, and the thread weight should be 30-34. Check with your quilter about the thread count and thread weight of the fabric they use. The last thing you should check, if you can, is the sharpness of the printing on the fabric. Inexpensive fabric has printing that is inconsistent and blurry, and it will degrade over time.