Choosing The BEST Materials for YOUR T-Shirt Quilt

October 26, 2015

About Our Materials...

Fabric Selection 

While other companies only offer a few basic fabric choices for your quilt. T-Shirt Quilts of Texas stocks several hundred bolts of fabric and you can choose from 2-4 fabrics from most fabrics in stock, including quilt shop quality flannel ** for the back of the quilt for that extra cozy effect.

All of my fabrics are quilt shop quality fabrics, mostly from Quilting Treasures, Blank Textiles, Wilmington, Moda Fabrics or P&B Textiles, but also include Robert Kaufman, Maywood Studios, RJR, Choice and Marcus Brothers. If you have been using other fabrics, you will be able to feel the difference! It is softer and smoother, and has a tighter weave, so it will last longer.

By selecting a cotton fabric for both the front and back of your t-shirt quilt, you will have a lighter weight quilt. A flannel backing adds a little bit more weight and makes a heavier quilt. Fleece or a 'brand new sheet' are not good choices for a quilt. Some of the 'cheaper' places offer fleece and no batting. They are making a blanket, not a quilt.

Denim/Fatigues. We do not carry denim, but will use it if you supply the fabric. We do not use denim for backing as it makes the quilt too heavy.

Minkee. Ummm no. It is OK for baby quilts, but nothing else.

**Flannel backing available for an additional charge.

Batting 

Hobbs Bonded Fibers.
Batting is an important part of your quilt. Don't let anyone convince you that you don't need it. Especially those offering a cheap fleece backing. We make quilts to be used. That means throwing it around, and being able to launder it. Over and over....

We use Legacy 80/20 Blend or HOBBS Heirloom® Premium cotton blend batting. Both are 80% unbleached cotton & 20% polyester.

Fabric

Over 700 Bolts of Fabric to create YOUR special t-shirt quilt.

We have over 700 bolts of fabric in house to pick the perfect colors for your quilt. Whether you come to the studio and pick the fabrics, or you give us an idea of what you would like. We will do our best to select the best color choices for your custom quilt.

Our fabric inventory is continually being updated. We don't limit you to a single colorway or solid color fabrics. As you can see, we stock many fabrics in each color.. Some fabrics are regularly stocked, and others may be phased out. We are happy to work with you to get the perfect colors for your one-of-a-kind quilt.

 

 

 

 

Interfacing

We use the highest quality 100% cotton interfacing to stabilize the t-shirts. It is NOT that stiff cheap polyester stuff that a everyone else offers.  A stabilizer is actually important to the construction of your heirloom.  It makes your fabric stronger without adding weight or bulk.  Those who don't use a stabilizer are making quilts or blankets for short term use.

Thread 

Professional Machine Quilting Thread
We only use the highest quality quilting thread. We keep a wide selection of thread colors on hand, and select the best thread color to blend with your quilt.

To learn more about having a quilt made from your tee shirts, download our free T-Shirt Quilt Buyer's Guide.  Learn about what to look for when you are ordering a t-shirt quilt.

Shadywood Quilts is a full service professional business that can help you complete your quilt at most any stage. We also 'fix' quilts made by non-professionals. If you get started, and don't feel you are going to be able to complete your quilt. Take pictures of your quilt in process, email it to us, and we can let you know if we can help you get it finished.