Yahoo!! I’m over here in NE Iowa doing a happy dance. I am officially and completely caught up on cutting up my shirts. I told you all my goal was to get through all four garbages of shirts that I had here waiting to be cut up. Last week I forged ahead and just finished them all!!
My easy goal had been to cut up one shirt a day but once I saw that the finish line was close I decided to just go for it. Here what I did last week.
I have the shirts, a bag of blue and yellow scraps, more scraps, and a bowl of buttons. I already have everything cleaned up and put away. I’m so happy. I can’t remember the last time I was completely caught up on shirts!!
To be honest, I don’t know if I was ever completely caught up on shirts!! This is HUGE accomplishment for me. I know those of you who love working with shirts can likely relate.
Do you want to know what is happening next?? I’m… cutting out a quilt. The icky part of cutting the shirts is done…now on to the fun.
The quilt I am gearing up to tackle is Oregon or Bust.
This is on my UFO Dirty Dozen list. I know a lot of people wouldn’t count it as a UFO but I am because the quilt has been on my brain ever since I saw Mary at Country Threads Chicken Scratch, make hers…but I really haven’t cut a single piece of fabric for it yet!!
This is the original from the book…
The book that the pattern is in is Scraps and Shirttails II. I’ve made so many quilts from this book. I’m thrilled to be making another.
I liked it just fine but then I saw Mary’s version (Mary from Country Threads-Chicken Scratch). This inspired me to really get serious about making the quilt. Mary made her’s a little smaller than the original.
In typical Jo fashion, I’m going to make mine larger than the original. HA!! Mary and I joke back and forth about her making small quilts and me making bigger ones.
Mary did her’s different from the book. She has the two scrappy borders and I totally plan on doing that too. You’ll have to pop over to Country Threads and read Mary’s story about her print with the stars on it. You can find it HERE.
This quilt has been on a way back burner…only in the collection of shirt stage for so long. It’s now moving up but still not on the front burner. I’ll be cutting the quilt out over the next couple of weeks during nap time. I love having a nap time project that’s quiet and I can still keep an eye on the kiddos.
So plan to see a lot of this quilt over the next couple of months until I get it finished.
I decided while I am cutting it out I am also going to cut out Bonnie Hunter’s Sugar Bowl quilt at the same time. That quilt is also on my UFO list. Being I’ll have the fabric out and want variety in my projects, I can cut a block or two for each of the quilts completely using up a shirt front or sleeve.
I have more deadline projects looming so this will be a slow process on getting this one done.
Thanks so much, Mary for the inspiration to make this quilt. I can’t wait until it’s time to start sewing!!
Jo, I LOVE your shirt quilts!
Congratulations on your shirts! I cannot wait to watch your progress on Oregon or Bust and Sugar Bowl.
You’ve inspired me and I am now collecting for a shirt quilt. (Got the book, too.) My sister, who lives in Iowa City and goes to thrift shops there (like 25-cents-a -shirt kind of shops!) has also been auditioning shirts for me via FaceTime. I confess she thinks I am being picky, but hey. BTW, I don’t have a colorway going like you do, just choosing ones I like. Question: If this were your first shirt quilt, which one in the book would you start with?
OH my word…there is no way to pick. I love them all seriously. I’ve been thinking and once the UFO quilts are done, I’m thinking about making the few quilts left in the book that I haven’t made. The first I made from the book was Criss Cross Applesauce. It’s pretty easy to collect blue and green shirts. Next it was Stars over Shallotte. For that one I had a bunch of bonus triangles leftover from quilts I made in her first Scraps and Shirttails book so I didn’t have to do much work to complete that one!!
Jo, please make a video of cutting a quilt out of shirts. I’m real good at cutting the shirts up but I freeze at cutting the quilt pieces out of shirt fabric. I’m sure you have lots of tips and tricks to help me. Barbara
The colors in those shirts are amazing! Like like a box of ribbon candies!
Jo, I have always loved this quilt…and I love the shirts you are using for your version!! Looking forward to seeing this one as you are working on it….
I have several of dh’s shirts cut up and at the bottom of my basket. I really do need to get started on them. In the meantime, I’ll watch what you do!
Love and prayers
Oh no; the fabric collecting stage puts something into the UFO stage? I’m in trouble! I love all those shirts you have collected and dissected. What a great method to get stripes and plaids and a huge variety. I have a couple of Bonnie Hunter books and am currently still working on “Talkin Turkey” and it’s flying geese borders. They are all made, and just need to be attached as part of the final round. I tend to make every thing bigger too, and I think there will be “just one more” border . It’s gotten so big that laying it out to measure and attach the borders has become a problem. I say go big! You won’t regret it!
Wow, what wonderful shirts, all set to go. I also like this quilt, maybe I need to get my pattern out and think about joining in and keep up. I love all the B Hunter patterns. One thing I do enjoy seeing is how you change out the borders to fit more of what you like, this inspires me to step outside of pattern and use what I have or adapt it to my taste. Marys quilt is lovely and all those yummy blues.
Hi Jo, congratulations on cutting up all these shirts. I have two questions:
1. Do you ever use your Accuquilt cutter when working with plaids and stripes, and if so, do you consider the grain lines?
2. How worn are these used shirts that you cut up and use?
Erena
I do not have a Accuquilt so I don’t use them. I do consider grain and try to cut accordingly.
None of the shirts I use are what I would call worn. They are just no longer loved.