Ragan’s Soccer t-shirt Quilt

Have you ever made a t-shirt quilt?  I hadn’t, until 2020 when a dear friend asked me to make one for her daughter.  I was nervous, but said yes.  So here it is:  Ragan’s soccer t-shirt quilt, filled with memories and evidence of great accomplishment.  

Ragan selected her favorites, and on many of them they pinned a note saying what she liked most about the shirt.  This really helped me when cutting the shirts and deciding which parts to use.  In addition to t-shirts there are some jerseys and a large mix of fabrics.  I chose a few basic measurements and started cutting.

I ironed a stabilizer to the back of each piece so it wouldn’t warp and stretch when sewn together.  Mine was really lightweight, perhaps lighter than is ideal.  But it was a pandemic and SO hard to find things, so I had to work with what I could get.  In the end it turned out ok.

The layout is one I worked out based on all the shirts I had, and I filled in the holes with small strips, patches, or emblems from various shirts.  I tried to balance color to some degree, but this is really a gallery quilt.  The one inch black sashing ties it all together.

Melissa quilted it for me, and she was so great to accomodate the thick necklines, patches, and other obstacles to her machine.  It turned out fantastic.  Honestly, I wasn’t a huge fan of t-shirt quilts until I made this.  Now, I see their value for preserving memory and history, and I want to make one for each of my kids.  

Ragan is more than an exceptional soccer player; she is an outstanding young woman in so many ways.  My family and I are blessed to know her and her family.  This was a fun way to serve people we love.  

Because it was 2020, I included Ragan’s soccer t-shirt quilt in my 20 in 20 project, which I also finished recently.  I’ll share it soon!

Happy Sewing,

Jennifer