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