How Many Dress Shirts Do You Need to Make a Quilt? Tips for Converting Shirts into Comfortable Bedding

Turning Your Old Dress Shirts into a Comfortable Quilt

If you’re like me, you probably have a collection of dress shirts taking up space in your closet that you never wear anymore. Whether they’re out of style, don’t fit right, or just have too many memories attached, it’s time to put those shirts to better use. Turning them into a cozy quilt is a creative way to repurpose old clothing and make a useful home decor item at the same time. In this article, I’ll share everything you need to know to successfully transform your dress shirts into a quilt that you’ll enjoy for years to come.

Determining How Many Shirts You’ll Need

1. The number of shirts required depends on the size of quilt you want to make. For a twin-size quilt (around 66″ x 90″), 8-10 shirts should suffice. For a full/queen size (around 90″ x 90″), 12-15 shirts is a good amount.
2. Keep in mind that the shirts will shrink somewhat during washing and quilting. It’s better to start with slightly more material than you think you’ll need. You can always trim excess fabric later.
3. Cutting the shirts into strips or squares also results in higher yields than leaving them as whole shirts. So don’t fret if you only have 6-7 shirts – cut into pieces they’ll go a lot further.

From my experience, it’s better to have a few extra shirts than not enough material. You’ll be glad for the excess when it comes time to piece and quilt everything. Aim for 10-15 shirts total to ensure you have sufficient coverage for a full or queen size quilt.

Preparing the Shirt Fabric

Once you’ve selected your shirts, it’s time to get them ready for quilting. This involves some cleaning and cutting:

1. Wash and dry the shirts on the hottest settings possible to thoroughly clean and shrink them. This makes the finished quilting process easier.
2. Remove any buttons, pockets or embellishments from the shirts that could cause snags later.
3. Cut the shirts into strips ranging from 1-4″ wide. The wider strips look nice pieced together, while narrower strips allow for more intricate designs.
4. Tip: Consider cutting some shirts into squares as well for variety in your finished quilt top.

I like to cut all the strips into uniform widths first before moving on to piecing them together. This keeps the process neat and organized. Be sure to leave a small margin around any stains or discolored areas so they aren’t prominently featured on the quilt.

Piecing it All Together

Now comes the fun part – putting all those colorful shirt strips in an attractive layout! There are a few main piecing techniques to choose from:

1. Strip piecing: Sew long strips together end to end in a random or alternating pattern.
2. Square/patchwork piecing: Arrange squares into columns, rows or other geometric patterns.
3. Log cabin piecing: Begin with a center square and alternately add border strips radiating outward in a cabin-like design.
4. Crazy quilt piecing: Piece strips haphazardly together with no set pattern and add embroidered accents if desired.

For a dress shirt quilt, I’d recommend strip or square piecing for their clean, tailored looks. Take your time laying out the colors first to achieve an aesthetically pleasing arrangement. Then start sewing the pieces together using a 1/4″ seam allowance. Press the seams as you go for a flat, polished appearance.

As with any quilting project, mistakes may occur along the way. Don’t sweat the small stuff – just keep piecing! With some practice, piecing dress shirt fabrics gets easier and more enjoyable. I find it peaceful and meditative work.

Adding the Batting and Backing

Once the pieced “quilt top” is complete, it’s time to sandwich it between the batting and backing fabric. This adds warmth, bulk and structure to the finished quilt:

1. Cut batting and backing fabric pieces about 8″ larger all around than the quilt top.
2. Lay the backing fabric wrong side up on a flat surface. Layer the batting vertically and then place the quilt top with right side up on top. Smooth any wrinkles.
3. Baste or pin the three layers together around the perimeter to hold them in place for quilting.

I prefer cotton batting for breathability in a quilt that will see frequent use. Polyester batting is warm too but may not last as long with regular washing over time.

Quilting and Finishing

Now you’re ready to quilt! This process secures all the layers together for durability and hand-quilting works well for small projects like a dress shirt quilt:

1. Hand quilt by stitching-in-the-ditch along the seams or using other freeform quilting patterns and filling any open areas.
2. Once quilted, trim all excess fabric from the edges so it’s neat and straight. Turn the quilt right side out.
3. Finish the outer raw quilt edges by binding them with a continuous strip of fabric or with the backing fabric. Hand-stitch the binding in place.

After all that work, washing the final quilt in hot water will slightly shrink and relax the fabrics for a professionally finished look and feel. Enjoy cuddling up under your unique, repurposed dress shirt quilt for years to come!

So in summary – with 10-15 old dress shirts, basic sewing skills, and some time and patience, you can create a cozy handmade quilt. Repurposing those shirts breathing new life into forgotten clothing. I hope this guide gave you enough information to successfully complete your own dress shirt quilt project. Let me know if any other questions come up!

Sewing a Quilt from Dress Shirts

FAQ

1. How many dress shirts do I need to make a quilt?

   Generally, you’ll want around 12 to 16 dress shirts to have enough material for a quilt. This will give you plenty of large pieces to work with while allowing room for mistakes.

2. Do the shirts need to be the same color?

   Nope, you can mix and match different colored dress shirts. In fact, using a variety of colors can make your quilt look really cool with a nice contrasting pattern. However, all light or ALL dark shirts may not show the quilt design as well.

3. How big will my quilt be with that many shirts?

   With 12 to 16 dress shirts, you can expect to end up with a quilt that’s roughly queen or king size. The exact measurements will depend on the shirt sizes. But in general, 12 shirts should give you a quilt around 90×90 inches, and 16 shirts close to 105×105 inches.

4. Can old, worn shirts still be used?

   Sure, you don’t need to use only brand new shirts without flaws. As long as the material isn’t too torn or thinning out, worn shirts can work alright. Just cut out any seriously damaged areas. The quilt pattern will mostly cover up smaller imperfections anyway.

   

5. How difficult is it to make a shirt quilt?

   For most people, a shirt quilt ranks as a fairly easy sewing project. The hardest part is just cutting out all the shirt pieces. Beyond that, the techniques required are basic piecing and quilting. As long as you take your time, follow instructions carefully, and don’t stress over imperfections, anybody can make a decent shirt quilt with some practice.

6. How much will it cost besides the shirts?

   Other than the shirts themselves, your main expenses will involve quilting supplies – thread, batting, and backing fabric. For a standard queen size quilt, expect to spend $30-50 on materials. This assumes you already own basic sewing equipment like scissors, pins, and a sewing machine. So while it requires some initial investment, shirt quilting saves money versus buying a ready-made quilt.

7. Will a shirt quilt last as long as a store-bought one?

   Provided quality sewing techniques are used, a well-made shirt quilt should actually hold up better and longer than many store quilts. The cotton shirts are very durable fabric, and quilting them together adds strength. Regular washing and drying following care tags is key. Of course, heavy use may cause more fraying over decades than a thicker quilt. But basic maintenance means a shirt quilt can absolutely stand the test of time!