The T-Shirt Quilt is finally a quilt (well, almost)

I took a T-shirt quilt class about three years ago, but the project languished in the closet for a long time. The general plan was to learn the technique, and then make one for Mike using his racing T-shirts. We had no trouble rounding up enough shirts for the class quilt: volleyball, diving, running, concerts, and even a small cross-stitch piece (this was a practice project, after all - why not give it a try).

But I did have trouble keeping interested in finishing this one. I didn't like working with the fusible stabilizer, because I kept getting the glue on my iron and ironing board. I discovered a hole in one of the T-shirts. I made several mistakes in math and/or cutting while trying to get all the different sizes to fit into a workable layout. The cross-stitch fabric kept raveling. I chose polyester batting (as recommended in the class), and really disliked working with it, especially in the winter when my skin is dry and the batting kept catching on my cuticles.

I persevered, but there were several times when I had to stand back and ask myself the galloping horse question ("Would you be able to see the mistake from the back of a galloping horse?"). The answer always seemed to be no, that this was good enough for a utility quilt that we'll just use to keep warm while watching TV in the basement. And I really do like parts of it, like the potato fabric surrounding Mr. Potato-head, and the aboriginal fabrics that Mike brought back from Australia. In many ways, it represents our life together.

So there it is, except for the binding. This will be my handwork project for a while, and then I'll get Mike to start thinking about how he wants to lay out the racing T-shirt quilt. Ask we about it in another three years.