T-shirt Quilt and Memory Quilt Thoughts

When TCQ was getting off the ground, at least half of our business came from local t-shirt and memory quilt orders. I really loved making these from scratch on so many levels. But when the pandemic forced us to make some hard decisions about how we were spending our time we had to discontinue those services. While we had hoped to bring them back, our longarm business has grown so much it’s no longer something we are considering. 

This does not stop many folks from asking if we will take on ‘just one more’ and while we are flattered, the answer is currently a very firm ‘no’. The next question is inevitably ‘is there anyone you recommend?’ and I’d like to share my response with everyone here. 

The short answer is no, we do not have any particular individual or business we recommend. However, below I have a very long response on how I would go about finding and selecting someone to make a memory or t-shirt quilt. 

Quick Side Note!! We absolutely WILL longarm a t-shirt/memory quilt you have made! There are two caveats: All of the knit fabrics in the quilt MUST BE STABILIZED. We cannot work around pockets, buttons or other embellishments that may have been included. Okay - carry on with the main topic!

Where to start your search:

I recommend starting with the Crafted in St. Louis Facebook groups. If you are not local, there is likely something similar in your metro area. St. Louis has a few of these groups but most vendors are active in all of them, or at least the two biggest ones. You may have to ask to join the group, but it’s mostly just a step to ensure you read the rules and know how to behave yourself in such a setting. Once you are in the group you can post an ISO (in search of) post, but I actually recommend simply searching ‘t-shirt quilt’ or ‘memory quilt’. There are tons of ISO posts already and by searching you will uncover more information than relying on the right person to see your post at the right moment.

If you do not find such a FB group in your area then the next best option is simply to do a Google search and see what you find nearby. You may also need to open up to the idea of mailing your shirts, though I would exhaust my local options before heading in this direction. There are amazing folks across the country, but shipping adds a level of risk and cost that can likely be avoided. 

Once you have some makers/vendors to look through, here are a few things that should help narrow down your options and find someone who does quality work similarly to what TCQ was producing. 

Recommendations:

First, look for someone who is being recommended by their previous customers. Anyone can say ‘I’ll do it!’ but if former customers speak up, it shows they have been doing it for a decent period of time and doing it well. These are not just happy customers, but customers so happy they are taking the time to recommend them. These are also customers who are probably happy to chat if you wanted to ask them in a DM how their experience was with their particular maker. 

The second thing I recommend is someone who is longarm quilting their quilts. What the heck does this mean? It means they are serious enough to have invested in some great equipment to finish these quilts. A longarm machine is what I use to professionally stitch the quilt top, batting, and quilt back together. While other methods of quilting a memory quilt can certainly be just fine, to me someone who owns and operates a longarm machine is more likely to be producing a higher quality product than someone who is not. 

Once you find those two things start browsing through their online presence (FB, Website, IG account) to get a feel for their work. If you cannot find anything, reach out and ask for photos of examples. Make sure their style fits with what you are wanting. It’s better to find someone who is already making things you prefer vs trying to ask someone to meet your vision and expectations when they’ve not done so yet. There is less chance of miscommunication and they won’t be trying a new method or style on your project. 

I think it’s important to pause before hitting my 4th piece of advice and say this: You are placing a custom order for a big item. Making a memory/t-shirt quilt is more time consuming and difficult than making most regular quilts. Yes, you might be providing a good chunk of the fabric for the quilt top, but that fabric is typically hard fabric to work with; it has to be prepared in a particular way before it can be included and has elements that have to be worked around (buttons, pockets, thick graphics…)  Not to mention they are irreplaceable. If something goes wrong you can’t just order another 3rd grade soccer jersey with Bobbie’s signature on it and try again. And while you are providing those things, there are lots of additional materials that go into a quilt besides the materials for the top - stabilizers, sashing fabric, thread, batting, backing fabric… Last but not least there is always design work involved. Even if they have a basic template, your collection of items will be unlike any other and will have to be evaluated and carefully planned to come out just right. 

With that being said, my fourth piece of advice is to focus on the quality of the product, the communication received from the maker, and whether or not their style fits your expectations. Cost, if possible, should come after all these considerations. While this may be a tough ask, remember, you only get one bite at the apple on a project like this. You want it to come out right and you want it to last. If you can’t afford it now from the maker you prefer to use, save a bit and come back to it in 6 months or a year when you can do it right. 

I wish you the best of luck!