scrappinspidey2
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,511
Location: In the Parlor with the Fly
Mar 18, 2015 19:19:37 GMT
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Post by scrappinspidey2 on Oct 13, 2019 0:15:18 GMT
I have a box of shirts from my husband. Half T-shirts and half court shirts. The T-shirts are for my daughter. She picked them out two years ago and has been waiting for me to get my act together for the last 5 to get them done. The other half are his court shirts that I bought him. He had no taste and always got compliments on his court shirts cause well I'm awesome  I want to do a cathedral window quilt with those but that will take more thought and work. I know how to quilt mostly basic shapes I have not attempted a t-shirt quilt. So I got the supplies I needed. Cleared a space in the small apartment that I have and sat down with a movie to start cutting shirts. And here I sit. A lap full of his shirts. This shouldn't be hard. They are old. I can't wear them. They take up space in a very small apartment. I don't know if its because they are clothes and I don't cut up good clothes or if it is because they are his? Maybe a little of both. I should have done this before I moved. My close friend would have cut them for me and then that part wouldn't matter. *sigh*. Why are the little things always so had to do? It is so annoying for me when this kind of thing happens. I feel like an idiot for hesitating or letting something like this get to me. For crying out loud, its a shirt. cut it already. *sigh* Update: It is done. 18 shirts are cut and ready for the next step. There is one more but it will be larger than the rest so Im not sure I can make it work. We shall see. I just did one here, then went and did a chore, then another one, and then about 5 shirts in, I just sat down and got the rest done. I need to do this. I know I can send it out and I have had offers from friends to do it, but I have a need to do it myself. It's not so bad now. I love seeing quilt tops come together so now that the hard part is over, I can get excited about what it will be like finished  |
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tincin
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,363
Jul 25, 2014 4:55:32 GMT
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Post by tincin on Oct 13, 2019 0:19:33 GMT
It’s called deboning the shirts. Just cut off the cuffs, after the first cut it gets easier. Cathedral windows are time consuming but they are beautiful. Maybe you should start with a t-shirt quilt for your DD. That might be easier. Don’t look at it as destructive, look at it as cathartic.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Apr 20, 2024 2:46:22 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2019 0:20:49 GMT
Be kind to yourself. They aren't just cloths. They are also memories. They are memories of him wearing them, living life in them. Maybe worth it to mail them back to your friend to cut for you? At least the Ts for now.
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moodyblue
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,166 
Location: Western Illinois
Site Supporter
Jun 26, 2014 21:07:23 GMT
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Post by moodyblue on Oct 13, 2019 0:23:58 GMT
I’m not going to be able to give you advice on this - because as I sit here I have two bags of my husband's shirts in the closet. I have two shirts, his favorites that he wore so often, set aside to possibly be made into pillows. I put the others into bags with the idea that I might have a quilt made from them.
My cousin, who is an awesome quilter and used to edit a quilting magazine, will do the pillows and/or quilt if I want her to - but I don’t know. I haven’t come to a final decision yet. But the possibility enabled me to clean out most of his clothes and to at least bag these up rather than leaving them hanging. It’s just so hard to decide sometimes and I guess if I can’t right now, then I’m not ready.
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johnnysmom
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,682
Jun 25, 2014 21:16:33 GMT
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Post by johnnysmom on Oct 13, 2019 0:34:49 GMT
(((Hugs))) I don’t think it’s “harder than it should be” rather it’s harder than you thought it’d be. And that’s ok. Give yourself some grace, you just had a big change in your life and maybe tonight is not the night for this project....but you got them out of the bag. Maybe get some chalk and just chalk the lines (I’m not a seamstress, I don’t know what I’m talking about but I’m thinking something more temporary would be an easier first step). Baby step.
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peasquared
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,427
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Post by peasquared on Oct 13, 2019 0:41:33 GMT
I'm sorry. I understand the attachment every little thing has. Maybe just wait for a day you feel a bit stronger. (((HUGS)))
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scrappinspidey2
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,511
Location: In the Parlor with the Fly
Mar 18, 2015 19:19:37 GMT
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Post by scrappinspidey2 on Oct 13, 2019 0:45:39 GMT
I feel like at this point, a t-shirt shouldn't be an issue. Now talk to me about plans to scatter his ashes and that's a whole different subject. A shirt? Really? I can't cut a shirt. It's so stupid. I feel restless. Like how long is it going to take for these things to stop getting in my way. That's why I want to do this. I want to be able to say you know, yeah they are his shirts, they are going to his baby girl and she will love them and use the quilt. It will be very meaningful to her, more so than sitting in a box. Ive done a ton of downsizing of both his and my stuff with this move. I really want to make this quilt. I haven't felt ready to make it before and now I do. I have ideas in my head on how it will turn out, ideas for the backing etc. ridiculous  |
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Post by jubejubes on Oct 13, 2019 0:49:36 GMT
( ( ( ( ( BIG HUGS ) ) ) ) ) yes, it is that difficult.  |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Oct 13, 2019 1:06:57 GMT
Of course it’s hard! My advice would be to start with the t-shirts because it’s an easier project. Lay them all out and choose the one that is your LEAST favorite. Cut that one to the right size for a quilt square. Take a breath and see where you are with it. My guess is that once you have that first one cut down to size, it won’t be too hard to continue on with your second least favorite, and cut that one next. If it’s too hard then stop for the time being and go back to it when you feel up to it again.
Once you have your stack of squares, hopefully you will feel renewed inspiration to reassemble them into their new form for your DD. Then think of that quilt as your DH giving your DD a gentle hug every time she sleeps under it. Good luck, those projects are great ways to repurpose these meaningful things into something meaningful AND useful going forward.
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Post by elaine on Oct 13, 2019 1:12:25 GMT
No words of wisdom here. I just wanted to give you a big (((hug)))
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Post by chaosisapony on Oct 13, 2019 1:17:13 GMT
Be patient with yourself. I think once you have made the first few cuts it will be easier and even more so when you start to actually put the quilt together and can see how neat it will be. You'll be taking things that aren't useful but have sentimental value and making them into a useful piece that you can enjoy. In the end, you'll be glad you did it but there's no need to rush yourself.
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CeeScraps
Pearl Clutcher
~~occupied entertaining my brain~~
Posts: 3,822
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Post by CeeScraps on Oct 13, 2019 1:18:04 GMT
This is so hard to do. I have my girlfriend’s husband’s t-shirts. She has more to give me so I haven’t made them into a quilt yet. T-shirt quilts.... 1. Wash them without fabric softener otherwise the stabilizer won’t hold. 2. Stabilizer: I use pellon 911FF (it keeps the shirts from stretching when they are cut) 3. Cut them larger than what you want to use. Why? Because you’ll have to trim them down. 4. Once cut CAREFULLY carry them to your ironing board and iron on the pellon 911FF. 5. Carefully move the blocks you’ve cut to a place to sit until you’ve finished cutting/mounting all of them. 6. Now arrange the shirts the way you want them. I either have the same width columns OR the same height rows. To make the shirts that way I use filler fabric. There is a video about the shirts. Let me see if I can find it for you!. Ok, here is a link to a page that has a few listed. Look at the Bonnie Hunter video. It is the second one in the list. Bonnie Hunter - shirts |
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scrappinghappy
Pearl Clutcher
“I’m late, I’m late for a very important date. No time to say “Hello.” Goodbye. I’m late...."
Posts: 4,306
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Post by scrappinghappy on Oct 13, 2019 1:23:58 GMT
And keep in mind that when you are done you will both be wrapped in a physical reminder of your husband and his love of you
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Post by roberta on Oct 13, 2019 1:35:33 GMT
Of course it’s hard! My advice would be to start with the t-shirts because it’s an easier project. Lay them all out and choose the one that is your LEAST favorite. Cut that one to the right size for a quilt square. Take a breath and see where you are with it. My guess is that once you have that first one cut down to size, it won’t be too hard to continue on with your second least favorite, and cut that one next. If it’s too hard then stop for the time being and go back to it when you feel up to it again. Once you have your stack of squares, hopefully you will feel renewed inspiration to reassemble them into their new form for your DD. Then think of that quilt as your DH giving your DD a gentle hug every time she sleeps under it. Good luck, those projects are great ways to repurpose these meaningful things into something meaningful AND useful going forward. This sounds like great advice to me. After the first, take a breath and see how you feel. Maybe you are not ready but remember it will be hard. Grief is a process and it is the same and unique for each of us. Hugs! Be kind to yourself. ETA: I have an Afghan that my dear aunt made for me. When I use it, I feel her love and it is like a big hug from her. |
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Post by alexa11 on Oct 13, 2019 2:17:40 GMT
I completely understand and my advice is going to be totally opposite from just about everyone else. Just put them away and stop thinking it "should" be time. Try again another day. You will know when the time is right.
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Post by jenjie on Oct 13, 2019 2:32:20 GMT
You’ve gotten a lot of thoughtful advice here. I’m just going to sit with you in understanding. Because it’s hard. And you think “I’ve done harder things than this!” But it doesn’t make it any less hard. I’m sorry, friend.
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Post by bdawnb on Oct 13, 2019 2:32:41 GMT
When I made the quilt out of my niece’s t-shirts for my sister after we lost her I shed tears many times. Cutting the the shirts was difficult, handling them over and over. And then I made a mistake and had to resew one square and I set it aside for months. And once it was done....I didn’t want to let it go. But it was a pure labor of love. {{hugs}}
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Post by librarylady on Oct 13, 2019 2:51:44 GMT
I have another thought........let someone else do the work on this. After my BIL died, my sister found an organization that uses deaf workers to create the quilts from Tshirts. She gathered the shirts to use and mailed them off--received great memory quilts. www.projectrepat.com/www.tshirtquilts.com/ (she had hers made during a 50% off time) |
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Post by quinlove on Oct 13, 2019 2:55:56 GMT
I have another thought........let someone else do the work on this. After my BIL died, my sister found an organization that uses deaf workers to create the quilts from Tshirts. She gathered the shirts to use and mailed them off--received great memory quilts. www.projectrepat.com/www.tshirtquilts.com/ (she had hers made during a 50% off time) I agree. There is absolutely no time line on this. Put it aside until you are ready. Or, if you think it would work for you, have some one else do it. I think I’d even wait to decide on that one too. Just wait a bit more. ❤️ |
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Post by lucyg on Oct 13, 2019 5:30:12 GMT
CeeScraps gave you good construction advice. I will add, if you have one t-shirt that’s larger than the rest and you aren’t sure what to do with it ... you can piece it into the quilt back. That’s what we did with my niece and nephew’s t-shirts for their quilts. The extras and odd shapes and sizes went into the backs. I know this is hard. But you’ll be glad when it’s done. Remember, the peas have your back. 
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Post by AussieMeg on Oct 13, 2019 8:39:27 GMT
Good for you! I can't wait to see them when you're done.
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Post by jenjie on Oct 13, 2019 9:51:17 GMT
Ahhhh good for you ❤️
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Post by christine58 on Oct 13, 2019 11:07:46 GMT
I know I can send it out and I have had offers from friends to do it, but I have a need to do it myself. It's not so bad now. I love seeing quilt tops come together Please share a pic or two when they are all done! |
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Oct 13, 2019 11:40:11 GMT
Just sending a hug.
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Post by mikklynn on Oct 13, 2019 11:48:17 GMT
{{{hugs}}}
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Post by roundtwo on Oct 13, 2019 13:14:18 GMT
Good for you! I hope you'll post a picture of your quilt when it is finished. |
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Post by LisaDV on Oct 13, 2019 13:37:27 GMT
Good for you. and, hugs!
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Post by tentoes on Oct 13, 2019 13:46:55 GMT
sending ((((HUGS)))) to you! It will get done when it gets done. Don't put pressure on yourself.
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Post by quinlove on Oct 13, 2019 14:36:20 GMT
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Post by JoP on Oct 13, 2019 14:43:35 GMT
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I want to do a cathedral window quilt with those but that will take more thought and work. I know how to quilt mostly basic shapes I have not attempted a t-shirt quilt. 
