How to Make a T-Shirt Quilt for Beginners (Free Pattern)

Learn how to make a T-shirt quilt from old shirts with this beginner-friendly, step-by-step tutorial. I'll show you how to prepare and cut the shirts, add sashing, sew the quilt top, add batting and backing, quilt the layers, and finish the edges. I'm also sharing the free printable T-shirt quilt pattern I used for my twin-size quilt!

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I had a pile of old sorority T-shirts sitting in the corner of my closet for years because I just knew I was going to make a quilt out of them one day.

And then...life happened.

I got pregnant, had a baby, and spent a few years doing very little that didn't involve keeping that tiny human alive. 😂 Once I finally had a little breathing room to work on something just for fun again, this was one of the first big DIY projects I tackled!

My grandmother taught me how to sew when I was younger, which is still one of the best gifts she ever gave me. But sewing and quilting felt like two very different things, so I'll admit that I was a little bit intimidated going into this project.

Turns out, making a T-shirt quilt really isn't complicated at all!

It takes some patience, a few quilting supplies, and a whole lot of pinning, but if you're comfortable using a sewing machine, this is absolutely something a beginner can do.

And after making this quilt myself, there are a few things I'd do differently the next time around. I'll point those out along the way so you can hopefully avoid some of the mistakes I made.

How Many T-Shirts Do You Need for a T-Shirt Quilt?

Before cutting anything, figure out roughly how big you want your finished quilt to be and how many shirts you have to use.

The exact finished size depends on your block, sashing, and border measurements. If you use the same 15" T-shirt blocks, 3.5" sashing, 7.5" outer borders, and ¼" seam allowance I use in this tutorial, here's roughly how the different layouts will turn out.

My quilt uses 12 shirts in a 3 x 4 layout with fabric sashing between the T-shirt blocks. Sashing is just that strip of fabric between quilt blocks. It gives each shirt design a little breathing room and, in my opinion, makes a T-shirt quilt look much more finished.

You can absolutely sew the T-shirt blocks directly to one another if you'd rather do it that way. Just remember that removing the sashing changes your finished dimensions, so you'll probably need additional blocks to make the same size quilt.

Free T-Shirt Quilt Pattern

I drew out a basic blueprint before I started cutting anything, and you can use the same layout for the twin-size quilt in this tutorial!

The printable pattern is specifically for the 12-shirt twin-size quilt shown in this post.

Fabric Cuts for My Twin-Size T-Shirt Quilt

For the quilt shown here, you'll need the following pieces.

T-Shirt Blocks

• 12 T-shirt squares: 15" x 15"

Sashing

• 17 sashing strips: 15" x 3.5" (You'll need about 1 yard of fabric for the sashing strips.)
• 6 cornerstone squares: 3.5" x 3.5" (You'll need about ¼ yard for the small corner squares.)

I used another patterned fabric for those little squares, but you could also cut small designs from the fronts or backs of your T-shirts. That's an easy way to incorporate a few extra graphics into the quilt.

Outer Borders

• 2 side border pieces: 67.5" x 7.5"
• 2 top/bottom border pieces: 64" x 7.5"

You'll need about 2 yards of fabric for these four border pieces.

Before cutting all of your fabric, double-check the dimensions against your own blocks. T-shirt graphics come in all shapes and sizes, so you may decide that a slightly different block size works better for your shirts.

How to Make a T-Shirt Quilt Step by Step

Step 1: Wash the Shirts and Rough-Cut the Designs

Before you do anything else, wash and dry the T-shirts you're planning to use. Most old shirts have probably been washed a million times already, but this makes sure you're working with clean fabric that has already done most of its shrinking.

Next, rough-cut each shirt so you have one large piece containing the design you want to use.

Start near the bottom of the shirt and cut upward inside the side seam. Continue cutting around the sleeve, shoulder, and neckline, staying inside the seams as much as possible. Then cut back down the opposite side.

Your goal at this point is not to cut a perfect 15" square. You just want to separate the front or back design from the rest of the shirt while leaving yourself plenty of extra fabric around the graphic.

Get as close to the original shirt seams as you reasonably can so you have the largest possible piece to work with.

Step 2: Stabilize the T-Shirt Fabric

Here's one thing I would change if I were making this quilt again...I would add fusible interfacing before cutting the blocks to their final size.

I didn't use interfacing on my original quilt, and it worked...but stretchy T-shirt fabric is a pain to keep square while you're sewing. Live and learn. 🙂

You can use Iron-on fusible interfacing to help stabilize the knit fabric so it behaves more like regular quilting cotton! Just cut a piece of interfacing large enough to cover the back of each rough-cut T-shirt design. Fuse it to the wrong side of the shirt according to the manufacturer's directions.

Once the interfacing has cooled, then make your final square cuts. This is very worth doing if this is your first T-shirt quilt...way easier to work with.

Step 3: Cut the T-Shirts Into 15-Inch Blocks

Lay one stabilized T-shirt piece on your cutting mat.

First, get the design as straight as possible using the grid lines on the cutting mat.

Find the approximate center of the design. I find it easiest to fold the shirt lightly in half vertically and horizontally and make a tiny mark at the center.

For a 15" block, you'll need 7.5 inches on each side of that center point.

Measure 7.5" toward the top, bottom, left, and right. Then use your quilting ruler and rotary cutter to square the block to 15" x 15".

Take your time with this part! Straight edges and good 90-degree corners make everything that comes later much easier.

And voila! One perfectly centered T-shirt block. Repeat with the remaining shirts until you have 12 blocks.

Step 4: Plan Your T-Shirt Quilt Layout

Before sewing a single block, lay all 12 T-shirt squares out on the floor. For my exact quilt design, arrange them in four rows of three shirts.

Move the shirts around until the colors, graphics, and overall balance look like you want them to.

This is one of those steps that's really tempting to skip, but don't! I promise it's easier to swap two shirts now than after you've sewn half the quilt together.

Take a quick picture of the final layout with your phone before you start sewing. That gives you something to reference if the blocks get shuffled around.

Step 5: Sew the Sashing Rows

Next, we're going to make the narrow horizontal rows that sit between the T-shirt rows.

Everything in this project uses a ¼" seam allowance unless otherwise noted. If your sewing machine doesn't have a clear ¼" guide, you can put a little strip of painter's or masking tape on the machine bed to mark your seam allowance.

For each horizontal sashing row, you'll use:

• 3 sashing strips measuring 15" x 3.5"
• 2 small squares measuring 3.5" x 3.5"

Start with one 15" x 3.5" sashing strip. Place one small square on each end with the right sides of the fabrics facing one another. Pin and sew the pieces together using your ¼" seam allowance.

(And yes, that picture above shows the blue pieces with the front side up, when it should be turned over. I figured that out the hard way so you don't have to. 🙃)

Once those three pieces are sewn together, add another 15" x 3.5" sashing strip to each outside edge.

You'll end up with a row that alternates:

sashing - small square - sashing - small square - sashing

Make three total sashing rows like this. Set them aside for now.

Step 6: Sew the T-Shirt Rows

Now we're going to sew the four T-shirt rows.

Each row will have:

T-shirt block - sash - T-shirt block - sash - T-shirt block

Start with the first T-shirt square from your top row.

Place one 15" x 3.5" sashing strip along the right side of the block, with the right sides of the fabric facing each other.

Pin and sew using your ¼" seam allowance.

1. Open the pieces flat.
2. Now place the second T-shirt block on the other side of the sashing strip, right sides together. Pin, sew, and open.
3. Add another sashing strip to the right side of that second T-shirt block.
4. Finally, attach the third T-shirt block.

Your finished row should contain three T-shirt squares separated by two sashing strips.

Repeat this process with the remaining blocks until you have four T-shirt rows.

Step 7: Sew the Quilt Rows Together

Now we get to turn all of those individual rows into one big quilt top!

Lay the first T-shirt row right-side up. Then, place one sashing row on top of it with the right sides facing one another, lining up the long edges.

Most importantly here, make sure the vertical seams in the sashing row line up with the seams between your T-shirt blocks.

You'll want to pin generously. Then, sew across the entire row using your ¼" seam allowance.

Open the pieces flat.

Next, place the second T-shirt row face-down on top of the sashing row.

Make sure the shirt designs are oriented correctly before sewing. I found it easiest to think of the row as being upside down and face down before pinning it in place.

Align the seams carefully, pin, and sew.

Then add another sashing row.

Continue alternating T-shirt rows and sashing rows until all four shirt rows and all three sashing rows are connected.

The biggest secret here? Go slowly.

Make sure the seams are lined up before they go under the needle. If something starts shifting, stop and fix it instead of hoping it'll magically straighten itself out.

It won't. Ask me how I know. 😉

Step 8: Add the Outer Borders

Once all of the T-shirt and sashing rows are connected, add the fabric borders around the outside.

Start with one 67.5" x 7.5" side border. Place it right-side down along one side of the quilt top with the right sides of the fabrics together.

Line up the edges, pin, and sew. Repeat on the opposite side.

Next, add the 64" x 7.5" top and bottom border pieces the same way.

Pin one border along the top edge, sew, and open. Repeat along the bottom.

And that's it for piecing! You officially have a finished quilt top.

Step 9: Press the Seams

Turn the quilt top over so you're looking at the back. Then, press the seams so the quilt top lies as flat as possible.

This part isn't exciting, and yes, it's going to take you a while. But it makes a big difference!

Be super careful with your iron around the T-shirt graphics. Some printed designs don't like direct high heat. Work from the back whenever possible and follow the heat recommendations for the interfacing you've used.

Look at that! You have a quilt top. Not so scary, right?

Step 10: Make the Quilt Sandwich

Now it's time for what quilters call the quilt sandwich. It sounds fancy. It's not.

You're simply layering:

1. Quilt backing
2. Quilt batting
3. Quilt top

Lay the backing flat with the wrong side facing up. Then, place the batting on top. Then center the finished T-shirt quilt top on top of the batting, right side facing up.

Your backing and batting should be a little larger than the quilt top around all four sides. Don't trim the extra yet!

Smooth everything out really well so there aren't any wrinkles or folds.

Then pin.

And pin.

And then pin some more.

I used large safety pins every few inches across the entire quilt to keep the three layers from shifting while I quilted.

This is one of those times when using too many pins is a much better problem than using too few.

Step 11: Quilt the Layers Together

The actual quilting process simply attaches all three layers of your quilt sandwich.

I started near the center of the quilt and worked outward. A walking foot is really helpful here because you're feeding several thick layers through the sewing machine at once.

Getting a big quilt through the throat of a regular sewing machine can feel a little ridiculous. I found it easiest to roll up the section of quilt that wasn't being sewn so I could fit the rest under the machine.

For my quilt, I used a technique called stitching in the ditch. That means I sewed along the existing seam lines between the quilt pieces.

I quilted along the horizontal and vertical seams until the whole quilt was secured. It's simple, doesn't distract from the T-shirt graphics, and creates a really pretty pattern on the back.

(See those baby feet walking on the quilt? The owner of those feet is now taller than me. Time flies.)

Step 12: Trim and Bind the T-Shirt Quilt

Once you've quilted through all three layers, sew around the outside edge of the quilt top about ¼" from the edge. This helps secure the layers before trimming.

Then, use a really sharp pair of fabric scissors or your rotary cutter to trim away the excess batting and backing. Leave just a tiny amount outside the securing stitch - about ⅛" is plenty.

Now you're ready to bind the quilt! I made bias binding for my original quilt, but you don't have to - because this quilt has straight edges, regular double-fold quilt binding works too. You can make your own or buy premade binding if you'd rather keep this step simple.

Wrap the binding around the raw outside edge of your quilt so it covers the front and back. Pin or clip it in place, then sew all the way around the quilt, making sure you're catching both sides of the binding.

Take your time around the corners.

Was my binding perfect? Absolutely not.

Was the rest of the quilt perfect? Also no. 😂

But that's kind of what I love about it! It's handmade. It's made from shirts that already had years of memories attached to them. A wonky seam here or there just gives it a little more character.

The Finished T-Shirt Quilt

I absolutely love how this quilt turned out! It's such a fun way to save shirts that you don't wear anymore but can't quite bring yourself to throw away. Sorority shirts, sports jerseys, concert tees, school shirts, race shirts, kids' shirts...you could use this idea for so many things.

And while it looks like a massive project when you first start, I really didn't find it super time-consuming. I worked on mine for an hour or so here and there over about a week.

What I'd Do Differently Next Time

• Use interfacing from the beginning. I made my original quilt without interfacing, and the stretchy fabric definitely made cutting and lining everything up way more difficult. For a beginner, I'd absolutely stabilize the shirts before making the final block cuts.
• Rough-cut first, then make the precise cut. Don't try to cut the finished 15" square directly out of the intact shirt. Give yourself some extra room, add the interfacing, straighten the graphic, and then square the block. You'll have much more control.
• Take a picture of the layout. Once you decide where every shirt is going, snap a picture before sewing. Otherwise, you'll inevitably pick everything up and immediately forget which shirt went where. Or maybe that's just me.
• Pin the seam intersections first. When you're attaching long rows, pin the points where your vertical seams meet before pinning the rest of the row. Those intersections are what make the finished quilt look straight.
• Don't rush the quilting. When you're trying to wrestle half a quilt through a sewing machine, it's tempting to speed through it. Don't. Roll the excess fabric, work in small sections, and periodically make sure the back is still smooth.

FAQs & Troubleshooting