10 Questions You Should Ask Your Quilt Maker

Want a quilt made of memories?  Here are 10 questions you should ask before you turn over all your memories to be ‘cut’ up.  Memory quilts are made from many things including t-shirts/baby clothes & bibs as well as other clothing items.  They can be made from Crown Royal bags, tea towels and embroidered pillow cases.  The 10 questions are geared toward t-shirts; however, can be applied to any type of memory quilt. 

1.  Do you ever cut a logo off to make the shirt ‘fit’ in the quilt? 
    -  If someone asks you to identify what size quilt block you want out of your t-shirt, you must first ask yourself a couple of questions.  Are all of your shirt logos the same size?  If not, selecting a block too small will probably mean part of your logos will get cut off.  Selecting a block too large will probably mean a shirt may not be usable.  Think of it this way.  An adult shirt logo will definitely not be the same size as a logo on a baby onesie or even pee wee baseball youth size shirts.  So if it is important to you to fit multiple sizes of shirts in a quilt, make sure you ask if the quilter can accommodate this request.  AvenueJ Quilts starts by looking at the t-shirts themselves.  Once the largest logo is determined, the rest of the quilt blocks are ‘built up’ with beautiful blendable fabrics and/or combined with multiple logos to ensure all sizes of shirts are preserved in one beautiful quilt.  Our goal of not cutting off logos is a high priority.  Any exceptions would be communicated with the customer.  The sizes of your t-shirts, as well as, the quantity will have a direct impact on the size of your quilt.  General guidelines are available and will be sent to you upon request.
2. If you have allergy concerns, ask if the quilt will be made in the presence of pets?  Will the quilt be made in a non-smoking environment?
    -  AvenueJ Quilts has two helpers, both are medium to large dogs.  Their help and assistance usually is in the form of guarding the yard from squirrels or rabbits on the deck or serious napping.  We are pet lovers, and would also love to have a purring kitty; however, allergies prevent this, so we totally understand your concerns!  To address the smoking question, AvenueJ Quilts is a NON-SMOKING business!  Again, due to allergies, there is no smoking around your T-Shirts, nor will they be placed near any other customer’s items that may carry a smoky odor!
3. When the quilt is done, will it be washable? 
   ​ - As much as we all like a ‘new’ item, reality says it will eventually need to be washed.  AvenueJ Quilts recommends you do not ‘mix’ cotton shirts with jersey, polyester, viscose or nylon shirts when constructing your quilt.  Per laundry instructions, these types of shirts should be washed differently than your cotton/cotton blend t-shirts.  Therefore, we recommend you do not put them together in one quilt.  Quilts done in 100% cotton, wash and dry well, but adding a jersey/polyester/viscose or nylon shirt could result in melting that one area of your quilt in a dryer that’s too hot.  Therefore, we do not advise using questionable fabrics along with cotton in the same quilt. 
   
    - AvenueJ Quilts recommends use of several ‘Color Catcher’ sheets in the washer to absorb any dye bleeds from the shirts or fabrics added.  These can be purchased in the laundry aisle of your favorite grocery store.  We use 100% quality cotton fabrics, so pairing with your cotton shirts should make your quilt washable with no fears or damage.
4. What if I REALLY want a football or basketball jersey in the quilt?  How about adding photos to a quilt?  Are there any options? 
    - YES!  Through some ingenuity of a previous customer, I now recommend taking your shirt/shirts to a T-shirt printing business and ask them to transfer your jersey wording/logo on to a cotton t-shirt.  The cotton t-shirt may be used in your quilt, leaving the original shirt intact for potential framing!  If you don’t have a t-shirt printing place close to you, no worries.  AvenueJ Quilts can handle that for you.  We use Big Frog of Omaha for these types of requests.  Your cost is whatever Big Frog charges.  Did you know you can even have photos placed on the front and back of t-shirts?  Yes, those can be placed in the quilt too.  Lots of options!  They utilize the fronts and backs of the t-shirts since we are cutting them up anyway.  Savings!  Questions, just ask! 
5. What if I don’t have very many T-Shirts but want to preserve memories of a loved one?  Can a few shirts be used or am I out of luck? 
   ​ - AvenueJ Quilts takes the time to help you make the quilt you really want.  We can ‘stretch’ the use of your shirts by using as much as possible to build the quilt blocks.  We use shirt fronts, backs and even sleeve logos to make the quilt.  The best way for you to know if your stack of shirts is enough, just ask!  The number you have will help you decide the quilt size.  You may have enough to make a throw for your living room or enough to make a king size quilt.  You don’t know until you ask!
6. Have tons of shirts?  More than needed for a quilt?  Can pillow shams or throw pillows be made from the ‘left-overs’? 
   ​  - AvenueJ Quilts can work wonders.  Use your imagination and ask questions.  If there is an abundance of shirts, they are sorted and matched together to determine if two or more logos could make one block.  This gives you the opportunity to use lots and lots of shirts!  This all depends on the logo sizes.  We work with what we are given to the best of our ability! 
7. What happens with the ‘left over’ parts of my shirts? 
    - AvenueJ Quilts takes the time to save and return usable parts.  Here’s why.  In the future, should your quilt sustain damage a piece of the left overs could possibly be used to applique a heart or other design over the damage.  This all depends on the damage; however, by saving the scraps you will have the opportunity for a potential ‘fix’ to save your quilt!  Note:  it will never be perfect but it will be usable with a unique applique blended in the quilt.  It’s important to save the scraps!
8. When the T-Shirts are cut for the quilt, will stabilizers be used?  Will they be stiff?  Will they be noticeable on the finished quilt? 
   ​ - AvenueJ Quilts uses a super sheer stabilizer when the shirts are cut.  Stabilizers are needed to keep the shirts from ‘curling’.  If you have ever lost a hem in a t-shirt, you most likely noticed it curling.  That’s what happens when your logos are cut for the quilt.  An iron on stabilizer keeps your shirts flat for beautiful stitching and keeps them from stretching out of shape.  Stretched quilt blocks are not pretty in a finished quilt!  No they are not stiff if the correct stabilizer is used, and no you won’t notice them on your finished quilt.  Be aware that when using an iron on your shirt, there is a potential for ‘melting’ of your logo.  This has not been an issue; however, it is a possibility that you should be aware of. 
9. Do you make the complete quilt, or do you need to ‘contract’ anything out to other quilters?  If the quilt needs to go to another person for anything such as long arm quilting, is it done in a no-smoking environment, etc.?  Does your estimate to complete a quilt include long arm quilting? 
    -  If the person making your quilt does not recommend long arm quilting or even secure the top with the bottom and batting, a caution flag should go up!  Without securing your quilt top, batting and backing, it will stretch and laundry could produce a less than desired result.  Ask questions!  AvenueJ Quilts makes your t-shirt quilt in its entirety, including the ‘long arm’ quilting function.  The long-arm quilting is needed to stitch the quilt top, batting and quilt bottom together.  It requires loading to large rollers to keep your quilt flat while stitching.  All of the care to make the quilt top properly with the iron on stabilizers AND additional cotton fabrics helps this process to go smoothly producing the best possible finished quilt.  When your quilt top is finished it immediately goes through the long arm process.  Why is this important?  Less wait time for the completed project and your quilt top will NOT be placed in a pile of other quilt tops that may have been made in a smoking environment.  Its specialized care for your quilt!
10. What other fabrics will be used to make my quilt? 
    ​ - AvenueJ Quilts uses only ‘quilt shop’ 100% quality cotton fabrics.  Quality fabrics.  Many times we are asked why our fabrics cost so much.  After all, less expensive fabrics are available.  Our philosophy is if you are preserving memories, they are better preserved if we don’t cut corners.  Bottom line, it is a matter of ‘you get what you pay for’.  Less expensive fabrics are a looser weave, will shrink more and colors will fade faster.  The more fibers weaved, the more stable the fabric with less shrinkage.  We use only quality fabrics so you get a quality quilt.  Sometimes folks will say their Grandmothers used old clothes to make quilts and they have lasted for decades, so why would I want to use expensive fabrics to make my quilt today?  My answer is simply in the form of a question, “Do you think fabrics have changed over the years?”  Another way of thinking about quilt shop fabric quality is to use the ‘thread count’ in sheets as an example.  The more the thread count in a sheet, the better it is, right?  Usually, the cost is higher based on thread count.  It’s the same with fabrics in your quilt.

Summary:  We are not huge company, thus we can offer personalized attention.  Your quilt will be made like we’d make one for ourselves.  Thus if you want us to make a memory quilt for you and it needs to be completed for a special occasion, don’t wait!  We can only complete a limited number.  Make yours one of them.