the t-shirt quilt lady
I QUILT YOUR TEES,
YOU OWN YOUR STORY
My sewing passion is making T-shirt quilts! 🧵💖
There’s something very special about taking a collection of shirts that represent memories, achievements, and milestones and turning them into a quilt that’s unique, meaningful, and oh-so-cuddly. Each quilt tells a story, and the puzzle-style layout makes it even more fun and visually interesting.
Why I Love Puzzle T-Shirt Quilts
Every shirt matters: Each block is carefully cut & placed to showcase the design size and colors.
Soft and cuddly: I have a special technique that does not use interfacing, so your quilt stays flexible and cozy and stands the test of time!
Customizable: Want to highlight sports achievements, family vacations, or school memories? Every quilt is made to reflect your story.
Puzzle-style: The collage layout allows for creativity, balance, and surprises as you piece it together.
making the most out of your
t-shirt collection
Custom Puzzle-Style
T-Shirt Quilts
Turn your memories into a quilt with a custom puzzle-style T-shirt quilt! Perfect for Christmas gifts, graduation gifts, keepsakes, or celebrating life’s milestones, each quilt is professionally crafted with care, precision, and top-quality materials.
Why You’ll Love a
Puzzle-Style T-Shirt Quilt
Custom Made for You – Every quilt is uniquely designed using your shirts.
No Interfacing – Keeps your quilt soft, cuddly, and flexible.
Top-Quality Materials – Includes premium fabrics, batting, and matching binding.
Puzzle/Collage Style – Fun, eye-catching layouts that showcase every memory.
Professionally Longarm Quilted – Durable, precise quilting that adds structure and beauty.
I Also Make Memory & Memorial Quilts
Not all meaningful garments are T-shirts, and your quilt shouldn’t be limited to them! I can create beautiful memory or memorial quilts using clothing such as button-down shirts, dresses, flannels, pajamas, uniforms, and more. These quilts honor the moments, people, and stories held in everyday fabrics—not just tees.
What I Can Use
I work with T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, dry-fit performance shirts, polos, jerseys, and most other knit or cotton garments. If it carries meaning, I can probably quilt it.
Perfect for Christmas & Graduation Gifts
Orders are now being accepted for Graduation delivery, but slots are limited! Don’t wait—reserve your quilt today to make someone’s special gift extra special.
How It Works
1. Reserve Your Spot – Pay the deposit to secure your order. Your deposit is applied to your final cost.
2. Send Your Shirts – Ship, drop off, or meet up.
3. Design & Layout - Each shirt is carefully cut to the perfect size for its design — no important logos, graphics, or wording are ever cropped out.
After the shirts are cut and photographed, I enter each measurement into a custom spreadsheet I created to calculate the estimated finished quilt size. Using the images, I create a digital layout in Adobe Illustrator, arranging every piece into a puzzle-style collage that’s balanced, visually appealing, and showcases each memory beautifully.
This digital proof allows me to share the design with you for review and approval before any sewing begins.
Optional borders can be added to increase the overall size and add a creative design element — framing your shirts beautifully and giving your quilt that perfect finished touch.
4. Quilt Creation – I use a wonderful Bernina sewing machine that works beautifully with T-shirt fabric! Each shirt piece is sewn together using an advanced partial-seam technique to create the puzzle effect and ensure a precise, clean finish. Once the quilt top is complete, it is professionally longarm quilted with bamboo batting, giving your quilt a soft, huggable finish. With my digital longarm, the quilting is precise, and you can choose from many designs to further customize your quilt.
5. Delivery – Your quilt arrives ready to gift, cherish, and snuggle!
Make It Yours
Whether it’s T-shirts from sports, band, school, vacations, or special events, your quilt tells your story in a cozy, huggable way.
Reserve your quilt today and give the gift of memories made tangible!
Layout Proof Sample
These are shirt images I use to create a digital layout in Adobe Illustrator, arranging every piece into a puzzle-style collage that’s balanced, visually appealing, and showcases each memory beautifully. This digital layout also allows me to audition optional border colors so we can find the perfect match for your style and aesthetic.
Why Choose a Custom, Professionally Made T-Shirt Quilt Over a Commercial T-shirt Blanket?
When you invest in a custom, professionally crafted T-shirt quilt, you’re getting more than just fabric stitched together. Here’s what sets it apart:
1. Quality Materials:
I use premium quilting cotton, batting, and backing fabrics for a quilt that’s soft, durable, and drapey.
Commercial blankets are often made with thin polyester or fleece, which doesn’t hold up over time and lacks the cozy, quilted feel.
2. Custom Design & Layout:
Each shirt is cut to the precise size of the design, preserving logos, images, and details.
I carefully arrange the shirts in a puzzle-style or collage layout that’s visually balanced and unique to your memories.
Mass-produced blankets often simply dump shirts into a template, cropping images and creating a flat, repetitive look.
3. Expert Craftsmanship:
Your quilt is professionally machine-pieced and longarm quilted, adding structure, durability, and texture.
Commercial blankets are stitched quickly in bulk, often leaving seams puckered or uneven.
4. Personal Touch:
Every quilt is made by me, with care, attention, and a focus on telling your story through fabric.
You get to decide which shirt designs are included or excluded, and you can choose optional borders and backing colors, making your quilt completely unique.
Commercial options are generic, offering no personalization beyond the basic shirts.
5. Longevity & Heirloom Quality:
My T-shirt quilts are designed to last for generations, keeping your memories intact.
Cheaper, mass-produced blankets may lose shape over time, due to the lack of quilting.
In short: a professionally made T-shirt quilt is a keepsake you can hug, display, and treasure for years, while a commercial T-shirt blanket is just a quick, temporary option.
Don't wait, spots are filling!
Quilt pricing, dimensions and the typical number of shirts needed
The number of shirts needed will depend on the size of the graphics on your shirts.
Once I receive the shirts, they are cut and put on my special spreadsheet that will determine the finished size. Optional borders can be added to the perimeter of the quilt to add a few inches and some interest.
Pro tip: The most interesting layouts come from using a mix of large, medium, and small prints!
Here's what others are saying
Susan is absolutely fantastic! She's very enthusiastic about her quilting and does a phenomenal job. She finished both quilts in a timely manner and ensured my daughter had the smaller one in time for college. She does beautiful work and communicated with me throughout the whole process! Wish I had found her sooner!
Jonnae Stout
She did a great job on my quilt. She was very helpful with suggestions and finished the quilt in a timely manner. I would recommend her to others.
Vicki Frye
The love for quilts runs so deep in my family. My brothers and I all grew up with quilts that were made for us individually. We used those quilts til they were rags, but I am pretty sure we still have those rags . We have found old quilts boxed up in storage from our ancestors and have fought over who gets to keep them. You could say these quilts are part of our family as much as we are. WE LOVE QUILTS!
After years and years of collecting shirts that have only sat in storage boxes, I found the person with the best skills and vision for the tshirt quilt I have been envisioning.
Finally, a giant piece of art that will absolutely be used, loved, and displayed on the daily.
I am so beyond grateful for holding out until I found someone who had the style and skill that I truly needed!
Edit: I tagged the quilt artist in this post for anyone wishing for their own special work of art made from the heart.
Laura Richardson
Your T-shirt quilt is professionally longarm quilted with digital precision, ensuring a beautiful, durable, and huggable finish
Your Turn
If you’ve been saving shirts and wondering what to do with them, a custom puzzle T-shirt quilt might just be the answer. Whether it’s for a graduation, a milestone, or simply a keepsake to celebrate your life’s moments, these quilts bring memories to life in a tangible, huggable way.
I feel so fortunate to do what I love every day—and to help others turn their shirts into stories, one block at a time.
Deposit: $125 – Balance due upon completion.
The deposit is non-refundable and secures your spot on my schedule.
Still Have questions?
You can email me at [email protected]
Susan Polack
the T-shirt Quilt Lady
Hi, I’m Susan, (aka the T-shirt Quilt Lady) — the quilter behind Prayeriewife Quilting!
Sometimes, life surprises you in the best ways. For me, it came in the form of custom puzzle T-shirt quilts. I think I’ve finally found my purpose—or at least my sewing purpose!
I made my first quilt 45 years ago with my Grandma Lola, tying it with yarn on her wooden frame in her garage. One of my next quilts was a baby quilt for my son, with appliqued balloons using my husband’s motorcycle helmet as a template! No pattern, just creativity and a willingness to try.
These days, I create T-shirt quilts, quilt patterns, and courses for every skill level, and I also offer longarm quilting services. I’d love to help you bring your quilting projects to life!
I live in northeast Tennessee and accept T-shirts for quilts & quilt tops for quilting, via drop-off, meet-up, or mail.
Thanks for stopping by — I’d love to work with you to create the quilt you love!