Favorite fills for t-shirt quilts

T-Shirt Quilts are so popular – especially for kids going to college!  But how to quilt them?  I’m going to share some of my favorite fills for the empty spaces on the shirts.

For some quilts, a simple meander or open edge to edge is fine.  But be aware that some t-shirts have a gummy paint that’s challenging to quilt through and if you need to pull out stitches, the needle holes will not go away.

I make a lot of commission t-shirt quilts and like to add custom quilting to make the quilt extra special.  I do a lot of outline quilting on the t-shirt design and then add a fill that complements the shirt.  Remember to keep an even density between the outlining and the fill.

Swirls

So simple and versatile – I like to make different sizes to mix it up and fit into different sized areas.  You can add a hook in the swirl for a different look.

Sunburst

Quilt radiating lines out to close to the edge, travel parallel to the edge, then back towards the center.  Space unevenly for a more random look.  Use a ruler if you need to, but Bliss on APQS machines means that with a little practice, we can easily quilt shorter diagonal lines without a ruler.

Stars

Quilt similar size stars or vary them for more interest.

Leaves and curls

You can vary the number of leaves and number of curls, or the shape of the leaves.  Curls are very versatile to fit into odd spaces.

E’s

Quilt parallel lines back and forth horizontally, then vertically.  Vary the number of lines to fit the space.

Ribbon Candy

A gentle loop back and forth can be sized many ways to fill spaces.

Flames

These look great, especially on a guy’s quilt.

Feathers

Feathers can be modified to fit many shapes.  Add a ribbon curl for the odd bit here and there.

Motifs

Pick a motif from the t-shirt design and add it to the background, as I did here with the cactus.

T-shirt quilts can be such fun!  Add to the joy with fills in the open areas that give the shirts that extra spark.