What Level of Expertise Do You Want Your T-shirt Quilt Maker to Have?

Just About Any One Can Make a T-shirt Quilt...
But Very Few Can Actually Do It Well

They are your T-shirts and they are important to you. They tell an important story about you. Don’t just choose a T-shirt quilt maker without doing some research first.

Quilters all have to begin sometime. I began making quilts 1968 when I was 5 years old. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t making quilts. Some quilters begin making quilts when their children are born or when their kids leave home because they are looking for something to do. And quilting is a great pastime to work at.

The Question Is, How Skilled Do You Want Your Quilt Maker to Be?

Below Are Four Levels of Quilt Making

The Novice Quilter

A novice quilter’s experience making quilts of any type is limited. They may have gained their knowledge by taking a class, reading a book or watching a video.  A novice is expected to need help and guidance making a quilt. Their focus is learning the basics of quilt making.

The Intermediate Quilter

The intermediate quilter knows the basics and can usually make a quilt independently. Advice and help from an expert is still needed from time to time. Their focus is on learning more of the basics and improving their knowledge and skills.

The Advanced Quilter

The advanced quilter can make a quilt without assistance. They have made enough quilts that they can apply theory to unique problems that arise. The advanced quilter focuses on teaching and developing new styles and applications.

The quilt here is made from the same T-shirts as the quilt above. This shows the difference between a beginner and advanced quilt maker's skill level.

The Expert Quilter

The expert quilter is known as an expert in their specific area of quilting. They has been making quilts for years and has experienced and solved just about every conceivable issue that arises. They can provide guidance, troubleshooting and answers to questions related to their area of expertise.

If they were my T-shirts, I would want an advanced or expert quilter to work on them. This is especially true if there are any unique items or special issues with the group of T-shirts you want made into a quilt. 

Planning a T-shirt quilt?
Here are step-by-step directions for ordering your Too Cool T-shirt quilt.

Ask Your Quilter the Following Questions to See What Level of Quilter They Are

How many T-shirt quilts have you made?

Novice Quilter: Less the 25 quilts.
Intermediate Quilter: 25 to 75 quilts.
Advanced Quilter: 75 to 300
Expert Quilter: Over 300. 

The more quilts that you make, the more experience you gain. How many T-shirt quilts has Too Cool T-shirt Quilts made? Over 10,000. 

How many years have you been making T-shirt quilts?

Typically, the longer you have been making T-shirt quilts the better.

With that said, some people can have make 100's of T-shirts quilts over a number of year, and they still don't make quilts. 

Here at Too Cool T-shirt Quilts, we have been making T-shirt quilts since 1992. There are very few problems we have not solved. We have seen most everything. 

The photo here shows me with an early quilt in the mid 1990's. I look a lot older now!!!

Is quilting your full-time job or a hobby?

This is important! If you make quilts as a hobby or to make a little extra money, you are not invested in what happens if someone doesn't like their quilt. You won't go hungry.

But if quilt making is your full-time job,  your livelihood depends on each quilt you make. You make sure you make awesome T-shirt quilts.

Can I see a T-shirt quilt you have made?

You should be able to see photographs on their website. Hopefully you can see photographs of a lot of quilts the quilt makers has made.

Here's an article on how to tell the quality of a T-shirt quilt from a photograph.

Below is a photograph of all the quilts we made in one year. We make a lot of quilts each year.

What quality of materials do you use?

The more skilled the quilter, the better quality of materials they will use. They have the experience and understanding to know that quality materials make quilts better.  The know that a cheap material short cut is not worth it!

Read more about quality materials here.

Can you use special items beyond T-shirts?

If you have a special item you want used, ask to see a photograph of another quilt with a similar item used.

If you don't like what you see, choose a different quilt maker.

There are very few things that you can't use in a T-shirts quilt. Here's what Too Cool T-shirt Quilts can use.

How many quilts do you have going at any one time?

 And how do you ensure that my T-shirts won't get mixed up with another quilts? 

These are very important questions to ask. Basically you want to know if they have a rigorous system in place to keep your T-shirts separate and organized. 

Here at Too Cool T-shirt Quilts we are meticulous about caring for your T-shirts. They are too important not to!

Do you make my entire quilt from beginning to finish?

 Some quilters will only make part of you quilt and then send the quilt to another company to be finished. They are making the quilt top and sending it out to be long-arm quilted. After all, long-arm quilting machines are very expensive. It's like having a car sitting in your workshop. 

If someone sends your quilt to someone else to quilt, your T-shirts will be out of the care, control, and custody of your quilt maker. You will have no idea about where your T-shirts are or who will be working on them. 

This is also a sign of a part-time or hobbyist quilt maker. They don't 

Do you have a long-arm quilting machine?

If not, how do you quilt your quilts? If they say that they don't quilt their quilts at all, then you know that they are making a blanket. Read more about the difference between a blanket and a quilt here. 

If they say that they send the quilt top to another person, see the point above for more about why they need to have their own machine.

Conclusion

There is more to making a T-shirt quilt than you might think. If your T-shirts are important to you, put consideration into your choice of T-shirt quilt makers.  Strive to find the most experienced quilter that you can to make your quilt.

Want to learn more about T-shirt quilts? Visit our Learning Center.
We have over 200 articles about all aspects of T-shirt quilts.