A T-shirt quilt weaves a narrative, and sometimes that narrative extends beyond just T-shirts. The beauty of T-shirt quilts lies in their ability to incorporate various washable fabrics, even socks.
My daughter is my polar opposite: she only wears socks about 5% of the time and only when she has to. She has few socks and they are always miss-matched.
My husband only has two different socks. White socks and black socks. He will buy 12 pairs of each style because that will save him from having to sort and pair them. The white socks go in one stack and the black ones in the other.
As with any clothing item, how, when and why we wear socks is very personal and reflects our personality. When it comes to telling our story, if we are big sock wearers, then they might need to be reflected in a quilt we have made.
Socks can be a great addition to a T-shirt quilt when they actually add something to the design.
They work well when they represent something specific, like a sport, team, or memory.
They also make sense when they fit the overall theme of the quilt or help tie different elements together.
And sometimes, they are used simply because they add a little variety or interest to the finished quilt.
Socks are not always the right choice, and that’s okay.
They may not work well if there are already too many different materials in the quilt.
They can also make the design feel crowded if there is not enough space to include them properly.
And if they don’t add to the overall story of the quilt, they are usually better left out.
You don’t need to use everything for the quilt to turn out well.
We have a number of different approaches to using socks in our T-shirt quilts. Here is a brief description of a few of the different methods we have used.
There are two issues with athletic socks. First, they might be stained – especially in the heel and foot area. This keeps us from wanting to appliqué this type of sock onto a block because it just looks poor. Second, these types of socks are thick. Again, making appliqué impractical.
So, for this type of sock, we will cut the foot off and open up the sock from then heel to the top. Then we will cut a block from this piece of material. By the time the quilt is finished, it’s very difficult to see from a photo that one particular block was cut from a sock.
Quilts made from baby clothing are so cute because we can use so many different types of items in such a quilt. One of the items that is frequently used are baby socks and baby booties. They are tiny, clean and cute. We typically will appliqué the socks right onto a piece of fabric. If we can, we will leave the sock open so you can put your finger into the sock. Read more about baby clothes quilts here.
In the quilt here, the pieced border was made alternating socks and cotton fabric. It’s difficult to see from the photo that the colorful blocks were actually cut from socks. But if you were to hold this quilt in your hands, you would be able to see and feel the different textures.
The family who commissioned us to make this quilt had lost their daughter shortly after high school. This young woman loved to wear her socks. Her Mom told us that she only wore her socks mismatched. So, we mismatch them in the border of the quilt. It was a perfect way to honor and remember her daughter’s love of silly, mismatched socks.
Read more about memorial quilts here.
If you're planning a T-shirt quilt, consider incorporating socks to create a truly special and personalized piece that tells the whole story.
Planning a T-shirt quilt?
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