Finished - The Shirt Quilt

Finally the Shirt Quilt for Mr J is finished.  I started collecting shirts back in 2013 for this and bought a couple of checked fat quarters to add a little extra colour.  Cutting strips started in  February2014, about 350 2.5" x 6.5" strips were cut, and the top was finally completed in August. Based on a rail fence block, I used charcoal and denim  strips from The Scout's shirts,as the middle strip in each block to tone it down a little and add make it less busy on the eyes.

Mr J wanted some shirt pockets included, so he has places to hide things  (note to self: remember to check these before washing it), so there are six pockets pieced on the front in random directions.

The backing is made from a charcoal coloured solid from Spotlight and has a strip down the middle made up of shirt backs and scraps.  Straightish line quilting was done a 1/4" each side of the block seams.  I had a lot of problems with this, I think maybe because of all the different fabrics and differing weights, so I am not really going to show close ups of the quilting.  Needless to say, there was  a little cursing and unpicking during this part of the process.

The binding is a cotton linen chambray from Robert Kaufman in Indigo. It measures 60" x 66", and I figure that this is one quilt he will be able to use for a long time, rather than growing out of the colours or fabrics used.  I had to give up on stitching the quote for the back, however my sister has finished it for me, and I am just waiting for it to arrive from Australia, so I can hand stitch it to the back. A co-ordinating pillowcase has been made too.  Apart from my disappointment with the quilting, I love how this has turned out.  The quilt and pillowcase have been rolled up and tied with ribbon , and are now put away, ready to be given to Mr J on his birthday.

My first finish of 2015 and first for the 2015 Finish-a-long Q1