After inquiring, I learned that her husband worked in Africa and was bringing the giraffes back from his long trips. As a result, we changed our approach to the t-shirt quilt design and decided to incorporate a standing giraffe. In addition, I used appliqué and highlighting to enhance the t-shirts.

If you have t-shirts that you would like to preserve in a unique way, consider a t-shirt quilt. Moonlight Quilts works with customers to create a custom design and turn those keepsakes into a lasting memory.

Many online companies offer custom t-shirt quilts that are very inexpensive. While an inexpensive quilt isn’t necessarily a bad quilt, it’s important to ask the right questions from your quilt provider to make sure whatever you buy will last. Cheap materials and poor technique will result in a quilt that breaks down over time, but it’s difficult for most people to know the difference between good quilt and bad one. Here are some questions you can ask your quilt provider to make sure you get the best quality:

Questions To Ask Your Custom Quilter:

Q. How custom is your quilt?

Many internet websites offer decent t-shirt quilts at fair prices, but they aren’t always “custom”. The patterns, colors, and arrangement are usually very similar. The point of creating a t-shirt quilt is to have an heirloom that can be passed down – it’s important the quilt you buy is truly custom.

Q. Do you use cotton or polyester batting?

Polyester batting is inferior for a couple of reasons – it doesn’t breathe, and over time it can degrade substantially. Cotton batting, while more expensive, lasts longer and is more comfortable for everyday use. Cotton batted quilts also hang against a wall flatter and more beautifully than polyester batted quilts.

Q. Do you provide a storage bag with the quilt?

Most people leave their custom quilts out all the time, but sometimes it must be stored. Make sure your custom quilter provides an acid-free storage bag with your quilt. Acid-free is very important because it will prevent degradation of the fabrics.

Q. If making a t-shirt quilt, do you seperate my t-shirts with sashing?

If you’re having a t-shirt quilt made, make sure that your quilter uses sashing (a ribbon of fabric between t-shirt squares) to seperate your t-shirts from one another. Sashing will help your t-shirt quilt to last longer as well as enhance the design.

Q. How do you build the quilt? Do you “flip and quilt” or do you bind?

The “flip and sew” method is an older, less time consuming method of making a quilt. While “flipped and quilted” is less expensive, it usually doesn’t hang or lay completely flat. The bind method takes longer, but the finished product will lay or hang flat and look much nicer.

Q. What is the thread count and thread weight of the fabric you use?

If your quilter uses the best fabrics available, your quilt should last decades. Start by asking your quilter what thread count fabric they use – the best fabrics have a thread count of 75. As for thread weight, your quilter should be using fabric with a thread weight of 30-34. Finally, if possible, take a look at the sharpness of the printing on the fabric. Inexpensive fabrics usually have blurry and inconsistent printing, and they will degrade over time.

Q. Do you produce “fully quilted” quilts?

It sounds funny to say, but “fully quilted” quilts are vastly superior to quilts that are simply tacked at the corners of each panel. Make sure to find out how much quilting you’ll be getting.

Q. Are your quilts made in America?

Quilts made outside the U.S. aren’t necessarily bad, but make sure your quilter isn’t simply having your quilt assembled outside the U.S. and then passing it off as “home-made”. Quilts built outside the U.S. aren’t usually as nice as quilts that are truly handmade.