Quilted T-shirts

A few months ago I went through my closet in an effort to downsize. It's always hard for me to do this. I'm a sentimental person and as I pull out clothes that I've had for what seems like forever, I tend to think back to "that summer when" or to that person who gave that piece of clothing. It's these thoughts that make me put t-shirts I haven't worn in ages back in my closet.

I had four such t-shirts that had made it through round after round of elimination. Each of these t-shirts had been worn and washed so many times that the cotton knit had broken down, leaving the fabric softer and more pliable than when it was originally purchased. It takes time and dedication for a t-shirt to make it to this stage and I just couldn't part with all that effort easily.

In a moment of great inspiration a solution came to me. I could make them into something else. I pulled out the t-shirts and noticed that their colors went well together, which meant I could cut them up into pieces and sew them back together to make a quilted fabric. I also thought that it would be wonderful to have a skirt made from this soft material. So, I went to work.

I cut the t-shirts up into 5x5 inch pieces, then sewed them together. After I had my quilted fabric, I pulled out one of my favorite skirts, the one that fits just right, and used it to create a pattern for my new skirt. I had just enough quilted fabric to accomplish the desired skirt! I cut the pieces and sewed them together adding a light weight white cotton lining to it and a hot pink, velvet, elastic binding to the waist.

In the end, I had to add more elastic to the waist because the binding wasn't strong enough to keep the weight of the fabric up. Aside from that, this skirt is great. It's the best on sunny days, because it's light weight and breezy. I usually wear it with my brown Birkenstocks and my favorite soft yellow cardigan. Sometimes I even gussy it up a bit and throw on a few strands of pearls. It's just a fun skirt to have in the closet!