Things You'll Need
40-by-60-inch fleece blanket
16 to 17 t-shirts, or more if needed
Permanent fabric glue
Tacky glue
Fabric tape
Chalk
Scissors
Ruler
As you move through your school years and even college, more than likely you have accumulated a number of memorable T-shirts. Rather than tossing these old T-shirts out, give them new life by making a no-sew blanket from them. This project only takes a few hours and does not require a sewing machine.
Cut Out T-Shirt Squares
Step 1
Outline the images and logos on the the fronts of old t-shirts with the chalk and a ruler. Leave a border of empty space all the way around the image to make it more visually appealing, if possible. Measure the area of the squares made so far and add them up to determine if these are equal to the area of the fleece blanket, about 2,400 square inches. If not, continue marking until you have enough to fit the blanket.
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Step 2
Cut out all of the t-shirt squares. Make clean, smooth cuts without any jagged edges.
Step 3
Arrange the squares on top of the fleece blanket in your desired layout. Some of the squares may be larger than others. You can overlap the edges slightly if you need to make the outside edge of the blanket even.
Put the Blanket Together
Step 1
Lift up a t-shirt square from the top left corner of the layout and spray the fleece blanket underneath with the permanent fabric glue. You may also use tacky glue or iron the t-shirt square in place with iron-on fabric tape.
Step 2
Position the top edge of the t-shirt square along the top edge of the fleece blanket directly over the empty spot covered with glue. Carefully, smooth the t-shirt square into place over the glue-covered fleece working from the edge in towards the center.
Step 3
Smooth down the t-shirt square to secure it firmly to the blanket, removing any wrinkles or bubbles in the fabric. Repeat this process with the rest of the t-shirt squares until you have adhered them all to the blanket. Always start by adhering the squares on the outside edge of the fleece, then work toward the center using these t-shirt squares as guides.
Step 4
Cut strips approximately 1-inch wide and 2-inches deep all around the outside border of the blanket.
Step 5
Tie the strips together, two at a time in double knots to secure the outer edge of the blanket. To ensure that the t-shirt squares do not peel up over time, poke two pairs holes in the corners of each square and tie a short length of extra fabric or ribbon through each pair. This is an old trick used to help keep the batting flat inside quilts.
Tip
Cut triangle shaped wedges out of the blanket corners and tie the two diagonal edges together to make corners more secure.
When creating the layout, place favorite or more prominent t-shirt images towards the center of the design.
Cut out squares from the blank backs of t-shirts to have on hand for extra fabric, if needed.
Warning
Keep cutting tools and scissors out of reach of small children.
Wash the t-shirts before cutting them into squares for the blanket.
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