Quilts from Scrubs & Other Patterned Fabrics

A million years ago when I was a kid, nurses wore white uniforms and starched white hats. You could pick out a nurse from miles around.

Now days, it seems that everyone in the medical field wears scrubs. And not just the green one you see in hospital surgeries. You see scrubs made from printed fabric with all sorts of patterns. There are scrubs for the holidays, for your favorite team and those that are attractive to kids.

Most of those in the health care field tend to accumulate a lot of scrubs over a career of working in the medical profession. After all, scrubs don’t go out of style like typical clothing. There is no need to replace them over the years. So, what do you do with all these scrubs? A quilt of course!

Scrub Quilt Ideas

Memorial Scrub Quilts

A few years ago we made three quilts for a family who’s wife/mom/grandmother passed away. She died at work doing what she loved – taking care of people. Her family wanted to celebrate her life and her dedication to nursing by having three memorial quilts made from her scrubs.

When they went through her closet, they discovered that she had over 50 pairs of scrubs! They knew she had a lot, but they did not realize that she had that many. It was good that she had so many pairs because they were looking to have 3 quilts made.

Retirement Scrub Quilt

A great time to have a scrub quilt made is way before you die. That way you will get to enjoy your quilt. So a retirement scrubs quilt would be the ticket.

Combating Busy Print Fabrics

Quilts made from printed fabric tend to look very busy, especially from a distance. The pattern fabrics are overwhelming. There is no place for your eyes to rest. This can be distracting. We experimented with clothing, scrub and plaid shirt quilts to see if we would solve this problem. 

Adding Solid Color Blocks - A Place for Your Eyes to Rest

The first experiment we did on quilts made from scrubs and print fabric was to add solid color blocks to the quilt.  These islands of solid color give your eyes a place to rest when they are overwhelmed.

We liked the islands of rest. I think that 25% solid would be good. But it all depends on what you have. 

Making a Stained-glass Style Quilt from Scrubs

Next, we experimented with making a printed fabric quilt with our stained-glass style. To make the experiment fair, we made two identical scrubs quilts. The same fabrics and same layout. Each block in each quilt is the same. The only differences is the stained-glass styling. 

The contrast between the two quilts is striking. The thin line of blue just is enough separation between blocks to make the prints not blear into one another. It's crisper. 

How We Used Scrubs and Other Printed Fabrics

For the family from the beginning of this article, we just used fabric from the scrubs. The family decided they did not want to add in any other fabrics.

We use more than just one piece of fabric from each scrub. We made sure that we included all the pockets on the scrubs. So each of the quilts have a number of pockets.

Adding a pocket to any quilt makes the quilt much more interactive. So instead of just looking at the fabrics, the quilt owner can use the pockets when they use the quilt. The pockets can be used for hiding candy. They can be used to hold a phone or a TV remote. They can be used for any imaginable use.

How To Plan a Quilt From Scrubs or Printed Materials

If you are looking to have Too Cool T-shirt Quilts make a quilt from scrubs for you, your planning is easy.

First, decide if you want just scrubs used in your quilt or if you would like to add solid colors into your mix. You might even have a few solid color scrubs you could add to your printed scrubs.

Next decide if you want a stained-glass or standard style quilt made. Read more about the differences between the two styles here. 

Then, print out the order form, box up your scrubs and ship your scrubs to us. Click here to read more about how to have us make a quilt for you.

Conclusion

Throughout your years in the medical field, make sure to hold onto the scrubs that hold a special place in your heart. When the time comes for retirement, you'll be all set to have a quilt created that truly reflects your lifelong dedication and passion.

Planning a T-shirt quilt?
Here are step-by-step directions for ordering your Too Cool T-shirt quilt.