Including collars and necklines in our quilts is an aspect that often sparks positive reactions from onlookers. We hear comments like, "Oh, those are actually made from T-shirts" or "Wow, what a fun addition!" We take pleasure in incorporating collars and necklines into our quilts as they bring a unique and special touch to the overall design.
A collar is the part of a shirt or blouse that extends beyond the neckline of a shirt. A collar is typically on a shirt that is dressier. When a collar is added to a T-shirt, it becomes a polo shirt. And a polo shirt is a step up from a T-shirt.
Collars can be decorative when they add adornment to a shirt. They can also be functional. For example, when they are used with a necktie or used to keep your neck warm.
The photo of Mickey is an example of a neckline. The second photo is an example of a collar used in a T-shirt quilt.
Sometimes, we have to use a neckline in a quilt. Here are some examples of when a neckline is unavoidable. In these situations, we will include the neckline.
When you cut out a T-shirt like this, you will end up with a hole where the neckline is. This can be filled with matching or contrasting fabric. If you choose a matching fabric, the neckline is much less obvious – almost camouflaged. If a contrasting fabric is used, then the neckline will show up much more readily.
Some T-shirts have graphics so large, that in order to cut out the entire graphic, you need to include fabric from above the neckline. This means that the neck will need to be included in the block.
Our first priority is to include the entire graphic on your T-shirt. After all, this is what a T-shirt quilt is about. When there is a choice between cutting off a graphic or including a neckline, we choose to keep the entire graphic.
Including the entire graphic is what Too Cool T-shirt Quilts is about. This is why we have different size blocks – we want to use the entire graphic. Read more about the Too Cool Style here.
When I was making my first T-shirt quilt, I quickly realized that graphics come in all different sizes. This is why I developed a method for making T-shirts that involves using different size blocks. Thus, our philosophy for focusing on the graphics first.
Planning a T-shirt quilt?
Here are step-by-step directions for ordering your Too Cool T-shirt quilt.
We can include necklines or collars when they are not strictly necessary. Below are some of the reasons we might include unnecessary collars or necklines.
If we want to make a quilt larger than your T-shirts will allow, we can cut the T-shirts with more margin around each graphic. This may require us to seek out fabric from above the neckline.
If there are decorations or other adornment on the collar or neckline, we will consider using this because it’s part of the T-shirt. Read more about what we can use in your quilt here.
In the comment section of our order form, you can tell us not to use collars and necklines. When you tell us this, we definitely will not use optional necklines.
Below is how we will approach a number of situations when you tell us not to use necklines:
Necklines are a fact of life in the T-shirt quilt world. Sometimes they just have to be included. In those cases, we include the neckline over cutting off a graphic.
If you ask us not to use necklines, we will avoid them if possible. If it is impossible to avoid a neckline, we will back the area behind the neck with a matching piece of material.
Want to learn more about T-shirt quilts? Visit our Learning Center.
We have over 200 articles about all aspects of T-shirt quilts.
The quilt here is made from dance outfits. We used contrasting colors behind the "Leo's" and other dance outfits to emphasize the shapes of the outfits.