Quilt making-- HELP!!?

Okay, so I want to make my mom a quilt for christmas but I want it to have pictures of me and her on it. Do I have to have a pattern? Can I just cut a bunch of t-shirts and other fabrics into squares? I got muslin from the fabric store to transfer the pictures too. But what do you guys suggest i do??? ANY HELP WILL BE APPRECIATED. will select best. thansk.