The handmade quilts are the perfect gift. Filled with gymnastics t-shirts from the last 12 years, your daughter can enjoy thinking back to the memories as she snuggles under the custom t-shirt quilt. A few of the pieces are especially fun:
- The purple gymnastics square that features the size eight girls t-shirt, as well as the silhouette of a gymnast in the middle of a backbend. Although you only but a single square from this shirt in the quilt, it could have been a easy one to repeat since several of your daughter’s young teammates had the exact same shirt. At the time, one of their most popular clothing stores came out with a new gymnastics themed outfit about once every two months. Every time your daughter looks at this square, she is certain to smile at the memories of herself and her friends all making plans so that they wear their matching outfits once or twice a week.
- The shoestring that you can tie and untie is both adorable and functional. Although this is not a typical piece in a handmade quilt, the drawstring from these shorts was simply too cute to leave out. The fact that the waist band also includes the words vault, bars, beam, and floor makes it the perfect addition to the custom memory quilt. The fact that the custom quilt was created by a professional designer who took the time to not only include the drawstring waist band, but also stitch down the strings to that they would stay attached, means that this piece will last the life of the quilt.
- The red, white, and blue squares in the custom tee shirt quilt remind both you and your daughter of the summer gymnastics showcases that ended with every girl getting at least a ribbon, and some received trophies as well. The former teammates who also wore the patriotic leotards in those summer showcases are still friends with your daughter, and you hope that every time she sees this quilt she will thing of those girls, her days at the gym, and the time invested in gathering the perfect items for these two handmade quilts.
Finding the Perfect Handmade Quilts to Present as Gifts Can be a Challenge
Although t-shirt quilts are a popular graduation gift, the best handmade quilts are ones that will last for years. In fact, the decision to hire a professional to make a memory quilt from favorite t-shirts and other pieces of fabrics is often a great investment. A professional quilter can turn even the simplest t-shirts into a favorite blanket.
Consider some of these pieces of information about the custom quilting world and the skills that are required to create real pieces of art that are priceless:
- The art of quilting can be traced back to China and ancient Egypt when three layers of fabrics were stitched together to keep the middle layer from slipping and clumping. Now known as the top, the middle batting for warmth, and the backing), this method is still used.
- Although Quilting can be dated all the way back to 3400 BC, the oldest quilt still around today is The Tristan Quilt, which is dated somewhere between the years 1360 and 1400.
- The AIDS Memorial quilt weighs approximately 54 tons, and is known as the world’s largest quilt.
- $3.7 billion is the amount of money that a 2014 study showed was involved in the quilting industry.
- 21 million people quilt according to a 2014 study.
- 14% of the homes in America has at least one quilter.
- 81% of dedicated quilters are traditionalists; 38% enjoy art quilting; and 35% embrace modern quilting styles.
The decision to find a personal memory gift for a high school or college graduate can include many ideas, but few of these will be as permanent and meaningful as a handmade custom t-shirt quilt. Collections of old t-shirts in the storage room are doing nothing more than collecting dust, but if these personal items are sewn into a t-shirt or memory quilt they will speak volumes.
When was the last time that you were excited about giving a gift? The decision to have a custom made quilt made for the graduate is the perfect idea for a very treasured gift.
