Timeline for planning a T-shirt quilt for holiday gift:
- Early Summer: Collect the T-shirts
- Mid Summer: Line up your T-shirt quilt maker.
- Late Summer: Get your T-shirts to your quilt maker.
We have included links to a number of articles that will help with your planning.
Giving a T-shirt quilt as a Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa gift is a sure way to give the best gift of the season. It’s a gift that will be used, treasured and remembered each year. Many times it's a gift that is difficult to top!
Below is a timeline to help guide you in planning a holiday T-shirt quilt gift. Within this timeline are links to other resources on specific topics that might be of help to you. Feel free to contact your Too Cool T-shirt Quilt quilter anytime to discuss your quilt and time constraints.
Summer
Ultimately; this is the time to begin planning your quilt. Here are the first two steps:
Begin with Who
Begin by deciding on whom to have a T-shirt Quilt made for. Who is the ideal candidates to receive a T-shirt quilt for a gift? Here are just a few ideas:
- Young adults who have graduated from high school and have not received a high school quilt. The perfect gift for parents or grandparents to give.
- Runners or other athletes who have too many T-shirts. This is a wonderful quilt for the spouse to give.
Parents or grandparents. Families gather T-shirts from each family member or from family reunions. Some will gather their parents’ T-shirts and have a quilt made from those T-shirts.- Someone who is into a particular theme. For example, you could collect Harley Davidson T-shirts for a Harley enthusiast. Whatever someone is into is his or her theme.
- Yourself! The best person of all to give a T-shirt Quilt to is you. You know that you have too many T-shirts and you know which ones you are willing to part with. And you don’t have to wait to open it!
Collect the T-shirts
Here are some suggestions for collecting T-shirts:
To make a quilt for your parents or grandparents, collect T-shirts from brothers, sisters, any grandchildren and even friends and extended family.- To collect T-shirts for a theme quilt, you could go to thrift shops and garage sales.
- For an athlete or graduate, use their own T-shirts. You can get them from their family. Or sneak into their closet when you are visiting.
- The laundry is always a great place to sneak T-shirts from.
If you are missing anything, start looking around for those T-shirts now. Here is more information about what you can use in a T-shirt quilt.
Mid Summer
1. Find a Quilt Maker
Have a T-shirt quilt maker lined up to make your quilt. Finding a T-shirt quilt maker that will make the quilt you want will take some research on your part. Don’t just settle for a friend or your neighbors’ friend without first doing your research!
Below are six articles that address finding the right T-shirt Quilt maker for your circumstance.
One Chance to Have a T-shirt Quilt Made Right
Do You Know Anyone Who Can Make Me a T-shirt Quilt?
Local T-shirt Quilt Makers
How Much Does a T-shirt Quilt Cost?
2. Choose the T-shirts
Next, decide which T-shirts to put into the quilt. The decision will be based on a number of items:
- How many T-shirts you have.
- How large of quilt you want or want to afford. Too Cool T-shirt Quilts pricing page.
- How the quilt will be used.
- Who is making your quilt and the style of T-shirt quilts they make. 6 Types of T-shirt Quilts
- The sizes of images on the T-shirts and if the T-shirts are one or two-sided. The more T-shirts you have, the larger your quilt will be. How many T-shirts are needed for a T-shirt Quilt?
To learn more about having a quilt made from your T-shirts, download our free T-shirt Quilt Buyer's Guide.
It's a great place to learn about the different styles and quality of T-shirt quilt.
Mid to Late August or Very Early September
You need to plan to have all your T-shirts sent to your quilter at this time. The exact timing will depend on your quilter’s schedule and when you need your quilt by. Unfortunately, with holiday gifts, most people will need their quilt on the same date. This means that the earlier you get your T-shirts to your quilter, the better chance you will have of getting your quilt back by the date you need it.
How to package your T-shirts to ship.
Shipping Your T-shirts - Where to Get a Box
The Day the Quilt is Opened
This is when your planning and diligence in finding a great T-shirt quilt maker will pay off. Your T-shirt quilt will be the center of attention at your holiday party or get together.
