What parts of the T-shirts can we use?
Just about any part! Front, back, sleeve and the neck line. We can use a front and a back from the same T-shirt. We also can use the legs or the butt from pants or shorts. So you are not limited!
Can sweatshirts be used?
Yes. We also can use jersey material - the knit material with holes in it that is used in some football and hockey jerseys.
What parts of the T-shirts don't we use?
We will use every part of your T-shirt unless it is X out with blue painters masking tape. You are welcome to put notes on your T-shirts if you have a special request. Please write these notes on blue painters masking tape. This way the note can stay attached to the T-shirt until we have the quilt top sewn together. We have found that paper notes that are pinned or stapled on leave holes in the T-shirts and are difficult to work with when we are cutting and sewing.
What color fabrics do you have to choose from for the back of the quilt?
Backing colors - we have a wide variety of colors to choose from. If you want something beyond a standard generally accepted colors, please send a swatch. For example navy, hunter green, red, orange, etc. are colors that are what they are. But a color like teal or sage - there is more interpretation to these colors. So if you would send a swatch of color that would be helpful. You can get a swatch from a paint chip, from one of your T-shirts, a color crayon scribble on a piece of white paper or out of a magazine (circle the color).
How do you handle stained T-shirts?
Generally we don't do anything about stains. We consider them to be part of the memory of the T-shirts. But not everyone feels that way. So on the order form we have options for directing us how to use T-shirts with stains. We can ignore the stains or cut them off if they are on the outside of the design. If the stain is on the design, we can ignore it or we can cut out the stain and put a piece of matching material behind the hole. This is a radical fix and will not look as good as the design with the stain on it. If there is a stain you want removed, please mark the area with a piece of blue painters masking tape and write on the tape what you would like us to do.
Can photographs be used in a T-shirt Quilt?
Yes. But Too Cool T-shirt Quilts® does not have the facilities to do the transfers. You have a few of options for getting your photos transferred onto white T-shirt material.
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You can purchase transfer paper on which you would print your photo and then iron it onto a T-shirt. This may be the least expensive way to have the transfers done, but low quality.
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You can look locally to find a company that would do the transfer for you. The quality is better, but the price higher.
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There are companies on the web that can do the transfer for you. You up-load your photos to them and they will print them on to T-shirts for you. If you search: Online photo T-shirt transfers you will have many options from which to choose. We have been seeing more of these transfers in the last few months. They look good and the price is reasonable.
Can you embroider a message onto a block?
Too Cool T-shirt Quilts® does not have the facilities to do embroidery here. But you can hire this service from Angie Quant at Marble Hill Designs of Norwood NY. On her website, you can choose the size block and the wording you want on the block. Angie can send the completed block to you or straight here to Too Cool T-shirt Quilts®.
Can you make a Double Sided Quilt? A quilt with T-shirts on the front and back.
No. When we long arm quilt a T-shirt quilt, we work from the T-shirt side. The backing material is pulled very taut and the T-shirt side is loose. If we had T-shirt material on the back and pulled it taut, the back would stretch and would end up longer than the top. There are other technical considerations that we don't need to bore you with as well. Basically, a double-sided quilt is very difficult to make into a great product, which is what we strive to provide our customers.
Most people looking for a two sided quilt are doing so because they have a lot of T-shirts. A Too Cool T-shirt Quilt® allows you to use a ton of T-shirts, so perhaps you might find that a two sided quilt is unnecessary.
There are people out there doing two sided quilts. Be aware that these quilts might be stiff or are tied and not actually quilted. If you find someone to do a double sided quilt for you, ask for a sample of the quilt sandwich (top, batting and backing). Make sure you can live with the feel of the quilt. We are always happy to send you a sample for comparison.
Do you accept credit cards?
Yes. If you choose to use a credit card for payment, indicate so on the order form. When your quilt is finished we will send you a "ransom" photo of the quilt and then you can call with your credit card number. Upon receipt of your payment, we will send you your quilt. If you had previously chosen to use PayPal for payment you can switch your payment choice to credit card upon receipt of the "ransom" photo as well.
Oops-My T-shirts have already been cut...Can Too Cool T-shirt Quilts® finish it?
YES WE CAN. See the Already Cut T-shirts page for more information.
Can a T-shirt be removed after it is in the quilt?
No. It would ruin the quilt. So please choose and mark your T-shirts carefully.
Can the backing material be changed after the quilt is finished?
No. It would ruin the quilt.
How can I hang my quilt?
See the How to Hang a Quilt page for more information.
Are T-shirts the only thing that can go into a T-shirt quilt?
No. There are any number of items that can be used in a T-shirt quilt. Some work better than others, but here is a list of some of the things that we have used...
•Towels •Patches •Bandanas •Socks •Baby/Kid Clothes
•Ballet Skirts* •Mittens* •Bags •Knit Sweaters* •Graduation Robe*
•Coats •Pockets •Baby Blankets •Gymnastic Outfits •Gloves
•Goggles •Tank Tops •Vests •Hockey Jerseys •Baseball Shirts
•Sweat Pants •Football Jerseys •Scarves* •Swimsuits*
*These items restrict washing options, may not have the long term durability of a T-shirt or may impose a risk of the dye bleeding. Consider the use of them carefully. If you send something that is unusable, we will return it with the quilt.
Using these types of items can be a lot of fun. But some do require additional work that is not considered in the pricing of a quilt. Therefore, you can use five odd items in a quilt at no charge. For each additional item there will be a $5.00 charge. As we work on the quilt we will call you and talk about which items would have an additional charge.
New! We also can use Tyvec race numbers in your quilt!