Yes! We can take your runDisney T-shirts and transform them into a T-shirt Quilt? Bippity Boppity Boo!
They’re Disney Exclusive. Each shirt is designed for a specific race, year, and challenge. They’re not something you can just order online.
They’re Made with Performance/Tech Fabric. These aren’t basic cotton tees. They’re sleek, slippery tech shirts that wicked away sweat as you ran through Cinderella’s Castle before sunrise.
They’re Badges of Honor. These shirts prove you woke up at 2:30 am for multiple mornings in a row and lived to tell the tale.
They’re Memory Triggers. Each shirt holds the story of that race morning, the characters you high-fived, and the medal clinking around your neck.
First, the T-shirts are made from tech fabric/wicking fabric. This is difficult fabric to work with. You want to find a quilt maker (like Too Cool T-shirt Quilts) that know how to work with Tech fabric. Don't assume a quilt maker know how to work with it or can just figure it out. Your T-shirts are just too important. Ask to see 10 T-shirt quilts they make entirely from runDisney T-shirts.
Second, the T-shirts have graphics on the front, some on the back and small graphics on the sleeves. We have found that most runners want to include the graphics from the sleeve in their quilt. This means that a quilt made from one size block is out of the question. Read more about different style of T-shirt quilts here.
Third, your T-shirts are very important. This means your quilt will also be important. You want to find a quilt maker with a long track record of making runDisney T-shirt Quilts like Too Cool T-shirt Quilts.
Because we make puzzle style quilts that are flexible, you are not limited to a set number of T-shirts.
We can't give you an exact number because all T-shirts are different. The number of T-shirts you will need depends on graphic size, number of graphics per shirt, and the type of graphics. It will also depend on what size quilt you want made. Here is complete information about how many T-shirts you need for a T-shirt Quilt.
Since all the graphics on your T-shirts are different sizes, blocks have to be different sizes too. If not, graphics can get cropped off to fit a block smaller than the image size. And small graphics will be left with too much space around them.
When tech fabric was created in 2005, Too Cool T-shirt Quilts had been making T-shirt quilts for over 10 years. When it became popular in 2013, we had learned to work with it. Now we didn't blink an eye when we were asked to put it in a T-shirt quilt.
The longevity of tech fabric will depend on how you use your quilt. If you are rough with it, it will wear out. If you treat your quilt with love and respect, it will last. But since the fabric was only popularized in 2013, we don't know the true longevity. Time will tell.
The one this about tech fabric that is great is that it won't fade. Polyester fabrics are know to be colorfast. This means your quilt will always be bright and colorful.
There are so many different styles of T-shirt quilts you can choose from. Here are some runDisney quilt ideas.
I would suggest avoiding traditional style quilts that are built in rows and columns. First, they are boring. Second, they are not the choice if all your graphics on your T-shirts are different sizes. And runDisney T-shirts have different size graphics.
Standard Puzzle Style - All the blocks are different sizes - good for your different size graphics. The blocks are puzzled together for an interesting and interactive quilt. Standard Puzzle Style Pricing
Standard Puzzle Style with a Border - All the blocks are different sizes. The blocks are puzzled together for an interesting and interactive quilt. And a border around the outside of the quilt adds pizzazz to the quilt. Standard Puzzle Style with a Border Pricing
Stained Glass Standard Puzzle Style with or without a Border - All the blocks are different sizes. The blocks are puzzled together for an interesting and interactive quilt. There is a thin line of fabric between each block that makes the quilt look like a stained glass window. Read more about the difference between a stained glass and basic puzzle style T-shirt quilts here. Stained Glass Puzzle Style Pricing
T-shirt Pillow - These are great if you have just one T-shirt you want to highlight, or perhaps a few T-shirts, but not enough for a quilt. Read more about T-shirt pillows here. Pillow Pricing
Ultra Modern Styles - Each Ultra Modern style T-shirt quilt is unique! We have developed so many different possibilities to choose from Read more about Ultra Modern T-shirt Quilts and pricing here.
The quilt on the left (or top) is a Flagstone Style quilt. The other is a Kaleidoscope Stained Glass style quilt. Unlimited possibilities!
On the other hand, if you have run the race just once and have no plan to ever do the event again, then mixing your runDisney T-shirts in with other race T-shirts is not an issue.
Also, if you have a great collection of runDisney T-shirts, don't mix in one or two other non runDisney related race T-shirts. They just don't belong.
You might consider keeping Dopey, Princess, or Wine and Dine separate if you have done a lot of each specific race.
Nearly all of the runDisney quilts I make combine T-shirts from multiple weekends. This approach does not diminish individual races. It brings them together into one quilt that reflects your runDisney experience rather than a single weekend.
Review Your T-shirts
Make sure all the shirts you want included are together. Double check that no non Disney T-shirts slipped in and pull those out now.
Check How Many T-shirts You Have
Before you move on, count how many runDisney T-shirts you want to include. The number of T-shirts determines quilt size, not design. Our How Many T-shirts page explains typical T-shirt counts for different quilt sizes and what happens if you have more or fewer shirts than expected.
Wash your T-shirts
Wash and dry all shirts before sending them. Please avoid scented detergent and dryer sheets. We are sensitive to fragrance and it lingers in fabric.
Do NOT Cut Anything
Do not cut sleeves, collars, seams, or logos. Cutting is part of our process and doing it ahead of time can limit design options.
Review How to Prepare Your T-shirts
If you want the full rundown, visit our How to Prepare Your T-shirts page.
Review Pricing
Our pricing page explains options and costs so there are no surprises.
Place Your Order
Our how to order your quilt page walks you through next steps and what happens after you reach out.
Still Have Questions?
Our FAQ page covers the most common questions we get.
Because most runDisney shirts are polyester, the colors are very stable and do not fade the way cotton can over time. Following basic care guidelines helps keep the quilt looking good long term. We have a full set of care instructions that covers washing, drying, and what to avoid so the fabrics and stitching hold up over time. Here's our comprehensive care directions.
Experience matters in making great T-shirt quilts. We made our first T-shirt quilt back in the early 1990's. We have made more than 14,000 over the years. That's a lot. I don't know how long we have been making runDisney T-shirt quilts for... but our first was well before 2018.
Your quilt needs a designed that is more than just a grid of T-shirts. It needs to be more than just the T-shirts. It needs to be a cohesive look that highlights your T-shirts while having an overall design that is interesting on its own.
If you are looking for a T-shirt quilt maker, (assuming it's not Too Cool T-shirt Quilts), look for one that doesn't use interfacing. One that has experience using Tech fabric. Here's more about finding a T-shirt quilt maker.
You want a quilt that has beautiful long-arm quilting highlighting your T-shirts. Read about the different styles of quilting here.
In the example here, this is the back of the Flagestone style quilt you saw earlier.
Your runDisney T-shirts are special. You trained hard, traveled and got up before the crack of dawn too many mornings in a row to earn them.
Finding the right quilt maker to transform your T-shirts into a quilt is important. We feel that we are the best maker of runDisney T-shirt quilts. We hope you trust us to create a T-shirt quilt for you that your T-shirts deserve.