The View from a Drawbridge

If young people ever asked me for advice (heh…) one of the things I would tell them is to think twice before collecting things. You’ll already be accumulating too much stuff over the course of your life. Add a collection to that, and your problem quadruples.

If you absolutely insist on collecting something, make sure it’s small, inexpensive, and easy to maintain. Otherwise, you might lose entire rooms to it, it will cost you a fortune, and you’ll spend an obscene amount of time dusting it, displaying it, and preserving it. I’ve never known a collection that didn’t get out of control.

And even if you decide to stop collecting something, once word gets out, you’re doomed. If you collect all things bunny-related, for example, people will be sending you postcards, t-shirts, stuffies, trivets, recipes for hasenpfeffer, aprons, bunny ears, rabbits feet, and clothing with bunnies on them for the rest of your life. Even if you drop to your knees and beg them to stop, rest assured that there will be bunnies in your future.

I know whereof I speak, because about 40 years ago, I started collecting travel t-shirts. Now I have so many freakin’ t-shirts that it would take me about 2 years’ worth of casual weekends for me to wear them all just once. T-Shirts took up 2/3rds of my dresser, and that’s only if I didn’t try closing the drawers all the way. My jeans and shorts and pajamas and underwear competed for what space remained, and often wound up in storage bins.

It actually became an embarrassment to me when I thought of the many homeless people dressed in rags and living under highways. No human being should own this much clothing while others go without. It’s obscene.

I thought of just taking pictures of them, and then donating the shirts to Goodwill or a homeless shelter, but that made me sad, somehow. I still had an emotional connection to these shirts. Even if I couldn’t bear to part with them, they shouldn’t just sit around taking up space. They should have a use. I also didn’t want them getting moldy in some box in the attic where I’d never see them. (Attics and basements are cemeteries for inanimate objects. You only stop by on special occasions, or when you’re feeling particularly nostalgic. The rest of the time, that stuff is just taking up valuable real estate.)

I love every single one of these shirts dearly. Each brings back happy memories of people, places, and experiences. But this was getting out of hand. I needed to lighten my load somehow.

And then a friend (Hi, Helen!) introduced me to the perfect solution! Quilts made out of t-shirts! I knew I’d never get around to doing something like this myself, but there are several companies out there that will do it for you for a fee.

Having a quilt made out of these shirts meant I would see them nightly, they’d serve a purpose, and I could wrap myself in happy memories any time I wanted. And as an added bonus, I’d get my dresser drawers back! Who could ask for more?

So after looking around on the internet, I chose the American Quilt Company to work with on this project. I verified that they were, indeed, based in America, because the thought of sending these shirts off to some Chinese scammer and never seeing them or my money again, or getting a quilt back that was falling apart and worthless, was something I really wanted to avoid.

And ta-da! This is what came back! I love, love, love it!

How did we get to that point, though? Well, the first step was getting the free kit from the good folks at the American Quilt Company. I ordered it in early August, and it came in a flash. I also opted for the prepaid shipping, and trust me, it was a great idea. It’s amazing how much space the t-shirts I had to send them took up! Whether you take advantage of that option or not, they will always ship back the completed quilt for free. That’s a nice bonus.

They also make it very clear that this quilt will not have quilt batting inside. Because of that, they call the finished product a “Blanquilt”. If you’re looking for a fat, puffy quilt, you’ll be disappointed. But they do let you choose the color of your backing material. It’s called Minky-Fleece, and it’s so soft and fuzzy that you’ll want to pet it like a kitten. And I was surprised at how warm it keeps us!

The kit came with very easy to follow instructions. Since we wanted it to be king-sized, that would mean 64 t-shirts, or 8 rows of 8. They’ll also take sweatshirts, pillow cases, other shirts, or just any extra material you have lying around that means something to you. When all is said and done, the panels that will be showing will be 12-inch squares. And they’d actually prefer that you let them do the cutting, so send them the entire t-shirt. Easy-peasy.

It turns out that choosing that many t-shirts is actually quite hard. In the end, I let Dear Husband contribute 24 of his own, for a portion of his side of the bed. We used a combination of my travel t-shirts and sweatshirts, some tye dye, and shirts that reminded us of college or work or concerts or events. We also used shirts that friends and loved ones had given us that we didn’t get to wear often enough. And we were able to give new life to frayed, stained or hole-y shirts, as long as the damage didn’t show in the panel area. I also added some patterned material that has special significance to me, and even a pillowcase that my sister gave me that I have always liked but rarely get a chance to use.

Then we laid them out and decided what order we wanted them in, and put numbered stickers on them which came with the kit. Some panels required special instructions, so we included a note that said things like: “For panels #1, 16, and 22, I realize that some of the image will not fit, and that’s okay.” Or, “For panel #31, I do want the pocket included.” “If the pattern has to be at an angle for #63 in order to have enough material, that’s fine.” “Do the best that you can with panel #15. Just make sure it’s obvious that it’s a drawbridge.”

I did cut myself a 12-inch square template out of cardboard, just so I could be sure that the logos on the shirts would each fit within that square, if that was important to me. In some cases we wanted to use the front and back logos, so one shirt made two panels. In the case of the patterned material, I of course didn’t want to give them the whole bolt of cloth, so I had to do some cutting. But I made sure I used the template and then added at least 2 inches on every side, preferably more. I figured a 16 inch square or greater would give them a lot to play with.

Once we had the shirts numbered, we stacked them in order with the note, stuffed them into a shipping bag about the size of a square bale of hay, and dropped them off at the post office. No payment required, no muss, no fuss. I nervously said goodbye to a lifetime of memories.

I admit that I had procrastinated on doing my part. They are smart to require advanced payment. They finally received my package on August 29^th. I have to say that the communication with them was excellent, every step of the way. There was never a question as to what stage of the process my precious memories were in.

I received the blanquilt on October 5^th, sooner than I expected. I was equal parts nervous and excited when I opened the package. Would I be disappointed? Would I regret having done this?

The answer is a definite no. This is, without a doubt, my favorite blanket of all time! Just looking at it brings tears of joy to my eyes. I hope to use it for decades to come. The backing is so soft and fuzzy that it is comforting somehow. And the t-shirts added so much bulk that it feels like a weighted blanket. You can’t even see the stitching between the panels, and you can tell it is going to hold up over time. I’m attaching a short video below so you can get a sense of its true quality.

They also went above and beyond. That pocket that I wanted included? They did that, and also sewed it shut so I couldn’t snag it in my sleep or something. The drawbridge logo that I worried about? They added a bit of the collar and sewed some additional material behind the collar so it could be displayed in its best light. I am beyond impressed with this product, and I would highly recommend the American Quilt Company to anyone.

By the way, I don’t collect t-shirts anymore. I’ve switched to fridge magnets. They’re cheaper and take up less space. But even that collection is starting to get out of hand.

Meanwhile, I’m happy to report that all my clothes now fit in the dresser. Well… unless you count the ones hanging in the closet. What can I say? I’m a work in progress.

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