We had fun with this. Pictured on our cover is our take off on what AOC was wearing at the star studded Met gala. Click on it to see the full picture. In our version we’ve got our our amazing team member, Emily, modeling art in the form of a painted dress, sheet wrap. It was designed and painted by team member, Amy. All in all, the pose, the hair, the dress. We think she nailed it!
It’s always special to hear the story behind the quilt. We were just about finished with this one and I realized from making the quilt that I knew more about his Dad that the quilt was made in memory of than about Corey who hired us to make it. So I admitted it and just asked him, starting with “what do you do?” Here’s the answer and rest of the story from Corey.
I have been an academic advisor and a history instructor. Currently I am a manager of academic advisors and I teach history for Chattahoochee Technical College. I also teach history part-time for Kennesaw State. I really enjoy teaching and advising college students and he’s a big reason why. He helped become a naturally supportive person.
We had a exceptionally close relationship, in part because I was practically adopted. Biologically my grandfather, he saved me from reckless teenagers and gave me support and stability. He wasn’t married during my lifetime and my grandmother had already passed away (they were divorced anyway) and so for the first decades of my life, we were a total tag team. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed spending time together. We went on vacations, beach trips, all kinds of sporting events. You name it. I had an unusual, but rich, childhood and tons of life lessons packed into our 25 years together.
Because he was biologically my grandfather, I of course knew that I would be “orphaned” relatively young but when he got sick and died within a month right as I turned 26, I thought I had been robbed of another ten years together. I didn’t just lose my dad. I lost my best friend, sports buddy, and life advisor, too.
As for the most important lesson that he taught me, and this may not be exactly what you’re looking for but the most enduring lesson I got from him was to have confidence in myself. He was very supportive of me, my biggest fan, my cheerleader, and truly seemed to think that I could do anything. This has pushed me to take the next step, personally and professionally, countless times. Especially after his death.
He was a veteran and more of blue collar type and really entrenched in rural, small town, north Georgia life, but he recognized early on that I was different and he never tried to make me conform to that. Instead, he really supported and encouraged me to go to college and get an office job “with benefits.” The last part always makes me laugh because he was emphatic about that since he ran his own business, quite successfully, for most of his life, and it could consume his life. He didn’t think it was worth it and didn’t want that for me; and he loved that I ended up going downtown to Georgia State for my degree. He used to embarrass me to death by telling all the locals about my academic journey.
Chapter 1 of the story ends there. Corey said the writing was “therapeutic” . So, I think we need another few paragraphs to really close it. Hint, hint !
We appreciate you and will always be happy to have your order. However, this is the first year in awhile that we’re having a firm cutoff for the holidays. The date is 10/1/21. IF you would like to have a project completed by 12/23/21 we ask that you please get your order to us by then. It takes time to make your special gift, and we want to make sure it receives proper attention so that it can be completed in time for you. We won’t be able to guaranteed holiday completion if we don’t have your order by 10/1/21. Any changes to the cutoff will be posted here. Questions on getting organized? Give us a call 678-324-8084.
Every quilt that the team at Just TShirt Quilts creates involves hours of designing to get it right for you as well as many more hours of precision work. Working closely to create a customized memento comes with a passionate investment. Crafting personalized keepsakes which hold memories of the times of a life is rewarding, challenging, as well as emotional.
A recent quilting project was particularly emotional for the widow who came to us as well as all of us at Just TShirt Quilts. Her husband killed himself. Suicide. In the depths of her tragedy the woman with two beautiful young daughters sought to keep his memory alive through a keepsake quilt made from his clothes.
When she came in for her appointment, she was holding a box containing all of her husband’s favorite shirts. Teary-eyed and overcome by grief she started talking, couldn’t, then dropped the box and turned around to leave. To go through his clothing together would have been more than she could handle. I offered that she could leave the shirts safely in our care and that we would work closely with her online when she was up to it. That’s what we did.
Through regular online contact we finished the design process. As per her wishes, a picture of her husband was used as the centerpiece of the quilt. The shirts were then artistically arranged around the center. We finished the quilt with embroidered words around the border that held special significance for her husband and father who will be deeply missed. She liked the word “hero” as part of the quilting design.
Along with creating a quilt with the shirts he left behind, we also created two stuffed bears for the daughters to have and to hold and to offer some solace as they grew up. A special embroidered message was added to the back of each bear. “This is a shirt I use to wear. Whenever you hold it, know that I am there. Love Daddy”.
Made with the material possessions which the husband left behind, this living memorial now offers comfort in times of sorrow. The quilt becomes a surrogate to have and to hold in his absence. The two daughters can squeeze tight the quilted bears made from their father’s shirts, holding his memory close to their hearts. Both offer tangible remembrances of a Husband and Father giving them comfort when they need it the most.
Death is a part of life, a seasoned nurse once told me. Adults can regretfully, eventually accept that. What about kids? Forever is forever.
Flashback to working in the ER. I’m coming out of a trauma room from doing an admission. It’s a busy Friday night. The bustle is interrupted by a blood curdling scream. Everyone stops. It’s then eerily quiet for 5 seconds. Then sobbing and more screaming. It’s a cross between sheer terror and the moaning from unmedicated labor contractions; the gasping from raspy air hunger when deep breathing is not enough and you can’t get enough air. The sound is one you never forget. It reverberates throughout your body, your psyche. The anguish, it’s a sound like no other. The mother just arrived to find out that her 16 year old son hung himself.
The pandemic: it’s changed all our lives in the way we shop, school our children, and even mourn. The pandemic has circumscribed the physical grieving process of funeral home visitations, public memorial services as well as burials. The pandemic has pilfered the needed hugs, and physical contact of relatives, friends, and neighbors, that ordinarily bring us comfort when a person leaves this earth. Watch out for your “strong” friends they may be the most unlikely to share anguish and despair.
The quilt and bears were finished. She came to pick them up, but didn’t come in. “She couldn’t come in,” he said. A family friend had driven her. “She’s too emotional.” I went to the car. Part of me just wanted her to know that I care. We made eye contact and just looked at each other. There were no words. I wanted to but couldn’t hug her. She tried to smile and looked away. It was my first time seeing her girls. They said hello and smiled modestly. My heart aches when I think about what it will be like for them to grow up without their Father. To know him and then suddenly he’s gone. Forever.
Know that, if you have suffered a loss, we want to help. We are emotionally invested in creating a treasured keepsake to bring comfort in a time of tragedy. We’re emotionally yours.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 800-273-8255
Who’s thinking about Christmas at the end of July? We are ! Christmas is our busiest time of year and we received our first order about 2 months ago! So if you’re thinking about a special gift for the holidays, start looking for your items soon. Find a box to mail them in or make an appointment. We know you’re busy and sometimes that alone can take time. An appointment can act as a reminder. We’d like to encourage you to start much earlier than you think you need to to have your special gift ready. Why? Covid is not all the way over yet. Supply channels have greatly improved since last Winter; but now the Delta variant presents a new threat. By early indications this holiday season is looking to be busier than last. We’ll control everything within our power to have your special gift completed on time. Orders are first come, and if you have a deadline we strongly encourage you to start early so that your special gift will be ready just when you need it. Christmas is only 149 days away!
Have a Happy 4th of July! We are closed on Monday, but will reopen Tuesday at 9:30. We welcome your appointments and phone calls to get started. We are fully vaccinated but do ask that you wear a face covering if you are not fully vaccinated.
We create and quote based on what you like and what you have and when you need it. While we’re seeing fewer supply shortages and shipping delays related to Covid, getting started early remains a real good idea. We did receive our first Christmas order about a month ago! Have a great day!
CEO “Material”
Over his career Greg Gates proved that he had what it takes to be a Corporate CEO. Five years in a row Mr. Gates was named by Atlanta Magazine as a “Five Star Wealth Manager”. The magazine cited him for providing comprehensive and proactive tax planning for physicians, dentists, and other professionals. A CPA and Principal of PYA Gates Moore, Greg Gates was an active participant in the Peachtree Road Race, a 52-year-old 10K race organized by the Atlanta Track Club.
Now enjoying the fruits of his labor listening to the waves at his oceanside beach house, Mr. Gates wanted a special gift for his two adult children. He reached out to Just TShirt Quilts for a special project to commemorate his many years of participating in the Peachtree Road Race. With boxes of race shirts and entry numbers in storage, Mr. Gates had the idea of two identical commemorative quilts for his two children.
In the designing phase for the two quilts, it was decided that they could be identical yet unique. Using a red, white, and blue color scheme, to symbolize the 4th of July running of the Peachtree Road Race, each commemorative quilt features t-shirts from the annual event. Around the border are the entry numbers from various years. One has the even number years while the other features the odd numbers. In this way each child received an identical gift, yet one that was uniquely theirs.
Over his corporate career, Greg Gates has much to be proud of, however like other avid runners, these races held special memories for him and his family. Customized quilts by Just TShirt Quilts was the perfect way to keep these memories for his children. These customized quilts, destined to be family heirlooms, represent what all runners can do with their box of stored away race t-shirts.
Runners and walkers who participate in Corporate or Community races for charity, glory or the challenge can turn their race t-shirts into visible memories that will last a lifetime. Each race t-shirt quilt tells the story of perseverance, accomplishment as well as dedication. Most times the race t-shirts and entry tags are the only physical memories. Instead of packing them away never to be seen again, contact Just TShirt Quilts today to turn old race t shirts into a customized living memory and family heirloom. Long after you cross the finish line a customized, personalized, unique quilt that can be used for comfort or display can let the races live on.
You can still wear the shirts, just in a different way!
A design wall in your home or place of business can provide a way to experiment with different arrangements of fabric or other projects you may have in order to get an idea of how different pieces and colors fit together before sewing or finalizing your project. We have included masks and other odd shapes in quilts, for instance. A mask can be pinned on to the design wall with straight pins on top of a portion of a quilt to see how it will look with or without the loops and with or without other masks– in this case we’re including 4 of the same mask in a quilt. Once pinned, it is easy to move the shapes around to get them in the ideal position.
We use our design walls daily to share progress updates with customers and also to make sure that all of the involved pieces fit as intended as a way to proof our pre-designed pattern. Customers enjoy the live look and we can easily accommodate any layout changes at that point that can help reach a final decision. Redfin tapped into quilting experts for thoughts on creating a home quilting workspace. If you don’t quilt or sew, the same concept can also be used to show off collections you may have that can be pinned such as posters or photos. We were happy to be included in this informative article. https://www.redfin.com/blog/ultimate-quilting-room/
Here’s more on getting started on your design wall:
An earlier related post back from before moving in to a commercial space. https://justtshirtquilts.com/real-time-layouts/
Thanks again Ryan for the mention. A Cape Cod on the beach. Aahhhh. That’s something to aim for!
It was a joy to be able to complete 2 more quilts for Mary. This one is very colorful and utilizes a design and fabrics by Kaffe Fassett http://www.kaffefassett.com/about. Mary pieces all by hand (sews) all of her quilt tops. It takes a lot of time, but she finds it relaxing. No t-shirts in this one, but we can help you finish these, too. An art teacher, quilts by Mary were featured as part of an educator art exhibit at the High Museum of Art.
Two doves were added to Marilyn M.’s first quilt–a gift for her daughter. If your quilt is a gift and you’d like to further personalize it, there are a variety of designs that can help to add a special meaning to your project. We’re happy to help you come up with something that you like.