KyleTheGirl - Just T-Shirt Quilts

Covid-19

Posted on March 28, 2020 | by KyleTheGirl

Covid-19, the new coronavirus, has infiltrated all aspects of our lives. I hope you and your family are ok, and I wanted to let you know the steps that we have taken to keep customers and staff safe during these uncertain times.

We have expanded our cloud services in order to be able to continue to fully meet the needs of our customers and partners. This includes upgrading communication tools so that we can successfully interact and serve you remotely. This erases the need to make an in-person visit at this time.
We have decentralized greatly, thereby creating opportunities for staff to work from home during these trying times. We appreciate your patience as we all become accustomed to new ways of staying in touch to best serve you.
We have hired a new Workroom Assistant to assist with order preparation in the workroom.
We will credit your expense for shipping in order to mail your items to us to start on your masterpiece. To get started call 678-324-8084 or fill out our online order form. We would like to help provide the extra special gift you may need even though the ceremony or public event may not take place as originally expected.
We are following the guidelines of the CDC and local authorities. To this end for our local customers as of March 16 our workroom is closed for in person visits. Please mail your items to us. We are working and fully available by email or phone during published open hours. With social distancing we will consider brief visits or drop offs for quilting orders at the door with advanced notice.
All completed orders are being shipped.
Unless your quilt includes special-care, dry clean only fabrics, your quilt is fully washable. Yes, please machine wash your quilt. Care instructions are provided once your order is completed.

Other thoughts

Earlier this month, my husband had the option to work from home or go into the office. He preferred to go in to the office. “After all, they have free coffee and toilet paper”. Well, that didn’t last long as the very next day his entire work campus closed. Coffee he could still find. Toilet paper not so much. Believe it or not I saw a post on making re-usable, washable toilet paper. Really? I mean, really? I did see paper products in the aisle at my grocery store today. So, fortunately, we don’t have to go there…yet.

Hats off to customers and colleagues in health care that are on the front lines during this crisis. Thank you. Two pictures just added to the Portfolio for medical providers were completed and shipped this week. One to a hospital RN, one for a hospital MD, both directly in the line of fire. Two weeks ago, I became concerned after not hearing from her on decisions regarding her quilt through our “usual” channels. It’s a graduation quilt for her son. I texted and finally received a response. “It looks great” in response to a picture sent, and “Sorry, for being out of touch” she texted . “It’s crazy here”.

Due to Covid-19 the graduation date was pushed back for one of the t-shirt quilts we’re creating for a May graduation. These are so important as even if there’s no ceremony, the fabulous gift will still be there. Plus, she came across a Graduation Quarantine 2020 t-shirt that her son is not expecting. Just food for thought. If you need 1 more shirt, they’re out there.

This crazy pandemic can’t be over soon enough so that we can all resume our normal lives. It’s so serious and we’re all in this together. Stay safe and take care of one another.

Circular Economy

Posted on March 1, 2020 | by KyleTheGirl

Rubicon Global is a dynamic Atlanta area company on a mission to end waste. It was thrilling to be selected to create a t-shirt quilt masterpiece for CEO Nate Morris; and, I’m happy to say we now also have a 2nd quilt project in the works. I had the pleasure of recently being interviewed for their corporate blog. Working with them greatly raised my awareness about reuse and recycling in the context of textile waste that results from making t-shirt quilts. https://www.rubiconglobal.com/blog/kyle-offermann-interview/

If you teach or are curious about what you can do, there is also a host of educational material on the site such as Circular Economy 101 https://www.rubiconglobal.com/circular-economy-101/ Check it out!

Starting somewhere, no matter how small, we can all contribute toward creating a more efficient and effective society.

Peachtree Road Race Quilt

Posted on February 14, 2020 | by KyleTheGirl

If you’re a runner, you may just have a lot of shirts. We can turn them in to something fabulous. Like this. This was made for a couple that runs together. They needed it specifically to fit an available wall space and to go with their decor. Done. This look is Freestyle. What’s your vision? We can do it. Not sure? Let’s talk. 678-324-8084

Snow Day

Posted on February 10, 2020 | by KyleTheGirl

Here in Atlanta we’ll get snow and ice for a couple of days but then it melts and is gone. This winter has been pretty mild. Our one (so far) major day of snow in the northern suburbs of Atlanta arrived Saturday morning. It started with big snowflakes coming down pretty steadily. I worried about getting to the shop, so left as soon as it started just in case the snow didn’t let up. I had an appointment with L.V. so needed to be there. He lives in Midtown, downtown Atlanta. He says there was no snow there, and also wanted to keep the appointment so he drove out prepared in a Hummer. Not his “usual” vehicle but sturdier for snow than a red BMW! He made it safely; and, by the time we were finished, it had warmed to where the snow was melting, making for an easy ride for him back downtown. I worked until early evening, and by then the snow was just about all melted. I came prepared with a quilt and warm gear in the car when I left home in the morning, but didn’t end of needing any of it it or having to spend the night at the shop. Not necessarily a bad thing as I would have finished quilting the last 1/4 of a quilt in progress, ordered supplies, run payroll, watch a little TV!

I work one night a week at the hospital as an RN. The day after I worked I received an alert of a possible Code White, meaning be prepared to spend the night at the hospital if needed. In snowy weather, this is to keep the staff off the road and safe and make sure there are enough to take care of all of the patients. I didn’t end up having to spend the night at the hospital either!

Today, the day after the big snow, my husband and I were walking outside on a trail. It was cool but sunny. While most of it had melted, there were still remnants of snow on an otherwise grassy hill. I could see one big piece of abandoned, flattened cardboard halfway up the hill. I imagined that for one day kids had fun sledding and building snowmen.

The kids probably wouldn’t agree with me; but, coming from Chicago, I like that this was maybe our only snow day of the winter! The cows on the farm across the street from the shop didn’t seem to mind either.

Today the sun whispered of Spring. It’s coming. March 19 is the first day.

Early Bird

Posted on February 5, 2020 | by KyleTheGirl

May is yet a few months away. February is a good time to move forward on your dream. They say the early bird gets the worm. Early is good as there are no rush orders. Early is tasty. (Especially if you’re a bird looking for food). Early is awesome if you’re thinking about a special custom gift for graduation or Mother’s Day.

You see, it takes time to make the Gift of Different. So, if we’re at the top of your unique gift list, it’s wonderful to be chosen. We just need to hear from you. Call, message or email. Let us know. We need that.

You can relax, because we do everything. You’ll be the star for coming up with something fabulous that no one else even thought of.

Today is the day.

My Hero

Posted on January 22, 2020 | by KyleTheGirl

She travels quite a bit across the country. Banks. Finance. Her afternoon flight today was postponed until tomorrow. After several attempts preempted by travel, the delay provided much needed time to come by and pick up her quilt.

“I’m on the way”! “I can’t wait”.

She arrives and greets me with a soft smile, a warm hug. In her eyes, anticipation. In her eyes, a hint of pink. That glimmer that results from excess moisture when the eyes have more than they need.

Pain and happiness at the same time.

I had the tissues –just in case.

There’s a slight quiver to her voice. “This is all I have left of Dad”. “These shirts”. “That’s why they mean so much”. “ And his watch”. “ I wear it every day”. A gold watch with a wide band is fastened to her left wrist.

Coming closer to the quilt she points to the center shirt. “This is what he was wearing when he took his last breath”.” I was with him”.

“ That picture”, pointing to the upper left corner, “is when I got married”. “He was my hero”. “He loved me so much”.

A brain tumor. Dementia. Yet, he still knew who his daughter was. “He would smile and light up when I came into the room”, she said softly dabbing her eye.

Happiness and pain at the same time.

Everything possible was done for him. Cyberknife. He was among the first to have the latest robotic tumor treatment. She paid for expensive 24 hr. private-duty nursing care. She did everything. Now he’s gone. The shirts are all she has left. Now it’s my turn. Everything needs to be done.

His favorite song was If Heaven Was Needing a Hero. “Hero” was included in the decorative quilting pattern. He loved the color red. All of his Corvettes were “candy apple red”. So red went around each shirt and was used for the outermost edge, the binding. The border fabric: cars including some old red cars. He liked cars. He owned 3 Firestone stores. She liked the black fabric on the back that looks like tire treads.

Her first car a red ’79 Porsche. Her brother had a red Stingray Corvette. I walk her and her quilt to her “today” Porsche. She wasn’t sure if she’d drive off right away or just wrap up in the car with the quilt. It’s cold out. I head back inside.

Her relationship with her father–everyone doesn’t enjoy that connection. Where, in the absence of physical presence–a touch or a hug–the eternal love between them is still very palpable. The quilt is now a surrogate.

Part of me is trying to be pragmatic. “Death” as an old nurse told me “is a part of life”. Death is part of life. The quilt is now a surrogate.

The tissues are close. The tissues are wimpy. When it’s raining inside, they don’t absorb everything. Is crumpling tissues violent?

Tennis Quilt

Posted on January 12, 2020 | by KyleTheGirl

Ryan is a high school senior. He plays on his school tennis team and came in to make something from all of his tennis shirts. Mom was there at the first meeting , but after that it was just Ryan and I walking through all of the possibilities and decisions on how he wanted his quilt to turn out. Part of me went in to “Mom” mode to make sure he was comfortable and understanding everything needed, the terminology, and how the pieces fit together. The other part of me recognized and respected the critical thinking capabilities of the young adult in front of me: evaluating options; asking questions; carefully comparing and weighing choices and not rushing in to decisions. There’s hope for the planet I thought and future generations. He was smart and polite with very nice manners.

“So what do you want to do when you finish school? I asked. Study “marine biology” was his reply. To this end, he was supposed to go the Bahamas for a semester of study. That was during the hurricane and the only time I looked at him like he was crazy. “Bahamas?” Well, he didn’t go then. Everything was postponed. Ah. whew.

So Mom and Dad, if you’re busy and can’t come to the appointment, or you want to delegate the responsibility to your young adult, I’m happy to work with them. Thanks to you, I’m in good hands.

Happy Holidays!

Posted on December 27, 2019 | by KyleTheGirl

Lawyers for the Arts

Posted on October 20, 2019 | by KyleTheGirl

The cover picture features a luxurious quilt, shown in a courtroom setting, that we created in support of Georgia Lawyers for the Arts (GLA). The top of the quilt is premium black cotton with the quilting in a legal theme in an ivory thread. (There are no t-shirts!) The quilting has the scales of justice, a book, a gavel. The border on the front is of a piano keyboard. This cotton fabric for the keyboard is now out of print, but we did buy up a quantity of it some years ago in case you may want to include it on your quilt as a special touch on a gift for a lawyer or musician. The back is a cuddly, super soft top quality minky.

GLA helps artists and inventors in need of legal advice. They offer personal assistance and also educational seminars such as on copyrights and trademarks. The quilt is for their annual gala and silent auction.

The way it works is that artists donate art in exchange for legal services. They have monthly sessions that one can apply for to meet with lawyers. When your case is accepted, screening and analysis is done to determine the best fit and then you meet with legal experts in your field of concern that have been selected to provide the best advice.

Before the meeting research is done by the team assigned to your case. They check out the facts and any conflicts of interest. Then a meeting date is set up at a top Atlanta area law firm. There you have the full attention of a group of about 5 expert lawyers. They assess and ask a lot of questions to get to know you and your concerns, and then they present a solution for you.

This can be invaluable in getting answers to make decisions related to artistic business endeavors. Fees are sliding scale and income based.

From personal experience I can highly recommend this organization. The gala is in support of this program and to raise money. Thank you to all of the lawyers involved! The event is open to the public and sure to be memorable! Check out their website for more info.

Give the gift of different! We can make a quilt just like this for you. It just may be the perfect holiday gift for your favorite lawyer. Contact us to get started!

At Taste of Hollywood

Posted on October 14, 2019 | by KyleTheGirl

He’s an up and coming movie set director. He designs, builds and manages the production of movie sets from Hollywood to our “Hollywood of the South”. Busy, it was exciting to be selected to finish his personal UFO (unfinished quilt object). Thanks Hunter for choosing us for your project.

Author: KyleTheGirl