Come on out Saturday. We’ll be there, be sure to buy a raffle ticket for your chance at winning a one-of-a-kind quilt.
Author: KyleTheGirl
Piedmont Park Arts Festival
We’ll be there Aug. 17 – 18. Lots of great artists, and a great time to start early holiday shopping. It would be an honor to meet and speak with you in person. Hope to see you there!
CEO Material
I had an appointment with the CEO of a major corporation. Thanks to his executive admin that found me. I traveled to meet them. Once there, I couldn’t just ride the elevator to the top floor unaccompanied. You had to be expected, announced and someone had to have key access to let you in the elevator and on to the floor! The whole top floor is his company. His admin takes me to his office. He’s busy. I wait my turn.
He greets me. He’s the proverbial tall, dark and handsome with a very engaging smile. Besides him, I’m distracted by the magnificent view. You see, from his penthouse you can see all over the city. Breathtaking. I get a personal tour of his company, his executives, his staff. This is what success looks like. Quiet opulence.
I’m there because he’s looking for something special. The details matter. He has a vision and knows what he wants. He’s CEO decisive. How else do you get on the top 10, 25, 100 successful company lists. He’s not about to settle.
With an understanding of his vision, I’ve got enough to get started and leave with the shirts. They’re still tagged with stickers from what appears to be a failed attempt by another company. He wants it now. (Um it might take a little longer). Back at the studio we start the design process. After several rejections and design iterations we arrive at what he likes. Success. So when we make your quilt. You’re in good company. This is what it takes. This is CEO material!
Do You Have Enough Shirts?
Do you have enough shirts to start your quilt? And which ones do you want to include. Here are some tips that can help you get started.
- First find a style that you like as “enough shirts” depends on the style and look that you like. Do you like symmetry as in a Blocky quilt which is laid out like a grid? Or can the shirts be more randomly placed, like Freestyle. Look at lots and lots of pictures of different styles to first narrow it down to the looks that resonate with you the most. You will find several in our Portfolio . Try searching the Portfolio by style or theme such as Blocky, Freestyle, Peachtree. If you don’t see exactly what you like, sharing your thoughts on paper such as a rough sketch can help us to take it to the next step and develop a design concept to go with your vision.
- Next make sure you have located all of your shirts. Look through all of your drawers and other places you may have tucked t-shirts away. Check the closet, laundry room, under the bed, in storage in the basement or attic; Mom’s or grandma’s house; at your friend’s house; a child’s room. Having everything is important as it can be more expensive to add shirts on later after the design phase is done or sewing is in progress. Once you have them all, then prioritize in the order that you want them included.
- Go through all of the shirts one by one and decide if you will be ok with not wearing that special shirt anymore. Once it’s in the quilt, you’ll still be wearing it, but as a quilt not as clothing! Can you live without wearing that clothing article?
- Think of why you tucked that shirt away in the first place. Does it make you smile? Does it transport you back to a special event from the past? Are you reminded of why you kept it and glad you still have it? Is it colorful, does it have your name, or team on it, does it have an interesting picture on it? If the quilt will be a gift, keep in mind what you think the recipient would choose rather than yourself!
- As you’re going through the shirts sort them in to 3 piles. The “Yes” pile is for those that are in for sure. “Optional” is for those to include only if needed. Further prioritize the “Optionals” into which would go in first to which would go in last, if needed. The “No” pile is for those that you’ve decided not to include maybe because you still want to wear it or maybe you’re done with it for good and it’s time to donate it to a thrift store.
- Be sure to smell your t-shirts after washing. Sometimes with athletic shirts, even after washing, the “authentic” sports fragrance can linger. Think of that thrift store smell. Sometimes this can reside in clothes that have been sweated in heavily even after they’ve been washed! So take a whiff after washing. It can help when making a final decision on which t-shirts to include.
- For all of the “In” shirts, put a safety pin in the part of the shirt that you want to include: front, back, sleeve, pocket. Count all of your “In” shirts. Same with the “Optionals” and then place all of them in a separate bag labeled as such.
- Place all of the “In” and “Optionals” in a plastic bin or sturdy bag to transport them. It helps to keep everything together. When all done, your container will be returned to you along with your remnants and “Optional” shirts that didn’t make it in to the quilt.
Good job! We are happy to advise and offer our opinions but sorting and prioritizing to come up with how many is best done by you based on what you’d like to include. Then Contact Us . We’ll take it from there and start the design process with the quantity of shirts that you have to get to the look that you like for your masterpiece.
Hope this helps you take the “leap” and get started on creating your special t-shirt quilt! Meanwhile, we’re at your service, should you need help at any time. We have the talent, time, and space to work together with you to create a masterpiece that you’ll be proud of.
64 Marathons
In the early Spring of 2019, Elizabeth Simon, a 39-year-old mother of 4, recently completed her quest to run a marathon in all 50 States, bringing her grand total of marathons run to 64! An avid runner since High School, Elizabeth gradually worked her way through longer and longer races. In 2008, Elizabeth ran her first Marathon in Georgia. Although it was physically taxing and required a recovery time, she was hooked. She discovered and joined the Houston based 50 States Marathon Club.
While training and competing in marathons throughout the Country, Elizabeth Simon is a dedicated wife to husband Rob, Mother to four children as well as maintaining a full-time career. Her children ranging in age from 5 – 14, along with her husband got a taste of marathon training when Elizabeth encouraged them to cross the finish line with her in the Chattanooga Marathon. Members of the Simon family ran along with Elizabeth in various legs of her 50th marathon, all joining together to cross the finish line with her.
The experience of crossing the finish line with her family as she completed her goal of running a marathon in each of the 50 States was icing on the cake. The accomplishment of running a marathon in each of the 50 states is a remarkable achievement. Couple it with being a mom to 4, wife and maintaining a career, it is monumental.
Husband Rob wanted to honor his wife Elizabeth’s accomplishment by tying together the memories of the 50 marathons in a single memento. Searching the web for a gift idea that would tie together the memories of each of the 50 marathons into a single commemoration, Rob discovered Just-T-Shirts Quilts in Marietta, Georgia.
Just T-Shirts Quilts specializes in customized quilts made from t-shirts and clothing gathered from life’s special events. Armed with a shirt from each of the 50 marathons, Rob and the children went to visit Just T-Shirts Quilts.
After discussing the design pattern with the owner Kyle and the ability to incorporate a t-shirt from each of the 50 marathons, Rob decided that a customized quilt that would be in the family for generations was the right gift to celebrate the achievement that Elizabeth had accomplished.
Working with 50 t-shirts from 50 states, it was decided that the custom quilt for Elizabeth would be a two-sided quilt to prominently feature each race while honoring the totality of her accomplishment. Just T-Shirts Quilt added a custom stitch pattern, 26.2 throughout the quilt to represent the distance of a marathon. The shirts are included on each side of the quilt in the order in which they were run.
Now that this customized quilt has been completed and presented to Elizabeth as a lasting memento of years of running in marathons throughout the USA, Rob will have to prepare for the next phase of his wife’s running ambitions.
Elizabeth will not stand still even after running 50 marathons, she now has set her sights on running in the most prestigious marathons in the world including, Chicago, Berlin, Tokyo and London.
More about Elizabeth from this article published in the AJC https://www.ajc.com/news/local/atlanta-woman-runs-marathons-states/molpYMksM0nmDh3pmxC5PK/
An inspirational running weight loss story https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a27312362/weight-loss-transformation-christopher-hasty/
A Marathon in Each State
I got some flowers! Ok they’re dandelions but what a special gift.
Rob called to tell me he was coming by on a Saturday with 4 kids. He’s in charge of his wife’s quilt as she travels. Rob shows up with his 2 boys. One around 9 years old and the other 5. Awww part of me was disappointed all 4 kids didn’t come, but the other 2 of 4 kids ended up being with family.
It was refreshing to be around the 2 boys. They are both young baseball players. We just happened to have a couple of graduation baseball quilts in house in progress. The boys were interested on my explanations on the story behind the quilt and how we quilted the baseballs on the quilt. I walked them through the design process and the a quick overview of the software. That seemed to hold their interest for a bit. Once bored though, with Dad’s approval they played outside close to the workroom. Rob and I continued on the beginnings of a double-sided quilt for his wife. We have 50 shirts as she’s run one marathon in all 50 states. That includes the Boston Marathon!
The boys came back in after being outside for a bit and the younger came in holding his hand out and offering me a handful of what to him were flowers. They are dandelions, but the point is he wanted to be nice back. I guess something I said or did struck a chord with him. This made me feel super special as it was something totally unexpected.
It was Mother’s Day weekend. Ok I expect flowers from my husband or my son, but really not from a strange child that I just met. It was more a shock as I hadn’t even paid attention that dandelions were growing outside and available to be picked.
The simple gesture from a child said so many things to me. It said a lot about his parents, particularly his Dad. Where else do you learn that flowers are a ways to show appreciation to a girl. And I seriously didn’t do much except be nice, include them, and offer them graham crackers and TV when they got bored! To this child, it meant a lot, and that’s what I got flowers for! He doesn’t know they’re weeds LOL. To him they’re flowers. I smiled and fussed over him once he gave them to me. His eyes seemed to light up with the realization that he did something that made me happy.
So ladies and gents, don’t ever forget that you’re a role model. Your words, mannners, gestures and generosity, your children are learning from, and they can have an impact where you least expect it such a on a complete stranger. In this case, me.
In that simple gesture I was the recipient of many of the things that women appreciate in a “good” man. This was coming from a very young boy.
With Father’s Day now approaching. Thank you to the Fathers and parents that are there setting a good example. Keep up the good work. The results can be powerful!
And, yes, bring your kids. It’s ok! Really.
UFOs
As quilt makers we are always on the look out for UFO’s. One was recently spotted in Vikki’s arms as she walked in to our studio. Don’t worry. It’s safe. so no need though to call in the authorities!
The fact is we see UFO’s all the time! In our business a UFO is an UnFinished Object. A quilt that was begun by you, a grandma or other relative that was never completed can now be completed today using today digital technologies.
Whether your UFO was begun by hand or with a machine using free motion, we can apply today’s digital technology to masterfully complete quilts that were started 10, 20 even 30 years ago. With digital quilting we can replicate even the most intricate free motion quilting, which enables us to complete quilts without missing a stitch.
In this example, Vikki, pieced, or made her gorgeous blocks from paper instructions 30 years ago but until now never finished the entire quilt.
To start the process we met with her to go over her ideas. We then chose some digital quilting designs that she liked, imported them and then were able to visually show her how the designs would look on her quilt before quilting it. Once approved we set up the patterns digitally based on the size of the quilt and got started.
The technology of new digital quilting using a computer guided long arm machine enables us to complete your old UFO with modern finishing and turn it into a quilt for today!
Perhaps you have a UFO lurking on your property. In your closet. Look around. No need to contact the authorities, contact us. Let’s explore ! We’ll listen and go over what you like and how we can best turn your UFO into a finished work of art.
Chainsaws and Quilts
Chainsaws and quilts don’t normally belong together, that is unless the quilt is a living memorial of chainsaw competitions. That’s exactly what we created for a client who participates in chainsaw competitions. We have created personalized quilts for a variety of events, hobbies and passions, this is the first to memorialize the mighty chainsaw!
Using a portrait of him and his chainsaw as a centerpiece, we pieced together fronts, backs and snippets of t-shirts from his most memorable competitions. As it turns out these competitions are held all over the world! We enhanced the motif by using a quilting pattern replicating the jagged edge of the chain saw on the top and bottom borders. We further enhanced the stitching pattern by using a variegated green and tan thread creating a visual illusion of depth. Our tough chainsaw competitor now has a soft, cuddly, comfortable quilt to snuggle up to after a grueling day of cutting. It was prepared to hang on his wall as a living memory of the sweat, cuts, blisters and calluses of his many chainsaw competitions.
Chainsaws and quilts. Unusual bedtime companions !
We invite chainsaw competitors from around the world to memorialize your participation with a personalized quilt that you can snuggle with or hang on the wall as a living monument to your achievements in cutting logs!
Signed, Sealed, Delivered
Congratulations Madison! Madison is shown here with her soccer quilt masterpiece, a combination birthday and graduation-going-off-to-college present. Madison has signed to play soccer at Howard University in Washington, DC. Her quilt is a collection of shirts and jerseys that Dad, also her coach, managed to confiscate or provide such as the center Howard sweatshirt. He managed to keep the details sealed and a secret from the whole family in order to create her quilt. Thus, at the time of delivery, it was a total surprise for Madison.
Dad wanted the school mascot in the corners. Check. Those big bison were quilted in a different color. The quilting also includes soccer balls in navy so as not to compete for attention with the shirts or the Bison. Quilting makes it a quilt. The back is a fabulously soft “minky” fabric, that feels good to the touch and is nice to snuggle up with.
Dad came to pick up the completed quilt for a planned birthday dinner. He brought with a specially purchased beautiful hand-painted blue trunk to put it in for protection and long-term safe-keeping.
It was a pleasure to work hand in hand with Dad, Terry, to create this special memory for his daughter. From working with him– his thought processes and decision making, I’d tag him as a perfectionist. The details had to be there as was getting everything in the right arrangement of colors and fabrics. Perfectionist? I’d say great minds think alike!
What can we put our best foot forward to create for you? Let’s talk. Ideas welcomed! We’re at 678-324-8084 and would love to hear your thoughts in order to get started on your vision! If you need it by May, today is the day!
Running Quilt
Running is a passion that Terri and Wes share together. They came to us with their collection of shirts. Initially, they wanted basic and simple. We listened. We designed. The mockup was done.
“That’s not doing anything for me”, said Terri. Got it. Back to the drawing board we went. We listened. We designed . Terri went shopping and came back with some more ideas AND fabric that went with each shirt such as the dog paws around the ASPCA shirt on the cover. We listened. We designed. The mockup was approved. On the cover is the result.
The finishing included quilting of a runner crossing the finish line. See it? Quilting makes it a quilt. The embroidered label was added on the back below a photo print that Terri provided. Done.
And this is only a years’ worth of shirts!
They came on Sunday to pick up their masterpiece after just having run another race. “The pictures <progress photos viewed online>, Wes said when they came to pick it up “Don’t do it justice. Many more wonderful adjectives followed. You’re happy. We’re happy.
What can we design for you?
