T-Shirts and the Amazing Quilts Made From Them!
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A Healing Quilt

Posted by Stephanie in Quilts - (3 Comments)

A few short weeks ago I was contacted by Alison about a very special quilt she wanted to have made.  She had seen Swamp Quilts on Facebook and was excited to contact a local t-shirt quilt maker.  Alison’s husband, Tom, passed away unexpectedly last year and the quilt would be made from his favorite t-shirts.  Alison felt it was a great way to preserve and display Tom’s shirts while also putting them to good use.  Plus, it is something that she can pass down in the future.  Perfect!

When Alison brought the shirts by I was surprised because the vast majority of them were not graphic tees (except for the Star Trek one and a couple of others, of course!!).  These shirts were solid color, every day shirts.  In the past I’ve worked with so many shirts with graphics and designs it never crossed my mind that perhaps some of the most special shirts were the simple go-to favorites.  You know, those shirts that you can throw on with any pair of jeans or maybe just wear around the house when you are being lazy.  After all, these shirts are the most frequently used and probably have the most memories associated with them!  I was excited to have something new and different to work with.

As I dove into making the quilt I loved how soft and snuggly the shirts were.  This quilt was for Alison’s healing and it only made sense for the quilt to bring her comfort in every possible way.  Because I wanted to maintain the soft comfort of the shirts I decided early on to use lighter quilting.  The quilting is a simple checkerboard pattern, outlining the blocks of the quilt.  When working with shirts that have heavy graphics it’s necessary to use heavy quilting so that the shirts do not get distorted.  But, because these shirts were light and simple I knew the lighter quilting would be perfect.  I also had the opportunity to use a new design, a column look.  Alison had mentioned her favorite color was blue so I knew that was the color I was going to use for the sashing and backing.  I found some beautiful mid-dark blue super soft cotton that worked beautifully.  The back of the quilt incorporates this blue fabric, plus some brown pieces and a few more t-shirt blocks.

Alison ordered a King size quilt, and this quilt is huge!  I made sure there was plenty of overhang so she can easily cover her King size bed.  Quilts that only cover the top of the mattress are just a pain, in my opinion!

I was truly honored to be able to create such a meaningful quilt for such a lovely lady.  This is one quilt (and family!) I will surely remember for a very long time.

Alison, I hope you and your family love your quilt!

-Stephanie

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Spring Means Cleaning, Flowers and Maybe a Special!

Posted by Stephanie in Swamp News - (0 Comments)

It’s that time of year again: Spring!  I personally love Spring because it feels like a fresh start.  Spring cleaning, the new beautiful flowers outside and warm weather.  Spring cleaning bring that great feeling of de-cluttering.  It’s liberating to create space, get rid of old items and if possible, donate to people who could actually use all of that extra stuff I need to get rid of.

Clothing seems to be a common thread amongst my Spring Cleaning frenzies.  Between old jeans and t-shirts it feels like we fill 5 trash bags a year!  If you have the same experience and find yourself with piles of t-shirts you no longer wear but just can’t seem to throw out or give away, turn them into a beautiful, practical quilt!  In addition to the practicality it truly is a green practice to up-cycle those old shirts.

De-clutter, keep those memories and save the environment.  Awesome!

Follow us on Twitter @SwampQuilts and become a fan Facebook in order to receive daily and weekly updates, and learn about money saving specials!  We may even be running a Spring Cleaning special for our Twitter and Facebook pals….

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Chi O(h) So Cute- Finished Quilt

Posted by Stephanie in Quilts - (2 Comments)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend!  I was lucky enough to spend the holiday with my husband, mom and brother.  We chatted, ate some yummy food, enjoyed the wonderful weather and my Mom helped me start organizing my sewing room.  After a wonderful, but too short visit, I am back to my quilts!

In my last post Chi O(h) So Cute I told you about a really beautiful sorority quilt I was working on for Megan.  Megan’s t-shirts were colorful and unique, so I could not wait to see the final product.  This quilt does not disappoint!  Because of the array of t-shirt colors and designs the quilt is eye catching and funky but with the white and pink sashing, backing and binding it’s also very girly.

Megan’s quilt is twin size.  It’s a perfect summer weight bed covering or just a great quilt to snuggle up with on the couch year round.  For all photos of this quilt check out the photo page.

If you are interested in ordering a t-shirt quilt from Swamp Quilts please check out our ordering page or please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments.  We love hearing from you!

Have a great week!!

Chi O(h) So Cute!

Posted by Stephanie in Quilts | Swamp News - (1 Comments)

Hi everyone!  It feels like it has been ages since my last post.  It’s a busy time here as we try to reach out to those who we feel can appreciate our t-shirt quilts.  Most recently we have begun focusing on delving into the world o’ Greeks (aka Sorority and Frat kids!).  It seems like the perfect match: Us = a business who creates fun, personal and meaningful quilts from your favorite t-shirts and Greeks= a group of people who have an affinity for a funky tee with a catchy line.  This same group also makes a ton of memories while wearing these shirts but probably do not end up wearing but a few (if any!) of the many shirts they collect during their years in college.  Why keep all of those special shirts stored away collecting dust when they can be out on display and with function!

My first sorority shirt comes courtesy of one Megan I.  Megan is a proud member of the University of Florida’s Chi Omega sorority.  When she heard about my business and I heard about her t-shirt collection we knew it was time for some collaboration.  Yesterday, when I finally got my hands on her pile of t-shirts, I could hardly wait to get started.  I woke up this morning determined to make a major dent in this quilt and I did just that.  It’s just about time for bed and I have already laid out the quilt but I won’t post any of the pictures of the quilt blocks laid out so I do not ruin the surprise!  Tomorrow it’s on to piecing, quilting and binding.  Here’s to hoping that by tomorrow evening I will have several pictures of a brand new Chi O tee quilt for Megan and my readers!

Check out some pictures below of my progress today:

Be sure to check back tomorrow for updates and hopefully final pictures of this quilt.

Stephanie

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A Basketball T-Shirt Jones

Posted by Stephanie in Quilts - (5 Comments)

As you may well now know, my husband is a t-shirt fiend.  He has all sorts, but I think it all started with his basketball shirts.  His love of the game translated into many-a tournament, all-star game and summer camp.  Lucky for me he still has most of the shirts acquired during his glory days!  He even kept one of his jerseys, which is really showcased in his quilt.  The collage below was put together by my wonderful sister-in-law Kelsey, of Kelsey Lynn Photography.

Basketball T-Shirt Quilt

My Husband's Basketball T-shirt Quilt

As an added bonus, we headed south to attend his grandpa’s 80th birthday bash this weekend, and my hubby got to show off his new quilt to the whole family.  Here’s a photo from the big reveal.

Basketball T-Shirt Quilt

The Big Reveal!

The front of the jersey is appliqued onto the quilt top, and quilted like the rest of the squares.  The back of the jersey is appliqued onto the back of the quilt, so it appears it goes through the quilt itself.  I will post more detailed pictures soon, these don’t quite do it justice.  Stay tuned!

xS

My New Logo! (It’s Love)

Posted by Stephanie in Swamp News - (0 Comments)

When I set out to start this site I knew I would need a logo but I really did not know what exactly I wanted my logo to be.  After sending out an APB via Facebook and Twitter, appealing to any and all who would be so kind as to lend me their graphic design know-how, one of my oldest and dearest friends answered my call.  Mark Thor who I have known for years and years, and who has been an amazing artist for even longer, whipped up something off the top of his head and I loved it!

I have seen my share of logos.  And I have also seen first hand just how long and arduous the logo design process can be.  But, after sending Mark a couple of general ideas I had in mind, Mark knocked it out of the park on the first try.  His design eye and interpretation of ideas is refreshing and innovative.  He’s a graphic design guru, accomplished artist and a professional through and through.  I highly recommend Mark for any of your artistic or graphic design needs.

You can check out Mark’s other work in his online portfolio.  Please contact Mark via email at Pele8123@hotmail.com regarding his freelance services.

Happy Spring and daylight savings!

Stephanie

Mama Always Said Quilted Is Better Than Tied

Posted by Stephanie in Swamp News - (0 Comments)

When I first caught the sewing bug I really wanted to make a quilt, and quick.  When it came to creating I was not the kind of kid who was slow and steady.  I wanted to think of something and create it on the fly.  My Mom would spend months and months on quilts, hand quilting every detail, making sure it was just so.  Not me.  Enter: The Tied Quilt.

Tied quilts were the perfect answer to my need for nearly instant gratification.  And, fortunately, I had little intention of keeping this creations for years and years to come.

I love a great tied quilt.  There is something a bit nostalgic about them for me, but they just simply do not last nearly as long as a quilted quilt.  Tied quilts have small knots tied every several inches of the quilt top.  The knots bind the 3 layers of the quilt: Quilt top, batting and quilt back.  I have a photo of a tie below for those of you who do not know what one looks like.

Tied Quilt

A Knot Used to Tie a Quilt Top

As you can see in the image, the knot is small and simple.  It certainly serves the purpose of holding all components of the quilt together, and some may argue tied quilts are a little softer or cozier.  But, the knots are few and far between, and frankly if you plan on using and laundering you quilt frequently, a tied quilt does not hold up nearly as well.

As the years passed I came to realize that with all of the time and energy put into a quilt, it’s worth the little bit of extra time to properly quilt a quilt.  Quilt tops take immense energy and thought to create and it just felt funny to spend so much time creating a quilt top only to tie it.  In case you aren’t sure about what I mean by quilting a quilt top please refer to the photo below.  This is a small quilted portion of a quilt I recently put together.

Quilted Quilt Top

Quilting on a Quilt Top

Quilting can be done by hand or by machine.  Here at Swamp Quilts we utilize machine quilting.  It’s simply faster and more uniform.  Quilting a quilt top is an art and can be done in  many different ways and patterns.  We use simple stippling, which is basically squiggles all over the top of the quilt.  It looks great on any quilt, it gives the quilt top a lot of quilting and thus a lot of strength and as an added bonus when you wash and dry the quilt it gets “crinkly”.  Check out our photo page for examples of stippled quilts.

The bottom line: Tied quilts are fine, and if you are only using the very lightly or as decoration, it could be a great option for your  quilt.  Quilted quilts are strong, hold up for years even with heavy use and frequent laundering, and I just think they look better!

I hope that I have shed some light on the two options and helped make your decision a little easier.  As always, if you have any questions or comments we would love to hear them.  Please contact us or leave a comment on this post.

Stephanie

You Had Me At Pink Graphic Tee

Posted by Stephanie in Quilts - (2 Comments)

I’ve mentioned in a previous post that my husband had and still has quite the collection of t-shirts.  Well, lucky for me, he’s not the only one in my family with a t-shirt obsession.

My brother has quite the taste for tee’s.  Not just any tee’s, he wants a t-shirt with a message.  But, not just any message.  It must be pithy, catchy, loaded, funny or at the very least, look really cool.  In an attempt to clear out my sewing room, I hand picked some of the funniest and brightest tee’s he donated to my stash and created a great graphic t-shirt quilt.

Graphic T-Shirt Quilt

It’s the size of a throw, and is just the right size for lounging on the couch or if you need that little extra warmth on your bed during colder nights.  Check out a picture of it at right, and for all of the photos of the throw you can head over to my photos page.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Stephanie

Web 2.0 and Quilts, A Match Made In Heaven

Posted by Stephanie in Swamp News - (0 Comments)

I’m so excited about our new site!  This site has been in the making for quite some time.  I wanted to not only have a great site where new customers can find the information they need to order, but also where current customers can find out about the status of their quilts.  I want every visitor of the site to see just what we are up to at Swamp Quilts and share in the excitement of each quilt we create.

Ultimately, it’s my goal to give each customer a full circle experience.  From the time you order until the time your new quilt is in your hands, I want you to be completely informed on what is happening with your quilt.  Through Web 2.0 applications such as Facebook, Twitter and this blog, updates will be posted about the various quilts we are working on, including yours!  As a customer, we know it can sometimes be agonizing never knowing what is going on with your order, from the time it’s placed until the time it is fulfilled.  We hope to alleviate some or all of that stress by providing updates in real time.

Please take a few minutes to look around at the newly added pages of our website.  If you have any questions or would like to place an order please send me a message at Stephanie@Swampquilts.com

Remember: Get your graduation orders in now, while it’s still early, so we can get your quilt done before that graduation date rolls around!

Happy Friday!

Stephanie

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T-Shirts and Quilting and Memories, Oh My!

Posted by Stephanie in Swamp News - (0 Comments)

Welcome to the new Swamp Quilts blog and website!

Here at Swamp Quilts we specialize in T-shirt and Memory Quilts.

They say “Necessity is the Mother of Invention,” and while I did not invent the concept of the T-shirt quilt, necessity definitely piqued my interest in this niche.  Just a few short years ago when my husband  and I were faced with combining each of our separate closets into one, I was faced with his reality: T-shirts.  To say he has many t-shirts is a understatement.  He has t-shirts from his high school and AAU basketball days, he has t-shirts courtesy of his favorite fishing tournaments, spring break and family trips, University of Florida athletics, etc. etc.  The man has t-shirts!

In an effort to reduce our clothing storage needs and preserve the memories associated with each of his shirts it occurred to me to make him a t-shirt quilt.  T-shirt quilts are simply wonderful.  Not only is each one completely unique, but they are incredibly soft and comfortable.  Every time you cozy up with your quilt, you are reminded of the special  memories that were created when you were wearing that shirt.  It’s like a scrapbook, but much more functional and soft!

T-shirt quilts are great for:

*Graduation gifts for high school and college graduates

*Fraternity or Sorority t-shirts

*Race t-shirts from marathons, 5k’s, tri-athalons, etc.

*Favorite sports team t-shirts

*Favorite graphic t-shirts collection

Swamp Quilts understands that your t-shirts are unique and very special to you.  We take special care of each of your shirts and your completed quilt.  From receipt of your shirts, to piecing of the quilt, to shipping we are meticulous.  Let Swamp Quilts create your fantastic new quilt.

For pricing, order info and photos please check out the other pages of the site.

Thank you for for visiting and please check back often for updates.

Stephanie