This is a sponsored post with The Motherhood, all opinions are 100% our own!
My oldest daughter is just a few months away from high school graduation! I’m in both a state of shock on how that time arrived so soon and also I am so excited for her future and the things she will accomplish. She’s been accepted into the Bachelor of Fine Arts program in a half dozen universities and will be a Dance major with emphasis in choreography. Dance has been a huge part of her life since she was 3 and I recently had the chance to create a graduation gift for her that honors that passion. With a partnership with Project Repat, I was able to take 10+ years worth of dance t-shirts and repurpose them into a twin-sized memory quilt!
When I first learned about the company, I visited their website and watched a video similar to this one:
I sobbed happy tears and knew this was something I wanted to do for my daughter. Since she’s started dancing there has been yearly recital tees, dance competition tees, and high school concert tees that she has collected. Of course those shirts don’t fit forever, but the memories they hold are special. She looked back on photos where she wore the shirts to help her decide, remembering friends and moments in time. Instead of keeping those tees in a box in the closet, upcycling them into something functional is such a creative and fun idea. Project Repat will make your shirts into a lap quilt or a quilt to fit a twin, full, queen, or king-sized bed. The process was remarkably easy. For the 4’ x 6 blanket (twin size), my daughter needed to select 24 shirt sides that she wanted to include. That meant 24 tees (using only the fronts) or 12 tees (using both front and back), or a combination totaling 24. The website is super helpful on this process and how to cut your tees (when you’re only using one side) for every size quilt you’re planning on. After her shirts were chosen, she decided on one of 7 fleece colors and we were ready to ship the tees. Not only did Project Repat come up with a brilliant idea, they’re eco-conscious and repatriate or bring jobs back to the US!I fit our tees for the twin quilt in an $18 flat rate shipping box at the Post Office that includes tracking. My order was received in two days and 5 days later I had our finished product! When we opened the package, I immediately teared up (this milestone is big)! My daughter’s eyes got big and she had a huge smile on her face as she gazed over the quilt. To get the best look, we laid it out across her bed and gave it a thorough scan. Our first impression was that it was awesome! My daughter was impressed, “look how they used a black tee every other square!” We didn’t plan that, she didn’t even remember choosing that specific number of black tees versus the other colors. They really had a great eye on planning that out and making it look well balanced. She chose the shirt backs of many tees because certain names, or groups of names strike different memories from concerts and recitals. For the last 6 months, my daughter has become a dance instructor at her studio and some of her students’ names are also on those more recent tees. The black fleece is super soft and a perfect compliment to the back side of the quilt. Just like throwing a t-shirt on, throwing the quilt over her body was soft and the blanket is flexible to cozy up in! When you’re ready to fold up the blanket, it folds up flat and doesn’t take up too much room.A lot of milestones and changes happened this year in my daughter’s dance studio. The owner who has taught her for over a decade sold the studio and is expecting her first baby. My daughter took over about 8 classes and is choreographing a majority of this year’s recital. And, the studio also went through a complete name and logo change so many of these tees are the last of their kind representing an important place in her life. The blanket has so much more meaning the more we really thing about it!
My daughter has a few more weeks before her decision is made on which university she will attend. It’s hard to believe she will move out from our home into a dormitory next fall, but this special memory will definitely be a special addition to her dorm bed and a great ice breaker in conversation to the new people she’ll be meeting as well. Thank you Project Repat for this treasured quilt!
The quilt we ordered sells for $109, the best deal you’ll find anywhere for this type of blanket! There is tons of time to get yours ready for graduation or end of the school year gifts. Most shipping occurs 3-4 weeks from when the shirts are received, rush shipping is available for an additional $20. To find out more about Project Repat and order your tshirt quilt, visit http://projectrepat.com/ or check them out on social media and see the other great quilts that have been made!
Project Repat Facebook
Project Repat Instagram
Giveaway/Reader Discount Information:
Interested in creating your own custom t-shirt blanket? Sign up here http://goo.gl/forms/wE3T5AgvRc to receive an email from Project Repat with a 30% off coupon code. One person who signs up also will be randomly chosen to receive a $75 voucher, which can be redeemed with Project Repat to purchase a 16-panel lap blanket at no charge. Project Repat will contact you directly if you are chosen as the winner!
What would your tshirt blanket look like?