I used to be really into music. Now, not so much. I blame college for that, which I know is weird. But I grew up in the Chicago area, radio stations were on top of the music scene. I heard new bands all the time that weren't main stream, who were just breaking through.
Then I moved to ISU, and I couldn't find a radio station to my liking so I stuck with what I knew. And eventually once I moved back home, I became re-hooked on talk radio. I say re-hooked because I spent the years of middle school and early high school listening to guys like Johnny B, Kevin Matthews and Steve Cochran. These guys are comedy shows, but now I listen to more serious stuff. Not like serious, but more serious.
I regress…
I loved music, and I loved going to concerts. And could rarely leave a venue without some sort of shirt, sticker or button, they were a status symbol. The bad thing about concert tee shirts is they are large or extra large, and though when I first started on the concert scene, I was larger and into a bagger style. Then in college, the weight was gone and I was just swimming in these shirts and was enjoying not having to hide behind tons of fabric, so these shirts were stashed away. I couldn't give them up… they were my concerts!
About three years ago, I decided to turn them into a tee shirt quilt. One weekend I cut squares out of all my tee shirts, and then I lost steam and they were packed away in a Rubbermaid container. With one square cut smaller than the rest… on accident.
Fast-forward to last August, we had settled into our condo and I decided it was time to get this thing finished. Over a few weekends, I managed to cut all the tee shirt squares down to the mis-sized square's size, as well as a few pairs of my favorite jeans that had become too small and holey. They were all pieced together (with stabilizer even!) and then sewed up with a light batting and a cozy fleece backing. And then progress stopped.
I had intentions all along to include a listing of all the concerts I had attended, but first I had to locate my old journals with all the ticket stubs. More difficult than it may seem, seeing as I'd moved twice and they were packed away somewhere in my parents' house.
A couple months went along with these MIA, but they were found eventually. In my foyer. In boxes of stuff that had been brought over from my parents' that I swear I had checked.
The original plan was to embroider all this text into a blank square. So I started… and then stopped, until yesterday. It had been decided a few weeks ago that this needed to get done finally. I ditched the embroidery, headed to JoAnn's and bought some iron-on transfer paper. Last night's craft group meeting, was a time for me to rip out all my embroidery. Total fun at Panera, got me some weird looks. I also was properly advised on to do a hidden stitch. Finally! And then this morning I finished up by tying the quilt.
How's that for too much information? You like that step-by-step? It is nice to have it done. I cannot wait to curl up with it tonight with some homemade kettle corn and LOST. Heck, I can even store the remote in the pocket.
And in case you're wondering… My Concert History (as seen in the lower left red box):
Dave Matthews Band 12/1998, 06/2000 • Jamboree festival 05/1999, 05/2000 • Blink 182 06/2000, 07/2000, 07/2001, 06/2002 with Green Day • Fuel 02/2001 • Vertical Horizon 04/2001 • Weezer 09/2001, 12/2001 • Twisted festival 12/2001 • Zwan 03/2003
Now crafting life can go on… not to say this quilt hasn't hindered any crafting.
Then I moved to ISU, and I couldn't find a radio station to my liking so I stuck with what I knew. And eventually once I moved back home, I became re-hooked on talk radio. I say re-hooked because I spent the years of middle school and early high school listening to guys like Johnny B, Kevin Matthews and Steve Cochran. These guys are comedy shows, but now I listen to more serious stuff. Not like serious, but more serious.
I regress…
I loved music, and I loved going to concerts. And could rarely leave a venue without some sort of shirt, sticker or button, they were a status symbol. The bad thing about concert tee shirts is they are large or extra large, and though when I first started on the concert scene, I was larger and into a bagger style. Then in college, the weight was gone and I was just swimming in these shirts and was enjoying not having to hide behind tons of fabric, so these shirts were stashed away. I couldn't give them up… they were my concerts!
About three years ago, I decided to turn them into a tee shirt quilt. One weekend I cut squares out of all my tee shirts, and then I lost steam and they were packed away in a Rubbermaid container. With one square cut smaller than the rest… on accident.
Fast-forward to last August, we had settled into our condo and I decided it was time to get this thing finished. Over a few weekends, I managed to cut all the tee shirt squares down to the mis-sized square's size, as well as a few pairs of my favorite jeans that had become too small and holey. They were all pieced together (with stabilizer even!) and then sewed up with a light batting and a cozy fleece backing. And then progress stopped.
I had intentions all along to include a listing of all the concerts I had attended, but first I had to locate my old journals with all the ticket stubs. More difficult than it may seem, seeing as I'd moved twice and they were packed away somewhere in my parents' house.
A couple months went along with these MIA, but they were found eventually. In my foyer. In boxes of stuff that had been brought over from my parents' that I swear I had checked.
The original plan was to embroider all this text into a blank square. So I started… and then stopped, until yesterday. It had been decided a few weeks ago that this needed to get done finally. I ditched the embroidery, headed to JoAnn's and bought some iron-on transfer paper. Last night's craft group meeting, was a time for me to rip out all my embroidery. Total fun at Panera, got me some weird looks. I also was properly advised on to do a hidden stitch. Finally! And then this morning I finished up by tying the quilt.
How's that for too much information? You like that step-by-step? It is nice to have it done. I cannot wait to curl up with it tonight with some homemade kettle corn and LOST. Heck, I can even store the remote in the pocket.
And in case you're wondering… My Concert History (as seen in the lower left red box):
Dave Matthews Band 12/1998, 06/2000 • Jamboree festival 05/1999, 05/2000 • Blink 182 06/2000, 07/2000, 07/2001, 06/2002 with Green Day • Fuel 02/2001 • Vertical Horizon 04/2001 • Weezer 09/2001, 12/2001 • Twisted festival 12/2001 • Zwan 03/2003
Now crafting life can go on… not to say this quilt hasn't hindered any crafting.
1 comment:
Love it!!!! Gotta get on making one of those! T-shirts are so great!!! Going to make any others?
Post a Comment