Too Cool T-shirt Quilts tm Bar & Bat Mitzvah T-shirt Quilt Guide A T-shirt quilt made for a Bar or Bat Mitzvah celebration is a wonderful way of preserving childhood memories. Too Cool T-shirt Quilts is a leading maker of Bar or Bat Mitzvah T-shirt quilts. Having made thousands of quilts, we understand the level of knowledge you need to have in order to make informed decisions about transforming your T-shirts into a cherished quilt. That s why we have written this guide. We have gathered answers to the most important questions customers have asked about having a Bar or Bat Mitzvah T-shirt quilt made. Hopefully, this guide will answer your questions. Too Cool TM T-shirt Quilts You are more than welcome to call us here at Too Cool T-shirt Quilts with any questions you have about your T-shirt quilt. 269-749-9249 Info@TooCoolTshirtQuilts.com Copyright 2013 Too Cool T-shirt Quilts Inc. and Too Cool T-shirt Quilts International LLC
Table of Contents Why should I have a Bar or Bat Mitzvah T-shirt quilt made?...3 What items and fabrics can be included in my Bar or Bat Mitzvah quilt?...4 How do I choose which T-shirts to put in my Bar or Bat Mitzvah quilt?...5 Should I tell my Bar or Bat Mitzvah about his or her quilt before it is made?...8 How do I display my quilt during the Bar or Bat Mitzvah celebrations?...10 Why should I have a T-shirt quilt made by Too Cool T-shirt Quilts?...12
Why should I have a Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah T-shirt quilt made? Bar or Bat Mitzvah is a Jewish coming of age ritual. According to Jewish law, when a Jewish boy turns 13, he becomes accountable for his actions and becomes a Bar Mitzvah. The coming of age for girls is 12. As a result, this point in a Jewish person s life is a very important defining line between childhood and adulthood. And of course, there is a party to mark the event. A T-shirt quilt is a great gift to celebrate this important change in a Jewish boy or girl s life. These T-shirt quilts are traditionally made from the child s T-shirts which have been collected by the child s parents. Many times the child s special clothing and T-shirts have been saved since birth. Making a child a T-shirt quilt at age 12 or 13 is perfect timing. Their Bar or Bat Mitzvah T- shirt quilt will be an heirloom preserving childhood memories. As the child attends middle and high school, new T-shirts can be collected and saved for a high school graduation T-shirt quilt.
What items and fabrics can be included in a Bar or Bat Mitzvah T-shirt quilt? This is a question that is asked frequently by our customers. The term T-shirt quilt tends to suggest that only T-shirts can be used in a T-shirt quilt. However, Too Cool T-shirt Quilts can use any fabric that is machine washable in a T-shirt quilt. This means you can use almost anything! Blue jeans Plaid shirts Dance outfits Sports pendants Dance tutu Aprons Football jerseys Gymnastics outfits Patches Leotards Shorts Girl Scout sashes Bandanas Scarves Bike jerseys Backpacks
How do I choose which T-shirts to put in my Bar or Bat Mitzvah T-shirt quilt? First, think about how the quilt will be used and by whom. Then, look at the T-shirts and other clothing items you have to use. A Bar or Bat Mitzvah quilt can cover the child s life, from baby to pre-teen. If the quilt will be saved as an heirloom and passed down through the generations, you can use items in the quilt from all the periods of a child s life. But think carefully about what you put into the quilt if you plan on using it on your young teenager s bed. Mothers really like the baby clothing from their child to be included in their quilts because they are precious and hold cherished memories. Yet, not all teenagers enjoy having a onesie in their quilt. It might be a little embarrassing to have to explain to their friends about their baby onesie. In this case, two quilts may need to be made, one with the baby clothing for the mother and one with the other clothing for the Bar or Bat Mitzvah. Once the decision has been made as to which items are appropriate for your Bar or Bat Mitzvah quilt, the next step may be to weed some T-shirts out if you have too many.
Depending on the size of quilt you want, you may need to weed out some of the T-shirts. Kids tend to have heaps of T-shirts they have collected over the years. To begin weeding out some T-shirts to make the quilt size you would like, begin with giving the T-shirts a priority status. First, make a pile of T-shirts that must be in your quilt. Then, make a second pile of T-shirts that you would really like to be in the quilt, but would be okay with if they did not make it. The remaining T-shirts can then be either weeded-out or made into a third pile to be used if necessary after all of the other T-shirts have been used. When you send your T-shirts in to be made into your quilt, separate these piles into individual plastic bags and note on the bags to use first, second and last. If, after all of this separating of T-shirts, there are still too many T-shirts for the size of quilt you had initially desired, consider going up to the next quilt size, having two quilts made, or having a quilt and a pillow made. If you don t have enough T-shirts to make the quilt size you would like, then consider a smaller quilt, a pillow or adding a border to make your quilt larger.
Remember, the approximate number of T-shirts needed for each size quilt is an approximate number! It may take more, or less depending on the number and size of the graphics on your T-shirts. Since a Bar or Bat Mitzvah quilt is made from children s clothing, you may need to be on the high end of the range of T-shirts needed, or even need more than is indicated in the chart for a particular quilt size.
Should I tell my Bar or Bat Mitzvah about his or her quilt before it is made? Yes - Reasons to talk about the quilt before having one made: You might get more T-shirts than you could otherwise sneak out of the wash. Your child may have a T-shirt that she hates and you might not know it. If we put that T-shirt in the quilt we might have a bad situation. Once a T-shirt is in the quilt - it is in the quilt to stay. There is no removing a T-shirt after the quilt is made. Your child might have color preferences for the backing that you did not know. It would help your child feel more grown up to be involved in the decision making process. It might be a fun project to do with your child. No - Reasons not to tell your Bar or Bat Mitzvah about the quilt ahead of time: Surprise factor and it is a great surprise. You have been collecting T-shirts for years and you have enough variety to make the quilt. You know the color preferences of your child and feel confident that you know what color they would like for the back of the quilt.
Whether you choose to tell or not to tell your child about the quilt, the quilt will still wow your Bar or Bat Mitzvah. If you would like to talk about the quilt ahead of time and still have it a surprise, you can tell your child that you would like to do something with her T-shirts and ask for her input about which T-shirts and what colors she likes. She still will be surprised and crazy about her quilt. Some parents show their kids the Too Cool T-shirt Quilts web site and others just talk about the project in general.
How do I display my quilt during the Bar or Bat Mitzvah celebrations? Hanging a quilt using a simple temporary method is the best way to display a Bar or Bat Mitzvah T-shirt quilt at your party. These methods include using commercial pant hangers, office spring clips, or clothespins. These are all quick easy ways to display a T-shirt quilt without ruining walls or the T-shirt quilt. Commercial Pant Hangers Pant hangers with the hooks that swivel will give you more hanging flexibility. You can hang the hangers from a bar stretched between two ladders, from gutters, from a rope tied between two trees or any other way you can come up with using what you have around the house or location you are holding festivities. 10
Office Supplies Quilts can be hung to a curtain rod using steal spring office clips. Another office supply item that can be used to hang your quilt is push pins. Push the pin into the quilt right at the binding and then push the pin into a wall or the top of window or door moldings. Clips and Clothespins Clothespins are great for temporarily hanging quilts. Other similar solutions include using spring clamps that you would find in a woodshop. Some have a large enough opening above the clamp part that you can put them over a rod. The quilt is held in the clamp. Three mid-size clamps can hold most quilts. 11
Why should I have a T-shirt quilt made by Too Cool T-shirt Quilts? If you have been researching T-shirt quilts, you know that most companies use one standard size block. That might force them to either cut off part of the design on the T-shirt or leave a design floating with blank material surrounding it. Bar and Bat Mitzvah quilts are generally made from clothing from children and tweens. Many times the clothing item is just too small to fit a one-size block fits all. Here at Too Cool T-shirt Quilts, we use blocks that are determined by the size of the design on the T-shirts rather than a standard square. This in turn allows us to use a greater number of T-shirts and provides you with a very unique and awesome solution. 12
Some of the great things that make Too Cool T-shirt Quilts more interesting are: All the blocks are cut to fit the design on the T-shirt. We can use more than just the front or back of the T-shirt. We can use the front, back and sleeves. We can use the butt or leg of pants. We can use anything in your quilt that you can wash in a washing machine. Think beyond the T-shirt. Each block is individually quilted. Most other quilters will just turn on their computerized long arm sewing machine, walk away and let their computer quilt your quilt. Here at Too Cool T-shirt Quilts, an artist does the quilting. Your child s quilt will be as unique as she is. When we are quilting your quilt here at Too Cool T-shirt Quilt, we will trace some of the designs on the T-shirts so you can see the design on the back of the quilt too. This is so cool. If you are like most people when seeing the quilting on the back of a Too Cool T-shirt Quilts, it will knock your socks off! 13