Crafting: Back-up, Overload

I've again realized I'm way behind on a few crafting projects.

I've long been meaning to make t-shirt quilts. It started with my wanting to make a quilt out of all of my high school cheerleader t-shirts. I, of course, did not have the time or space to do it in my college dorm and my Grammy was going to do it for me. I gave her all the goods and they were kept at her house in Florida for several years. However she realized that she was unable to do the quilt for several reasons and returned the shirts to me when I got married and had a house with my little sewing studio and storage to keep them.

Fast forward: more than two years after buying the house J and I are putting in our third bathroom. (Short story: the bathroom is basically a large closet that was never finished into a bathroom but is obviously mean to be a bathroom. We're putting it in for convenience of having a bathroom near the patio and den and also for resale. And who am I kidding? Also so I can sew and decorate!) We'd been using the space as storage and although we initially didn't have anything to store, we managed to fill it up (embarrassed!).

Items stored were: antique dining table and six chairs to be refinished, television, vcr/dvd player, scrapbook items, old windows and shutters (shabby chic for decorating), dvds, games, exercise ball, sofa slipcovers, folding card table and chair, canned green beans (fresh from the garden!), and (drum roll please) several baskets of t-shirts.

Not only were my cheerleader shirts in there, but also my camp counselor shirts and sorority t-shirts both with ambitions of making a quilt.

As I rummaged through the textiles last night I was amazed at what I really had. There were even cheerleader shirts from my middle school days and cheerleader shorts from my elementary days. I had a cheerleader shirt with a big and proud '95 on the back which just made me chuckle! Internet, do you realize that was 13 years ago? That I was in the 7th or 8th grade? Geesh!

Among other goodies on the t-shirt front were a few middle school FCA shirts, a shirt to commemorate every service club and honor society I'd ever belonged to, a Teen Board 38th Annual Presentation and Ball t-shirt, a football shirt with my senior year schedule (hideous, it really is), and a few super tacky CHS Honor Student t-shirts that were given away to the nerds (Hi! I was a nerd!) but never worn because u-g-l-y! Lastly was a vast collection of CHS tennis paraphernalia of t-shirts, shorts, and sweatshirts.

As I looked at the spread I'd discovered I cackled and reminisced with my husband. I quickly realized I didn't care about a cheerleader t-shirt quilt and with two others to make, this one would never be accomplished. I bagged up the goods for our local mission thrift store. (Forgive me majestic halls of CHS!) I did however keep my middle school cheerleader sweatshirt, a long sleeve personalized cheerleader t-shirt, my seniors 00 long-sleeved shirt because those are all obviously vintage now! I'd considered the shirt that had the '95 on the back but am I really EVER going to wear a shirt with S-P-I-R-I-T written down the front? Um, no! I probably would have kept my high school cheerleader and tennis sweatshirts but they had yellowed a bit.

So there it stands. My childhood hobbies all on their way to the thrift store. I was a bit nostalgic at first but then realized if they'd disappeared from that room, I'd have probably never missed them and seriously, what am I going to do with them? (Back to living simply.) Also in the bag were a heap of college shirts from a few organizations I was in. I have plenty of t-shirts so those had to go. There was also a nice polo from my ambassador days that had to go. By nice I mean ugly and ill-fitting.

I organized my sorority t-shirts and camp counselor t-shirts in hopes that sooner rather than later I will make a little something-something out of them. There were several sorority t-shirts that I had two or three of. This could be because GFTS was the Design Chair and we had all of the extras in our apartment. When we'd need a clean shirt, we'd just go grab one off the top! I (only slightfully shamed) still wear a few of the sorority t's because they're so comfy. They're great for weekend wear and running but never in public (I have a little dignity, albeit little).

Now if I can only convince Mrs. O to rid of a few horrid high school shirts she has (you know the ones, and yes, I did just call you out!).

What did everyone else do with t-shirts from your high-school and college days?