From Outgrown to Outstanding: Make a Quilt from Your Child’s Old Tees

Kids grow up so fast, don’t they? And with another school year right around the corner, there are plenty of parents out there thinking the same thing: “time for another new wardrobe of bigger clothes.” When their clothes only seem to last for so long, we start to wonder what to do with it all.

So, until scientists finally discover how to freeze time and stop our children from growing up, all parents have to face the challenge of what to do with their kids’ outgrown clothes. Some clothes may be easy to donate or discard, but what about those special pieces? What do you do with their favorite onesies or special t-shirts that are simply too small for them now but you can’t bring yourself to part with? 

In today’s blog, it’s time to answer this age-old question with the comfiest, most durable clothing keepsake: T-Shirt Quilts! Let’s take a look at the special kinds of t-shirt quilts we can make with outgrown onesies and kids’ clothes.

STORIES WITH EVERY STAIN, STITCH AND PRINT

First, let’s look at the most important power that your children’s clothes have: the power to tell stories. Even if your child was too young to have memories of a onesie or another piece of clothing, you as a parent will certainly have memories of this beautiful time of life. The striped pattern of a onesie could be iconic in your mind, or perhaps there was a shirt with their favorite animal or cartoon character that they wore so much that it’s lucky you ever got a chance to wash it! These happy (and often chaotic) times are so impactful to parents that even the silliest aspects of these simple clothes carry intense emotional weight.

Of course, the best memories will always be celebrated – but don’t disregard the laughably bad ones! Your child’s shirt may have been salvaged with ketchup stains from a baseball stadium hotdog or with muddy splotches after a day of adventuring in a park. Not everything comes out in the wash, but these imperfections do tell wonderful stories as part of a quilt. 

Stories told through your child’s clothes also can also capture periods in time. As kids grow, they change. This is fortunately (or unfortunately) inevitable for all families. However, because kids are constantly outgrowing their t-shirts, that means each t-shirt becomes more of a time capsule of personality in a specific time of life. No matter how they have or will grow and change, their childhood t-shirts and onesies capture the stories of the kid they were when they wore them. And that is truly something to treasure.

BETTER THAN A BIN IN THE ATTIC

Why hide something away when it means so much to you? We all are guilty of collecting trinkets and other sentimental items and then storing them away out of sight from everyone, even ourselves. Clothes can often be set aside and forgotten in this way – whether it’s in an attic or a basement – because we can’t bear to part with them but have no practical use for them at the moment. Transforming children’s clothes and onesies into specialty t-shirt quilts solves this and gives these mementos a new purpose. 

It’s such an impactful feeling to dig clothes out of storage and finally have them on full display as a t-shirt quilt. First, there’s the freeing feeling of decluttering – think of the free space in your attic and basement you’ll have without bins and bins of outgrown kids’ clothes! And then there’s the coziness of having those memories actually there with you, laid out as a bedspread, draped as a blanket in the living room or hung up on a wall. Tender reminders of your family’s stories belong out in the open and proudly displayed.

CHILDHOOD MEMORIES BUILT TO LAST

Quilts last the test of time, and so too can the memories of your child’s earliest years. The durability and strength of a quilt physically means that your keepsake can handle nearly all the rough-housing your kids can throw at it. But there’s also an emotional strength to quilts as long-time symbols of family history and legacy. When your child grows up, they will appreciate how well you’ve preserved their favorite shirts or even learn something new about their own story they may have been too young to remember.

Beyond just durability and longevity comes the customizability of quilts as childhood memory keepsakes. At MemoryStitch, we have t-shirt quilt options built especially for children’s clothes which are perfect as your kids grow up and outgrow their wardrobe:

• Our Onesie Quilt has baby-soft minky backing and perfectly showcases all the lovely patterns and designs from your child’s onesies. This quilt was designed with small panels to give parents a way to capture all those precious baby memories in a perfectly sized keepsake. And, best of all, we include our onesie cutting service for free so you don’t have to worry about preparing your onesies beforehand!

• Similarly, our Kids T-Shirt Quilt has small panels and soft minky backing to not only show off your child’s favorite shirts they’ve outgrown but also to be a new cuddle companion for them!

No matter which adorable t-shirt quilt is best to capture your memories, you can always feel secure knowing that they’re built to last for many, many years to come.

STITCH THE PAST INTO THE PRESENT

Children’s clothes are easy to get sentimental about – kids just seem to never slow down growing – and rather than just storing onesies and t-shirts away in the attic, give yourself the gift of holding your child’s memories closer to your heart. Onesie quilts and kids t-shirt quilts connect your child’s youngest days right to the present and who they’ve grown up into. You can look at the quilt and be filled with pride in how far they’ve come and what exciting new journeys await them in the rest of their life.

If you want to get the most out of your stored baby and kid clothes, check out our MemoryStitch onesie quilts, kids t-shirt quilts or every other t-shirt keepsake in our collection. For more information on our process of creating t-shirt quilts, take a look at our How It Works page. 

Transform your child’s old tees into a tapestry of cherished memories. Start your journey into the past when you create your order with MemoryStitch today.

Written by Zander Gibney.