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Comment by quercusa | Hacker News Reader

I have a Lick Observatory 100th Anniversary (1988) t-shirt my wife would very much like to get rid of. Not happening.

I have old concert t-shirts that I'll never wear, but still want to keep even if they are taking up space. A friend of mine suggested having them made into a quilt. This would get them out of the closet/drawer/box, and actually visible.

I love this idea! I've kept around a lot of old sentimental value shirts with a similar, albeit more vague, idea of putting them together in some form that makes them visible. Keeps the memories and lets you actually look at/revisit them.

"Have them made into a quilt"

Usually this means getting them all together, calling around to find how much it costs to actually make a quilt, then putting them back in storage.

Takes a lot more time and effort to make a quilt than people think.

Right, I think the alternatives are “I have made a quilt before and I’ll do it myself,” or “I’m just going to throw these away or keep them in storage.”

Could always make the quilt yourself, it's not that hard to make a simple one with big blocks from the shirts.

The long-arm sewing machines to do the actual quilting (where the top gets sewed to the backing over the whole face of the quilt) are pretty expensive and not really the domain of typical hobbyist, though. You'd have to find someone in your area who's willing to quilt it for you for a fee, which can be hard if you're a newcomer and not in any classes or forums. Or, you could hand quilt it, but that takes forever, especially for a beginner.

Let me introduce you to the needle and thread. People have been making quilts for a lot longer than this long-arm sewing machine you speak of. I mean, I guess my grandmother's arms were long, and she could reach all the way to the other side of the table she quilted from. Don't think she'd take too kindly to being referred to as the sewing machine though.

T-shirts already have a front and back. You just need some long running stitches to join two shirts together. Shove them with the amount of batting you want, and then another running stitch to seal them up.

People just want to turn a bag full of old concert Tees into a nice wall hanging. Few are interested in picking up a new hobby to do it.

Hand sewing a quilt is a big effort. If you love doing it, it's awesome. If you don't, it's just massively frustrating and time consuming.

A tied quilt (in some vernaculars a comforter) is vastly less effort.

I say this as somebody who hates all parts of sewing except old machines.

This place takes mailed-in orders. Currently $155 for 6'x6'.

https://www.missouriquiltco.com/shop/machinequilting

I have a bag full of "quilt t-shirts." One of the problems is that I don't actually want a t-shirt I like and is comfortable to wear and in reasonable condition to be converted like that. It's on my project list and should probably revisit this winter. (There are companies that do this but they aren't cheap.)

>> Takes a lot more time and effort to make a quilt than people think.

I think you found the next YC business idea

My wife had a professional put together a T-shirt quilt. It is awesome.

It was made before we met, so I don't have a sense for the cost. As a functional swaddle of memories, it is worth far more than a blanket from the store.

One thought for those considering it -- the shirts can't be completely worn out. A threadbare shirt will make a threadbare quilt.

It's doable: https://youtu.be/F_Uiy40vEj8?t=412

I find it's much easier to part with such shirts if I take a photo of each of them. The main reason for keeping them (after they're worn out, shrunk too much, stained, etc.) is really just to remind myself of the event or band. A photo takes no real space.

there's kits for framing them so you can hang them on the wall, too

Just like with sports jerseys. The fun part is deciding do you show the front or the back? Maybe cut the shirt down the length of one side and display it in a butterfly cut? Get a frame that is glass encased on both sides, and then flip it over every week? I have seen actual framed butterflies with this kind of case so you can see both sides of the butterfly's markings.

I quilt and have made one t-shirt quilt. It's the last I will ever make. Not hard, but you need the proper tools. And not just a sewing machine. You need stabilizer for the t-shirts since they stretch.

If you want one made, there are companies and quilters everywhere that make them.

As for cost, the idea that they are expensive depends on how you view the work. I love quilting but understand that what I sell them for keeps me in fabric. I'm not earning a living from it.

You don't have to wear shirts to enjoy them. You can frame them like a poster.

I know you probably have no interest in selling them but if anyone else has old band/concert shirts you should look them up on ebay first before getting rid of them. Some can be worth quite a lot.

Did you hug it during the fires?

Should have! Kept refreshing the video feeds.

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