Feel free to jump to the sections that interest you most, or take your time reading through the entire article to get the full picture.
Pillow Size: 24" x 24"
Cost $205
Criteria for an Exceptional T-shirt Pillow
Reasons to Choose a T-shirt Pillow Over a Quilt
How Many T-shirts Can you Use in a Pillow?
What Can be Used in a T-shirt Pillow?
Baby Clothes Pillows
Preparing for Your T-shirts for a Pillow
Caring for Your Pillow
Pricing
Conclusion
When we decided to add T-shirt pillows to our product line, we approached it with purpose and precision. We developed a clear set of criteria to ensure every pillow meets our high standards for quality and design. These criteria aren’t just for us—they’re a great way to set your own expectations when considering a T-shirt pillow, ensuring you end up with something you’ll love.
Rather, we wanted to be able to use a number of T-shirts in a pillow. T-shirts tell a story. As a T-shirt quilt is to a book, a T-shirt pillow is to chapter or a novella.
In the method we have developed, we can use anywhere from 1 to maybe 10 T-shirts.
When you are thinking about having a T-shirt pillow made, 1 to perhaps up to 10 T-shirts is a good starting place.
We knew that the quilting would not be seen on the inside of the pillow as you can see it on the back of a quilt. Even so, it was important that the exterior of the pillow have the same texture as a quilt.
When you are looking at T-shirt quilt makers, consider if they will quilt your pillow or not.
A pillow without a removable pillow form are a pain because you can’t wash the case or change out the form. We wanted our pillows to useable and practicable. So, we made sure that the pillow form was removable.
This is a must have feature in any pillow. Watch below as we stuff a set of T-shirt pillows with their pillow form.
Zippers are tricky, time consuming and difficult to make look good. Buttons are also time consuming and something we didn't want to spend our time on. This is the one requirement that took the most time to figure out.
We could have gone online and seen how other people were making their pillows, but we didn’t. We wanted a solution that was ours and that worked with what we do. Note, this does not mean that we “created” this solution. Rather we independently developed the solution that we use.
When you are considering options for your pillow, take this into consideration.
Since our quilts are washable, the only thing we had to make sure for our pillows was that the pillow form can be removed.
You want your pillow to be washable!
We wanted to make pillows that were durable. And ours are. Although, how you use any item will influence its lifespan. More about the durability of T-shirt quilts here.
This was important because wanted to be able to pair up a pillow with one of our quilts. Accordingly, as we developed our pillow, we made sure we used the same system we use to puzzle together our quilts.
After many attempts, we have developed a pillow that met all of the above criteria. We make over 75 pillows each year.
Our style might not be what you are looking for, but the other consideration laid out here are ones you should take into consideration when you are looking for someone to make a T-shirt pillow for you.
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Planning a T-shirt pillow?
Here are step-by-step directions for ordering your Too Cool T-shirt pillow.
Below are several possible reasons you might have a T-shirt pillow made rather than a quilt.
Or, you may want a smaller, more functional quilt made and have too many T-shirts for the size you want. Putting some of these excess T-shirts into a pillow is a perfect solution. You use all the T-shirts and get the quilt the size you would like.
You might just not have enough T-shirts for a quilt. To celebrate the T-shirts you do have, a pillow is the solution.
By removing those odd ball T-shirts from your quilt, you will have a better-looking quilt and an awesome pillow.
The photo here shows a perfect example of when some T-shirts would ruin a quilt.
If we would have added the neon T-shirts into the quilt here, they would have made the quilt look awful. By separating the neon T-shirts out, we kept the quilt to the traditional Texas colors.
If you carefully choose T-shirts to represent the story you want to tell in T-shirts you can create an awesome pillow. If you have way too many T-shirts, avoid duplicate topics if you have way too many T-shirts. Careful planning will help you create a pillow that is as special as a quilt.
T-shirt quilts tell a story. If you add T-shirts into a quilt that don’t relate to the story, it’s odd. Read more about that here.
For example, all the T-shirts in the quilt are about high school. Except four T-shirts from 5K races run in grade school. Those four shirts don’t belong in a high school themed T-shirt quilt. Those T-shirts would be perfect candidates for a pillow.
Are you a military family with a loved one deployed overseas? Transform one of their T-shirts into a pillow you can hold close, bringing comfort and a sense of connection until they return home safe and sound.
Finally, T-shirt pillows are just fun. You might want to consider having a quilt and pillow made for from your T-shirts.
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If you have one special T-shirt, consider having it transformed into a T-shirt pillow.
There isn't much to planning for a One T-shirt pillow. You simply pick your favorite T-shirt and have us make it into a pillow for you.
We suggest numbering your T-shirt’s from 1 to 10. As we work with your T-shirts, we will start with number one. We then build the pillow until we run out of room. We will return any unused T-shirts with your pillow.
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Well you can use T-shirts, sweatshirts and just about anything else soft you would like. Below is a comprehensive list of items to consider.
Don’t let the term “T-shirt pillow” fool you into thinking that you can only use T-shirts. We can use anything that is machine washable in a pillow. This means you can get creative and use what’s important.
But!!!! Remember, your face may be on your pillow at times. So please consider how each item you include feels against your face.
Below are just some of the items have used in a quilt or a pillow.
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There are two different types of baby clothes pillows - complex and simple. Both types of baby clothes pillows have your clothing items on the front and back of the pillow and are fully quilted by an artist like our baby cloths quilts.
In simple pillows we do not include necklines, footies or buttons. We can use up to 20 different clothing items depending on what is on the items you send.
Mom - If you have more than one child, you can include items from all your children in one pillow. This would make an awesome gift for mom on Mother's Day.
Grandparents - Baby cloths pillows are a great way to involve your kid’s grandparents in their lives. You and your children can pick out cloths that remind them of their grandparents or that were gifts to include in the pillow. This is a great way to share memories and tell stories of times your child may not remember
The Child - There are two time periods we have seen when parents have a baby cloths pillows made for their children. The first is after their first year of life; the second is when their child is all grown up with kids on the way.
Yourself - Do you still have your own baby cloths? Get them out of storage and make a pillow for yourself. They won’t be taking up as much space and you will have awesome memories.
There are several things to think about when you're choosing items to include in your baby cloths pillow.
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Our turnaround time for a pillow is 4-6 weeks.
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We also don't have to add backing fabric into the pricing of a pillow because we are able to long-arm quilt a pillow at the bottom of another quilt. Since you don't see the inside of the pillow, the backing color we use does not matter.
Read more about specific pricing of the pillows here.
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In the end, creating a T-shirt pillow can be a simple yet meaningful way to hold onto memories in a new form. By keeping these topics in mind, you can ensure that your T-shirt pillow turns out just the way you want it to. Ready to get started? Reach out to us, and we’ll help you create something special!
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