I have been making high school graduation quilts since 1995. This was well before my daughter even started kindergarten. In the intervening years, including my daughter’s high school and college graduations, I have learned a thing or two about having a graduation T-shirt quilt made.
One issue a lot of parents have is if they should tell their child about the quilt. Experience says that it won’t hurt to clue them in. Most kids know what a T-shirt quilt is and many actually are expecting to get one for graduation.
Below are reasons to and reasons not to tell your child about his or her T-shirt quilt.
Yes!!!
Reasons to Talk About the Quilt Before Having a Quilt Made
- You may end up with more T-shirts than you could otherwise get by “stealing” them out of the wash.
- Your graduate may have a T-shirt that he/she hates and you might not know it. If we put that T-shirt in the quilt we will 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. Choose carefully. This has happened a number of times. So if your child is picky, talk to them.
- Your graduate might have color preferences for the backing and the binding other than school colors.
- They maybe expecting a T-shirt quilt and want input on the style and quality of the quilt.
- If your child is artistic, involved with clothing choices, and has great taste and style.
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No!
Reasons Not to Tell Your Graduate About Their 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 a graduation quilt the size you would like.
- You know the color preferences of your graduate and feel confident that you know what color they would like on the back of the quilt.
- Your child is oblivious to things like clothing, style, color, and design.
Ultimately, you know your child and his or her preferences. If you have to error, I would suggest erring by telling them about the quilt rather than keeping it a secret.
Just Hint About the Quilt Ahead of Time
If you would like to talk about the quilt ahead of time and still keep it a surprise, you could tell your child that you would like to do something with their T-shirts, and ask for their input about which T-shirts and what colors they likes.
This will probably give them enough information so that they will know that a T-shirt quilt is on the way.
But not all T-shirts quilts are the same. If you have a Too Cool T-shirt Quilt made, it will be so much different than the traditional T-shirt quilts their friends are getting, that it will be even better than a surprise!
Conclusion
Some parents show their kids the Too Cool T-shirt quilt web site and others just talk about the project in general terms. A lot of kids enjoy giving their input into the making of their quilt. After all, if the T-shirt quilt is well made and of high quality, it should last more than a lifetime.
Whether you choose to tell or not to tell your student about the quilt, the quilt will wow your graduate.
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