when you don't want a t-shirt quilt

I come from a t-shirt-lovin' family, and ooo I especially love the ones that are soft and well-worn.

Sometimes Most of the time, "well-worn" turns into "you really should throw that away," but you don't want to, because that t-shirt tells a story. It represents a memory. Throwing it away seems like throwing away the feels.

You know?

I cleaned out my t-shirt drawers back in the spring and parted with an embarrassing number.

But I also kept a smaller pile of memories to preserve. Much smaller. Around 18 shirts.

My crafting skills and patience capacity are not sufficient for the likes of a t-shirt quilt, so that was never an option. Instead, I chose to frame the designs and create a gallery wall in a strategic location of my house.

Namely this hallway that is rarely seen by anyone except me.

As with all my craft experiences, this one began in anxiety-inducing chaos.
 

You can see the only shining light there in the middle: my notepad, listing all t-shirts and respective frame sizes. I can never totally abandon the left side of my brain.

Following that planning session, when my blood pressure was stabilized, I spent a couple of hours scouring craft stores for frames that fit, and that were on sale by at least 40%.

And then I figured up in my head how many days I'd have to go without eating to pay for it all.

I won't give tutorial advice on how to frame them, because frankly, every one was different, and every one was a complete roll of the dice. Suffice it to say, scissors, tape, a pen, a screwdriver, and a functioning brain is enough.

There were a couple of misses. An off-centered cut once in a while.  A rogue pen marking here and there. It was a good exercise for me in accepting imperfection.

Once they were all framed, I loosely planned the layout. On a bed.

Don't mind that blanket up there in the top.

As for hanging, I worked from the center out, making a couple of adjustments along the way. Here is the first (and only) progress shot.

That black Peachtree Race frame was my start, and I moved to the left first.

During the hanging process, I got in a fight with only one frame. I won for now, but it'll be a miracle if that one is still hanging in 24 hours.

In the end I was pleased.

Completed my 2015 craft quota, which is exactly one.

And most importantly, avoided a t-shirt quilt.