Personalized Gift
I usually always struggle with present ideas for my husband. Anything that he could possibly want is either motorcycle related (way too expensive for me to just buy and I have no clue where to even begins), tool related (which ones does he need?!) or something he could just buy himself. So when I had the opportunity to get him a really cool, thoughtful gift, I jumped on it!
Some of you might remember me mentioning in my post about how to live wealthy, that I got Matthew a T-shirt quilt for his birthday. Well, it finally came in! At first, I was frustrated (and I'm sure Matt was too) that I waited so long to order his quilt, because that meant even longer for it to get here. However, I am glad that I ended up waiting, because I was able to get an even better discount than I had originally planned, which resulted in him getting a bigger and better quilt.
When I first signed up with Project Repat I got an immediate 15% off coupon (and you can too). Then I ended up waiting three weeks before I decided to go ahead and purchase, because I got another email with a coupon, this one was 35% off! I purchased that quilt so fast, and ended up being able to get a Queen size quilt ($190) for $123 (plus $7 standard shipping) instead of the Full I was originally planning on getting.
Believe it or not the process for sending the shirts is not as terrible as you might think. I made it more work because I wanted specifics and to save money. My husband literally has 100 shirts to choose from, so finding enough shirts wasn't the problem. The main thing was cutting the shirts and preparing them for shipment. And yes, you do have to pay for your own shipping, but I found a way to save on that part too, which is what caused more work.
The way I saved on shipping, was by cutting ALL the shirts in half (one sided too - if it's two sided images you have to cut in ½ anyway so they know what side you want). Now, it would have been easier to just send the shirts that had one image as is, but that would have added to the weight of my shipping cost. It still ended up being $13, which isn't bad for 49 t-shirt halves, and they all fit perfectly in a small square box. I know that wouldn't have been the case had I left the shirts whole.
The other aspect that took some time was figuring the layout of the shirts. Matthew had shirts from two different churches, schools, random designs and from traveling. I did NOT have to come up with the layout myself, but because there were so many different colors and styles, I thought it would be more personal and organized if I went ahead and laid them out for the quilt designer. That did take some extra time figuring out what colors and styles would go where, but overall the process is very simple and straightforward.
They have this quick little video that helps you figure everything out. And they make it very easy to ship. Then you just wait 4-6 weeks for your quilt to be finished. I think ours ended up being four weeks from the time that I shipped the shirts. I also think it helped that I had a layout, and the shirts were already pre-cut. That meant less work for the quilt maker to determine where to put shirts, and they didn't have to cut the shirts in half, as I had already done that.
I think the quilt turned out beautifully and Matt loves it (that was the whole point)! Matt has his shirts on display in a unique and useful way, that does not clog up our closet space and turn us into hoarders!
Here are some of the options for choosing your perfect Project Repat T-Shirt Quilt
Quilts
Fleece Color
- navy
- purple
- blue
- gray
- red
- black
- green
Panel Size: 12x12 (standard) 14x14 (men’s XL or larger)
Quilt Size:
- Lap (16 panels) (4ft x 4ft) $74.99
- Twin (24 panels) (4ft x 6ft) $109.99
- Full (30 panels) (5ft x 6ft) $129.99
- Queen (49 panels) (7ft x 7ft) $189.99
- King (64 panels) (8ft x 8ft) $239.99
Also, in case you were wondering, these quilts are the best value around. I did my research a while ago and found that this company was definitely the “best buy” for your money. Here are some of the other top Google results, when you search for “t-shirt quilt”. I think it's pretty obvious that Project Repat has the best value, design and quality. They can offer the best prices because they use local people (to your address) to create the quilts. The artisans then make a commission from your sale, and shipping costs are cut down for both the buyer and shipper. So, you're not only getting a great value quilt, but you're also helping a freelance artisan make an income too. What a win, win situation :)
Meg’s Quilted Memories
Too Cool T Shirt Quilts
Etsy
Hope you guys enjoyed (and feel informed by) my review of our super cool and personalized t-shirt quilt! Remember Project Repat (and your instant 15% coupon) if you ever want to own one of these unique custom designs and get all those unused t-shirts out of your dresser and free up your closet space! Declutter and get a new blanket in the process! <3 Amanda
