Congratulations Graduate! My daughter is graduating from high school this year and my sewing machine is thinking graduation gifts. In recent years, my standard gift for girls has been a weekend travel tote. A nicely sized bag for packing a few things to visit mom & dad for the weekend … not enough room for loads of dirty laundry or, heaven forbid, to move back in … just enough to for a fun visit, and maybe a home cooked meal.
But lately I’ve been making t-shirt pillows. These 24″ pillows are perfect for lounging around the dorm or relaxing on the couch. I use their school t-shirt with a big logo for the center block, and surround it with coordinating blocks set in denim or twill. A comfy and hard-wearing pillow.
And don’t tell your graduate, but it’s also great for the inevitible homesick blues … and a conversation starter with new dorm-mates.
At first, I backed them with same denim/twill I used on the front. Now? I have totally fallen for the batiks lining the quilting stores’ shelves. They provide wonderful visual fun and pair so well with the casual mood of t-shirts and jeans.
With a soon-to-be college student in the house, I’ve also been thinking laundry bags, laptops sleeves, and any manner of things using those school t-shirts. Stay tuned, I really like the Boston University t-shirt laptop sleeve I’m working on.
But now I had better to get to work on my son’s 8th grade graduation pillow …