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Monday, March 08, 2010

Spring (Break) Cleaning

On my list of things to do this week was clean out my closet, and as it turns out, that meant sorting through quite a bit of running gear. For one thing, I had six pairs of running shoes, so I weeded out the four oldest ones and plan to donate those.Then, I discovered that I had five of these kinds of bags:
And, I certainly don't need all five, so I kept one, and put the others in the "donate" pile.

Lastly, there is, of course, the entire drawer full of race shirts. In years past, I have simply donated my excess race shirts -- many of them don't fit well, or are poorly desgined anyway -- but I haven't sorted through this drawer in about 2 years, so I discovered I had about 20 shirts. Here's a random assortment:
Some are good shirts: The Miami shirts and A1A shirt from this year are good for regular short sleeved tech tees; my Disney Marathon shirt is a good long sleeved tech shirt (very necessary since I only have three long sleeved techs all together); and my Colorado Colfax HM tee is one of my favorite "hanging around the house" shirts.

But, with those few exceptions, I don't ever wear these shirts, and most are too big for me. So, what to do with them? I don't really want to donate some of these since many of them are from memorable races. One idea is that I could have them made into a shirt quilt (but I would need to have someone do this for me since I don't have a crafty bone in my body). But aside from that idea, I have no clue how I could better appreciate and utilize these tees. Any suggestions?

29 comments:

Monica said...

Our spring break is in 2 weeks...when can i expect you at my place to clean my closets??

Erin said...

No kidding. Come on over and tackle my closets. I could use a good donation sweep.

That quilt hint...I wonder if Connie's reading :)

asdhley said...

No seriously the quilt thing is a great idea, I had a ton of shirts from college sorority events and my grandma made a quilt out of them for me! I love it!

teacherwoman said...

Cleaning is good!

Hey, I think I plan to make a shirt quilt sometime this summer (when I am home and can use my mom's sewing maching)... I could do one for you if you're interested!

N.D. said...

I made a quilt but I can't sew for ****- I would definitely have someone do it for you - they do look cool!

Ryan said...

I would make a cape that you could wear while running. Everyone respects a cape.(a mask would be a nice touch if you have left over fabric)

Anonymous said...

That's awesome! I wish I had a collection like you (I'm working on it), I love keeping those kinds of things. What to do with them? Not sure, I like the quilt idea though! Ryan's cape idea is fun too haha : )

MCM Mama said...

i love the shirt quilt idea. I keep meaning to get one made out of Beer Geek's old brewpub t-shirts...

Heather said...

My mom made a bunch of my old race shirts into a quilt for me and I love it.

Anonymous said...

I've thought about making a quilt out of Jason's old concert and band t-shirts. You can get a kit online - something like this? http://www.uncommongoods.com/item/item.jsp?itemId=16406

Anonymous said...

I think you should go with the quilt!

StephanieC said...

You can hang on the wall in box frames. There are also 12" vinyl frames which if you didn't mind cutting the T's up to display them would also work. I'm a fan of the 12" frames they are square and easy to hang multiple of. They sell them in Michaels craft store or any good framing place, like Joann fabric.
But if you decide on the quilt, you can put a custom request on Etsy.com stating what you want and how much you want to pay. then folks bid.
:)

ajh said...

I get rid of my shoes - generally donate somehow, give my t-shirts away or get them larger and give them to my hubby and I am a sucker for bags and do not give those away. You could store your t-shirts in them! Seriously the quilt is a great idea if you could get someone to do it. I keep tech tees but not cotton.

Shellyrm ~ just a country runner said...

Just cut a large square that includes the logo for the race - toss or use the rest for rags - when you feel like you have enough simply search online for a quilter to make it for you. I had a young lady locally who has made me a couple quilts. I love having them to remember with!

Brianna said...

You likely have enough shirts to have a quilt that's reversible. :) If you don't know of a person who can make it for you, I've seen ads for them in Runner's World. Might be worth checking out. I have a stash of shirts from races my husband and I have done - I'm doing my races on one side, his on the other. While many of them are the same, a good half are still different!

fbz said...

i just ran into a listing on etsy yesterday for a tshirt quilt to be made from your shirts http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=40831978&ref=cat2_list_11

hope that helps!

TNTcoach Ken said...

I just donate them to get them out of the house.

Big Daddy Diesel said...

I love the Brooks!!

Marlene said...

I'm having the same issue... there are dozens that I don't wear and I have no idea what to do with them! I have them in a box in the closet right now.

James said...

My high school cross country coach had this shadowbox hanging in his office. Every week he would change out the race shirt that was in it. He had shirts from years before. It was fun to come in and see what shirt was up, and what races he had done. The guy probably had about 200 shirts or more. I don't think I ever saw the same one twice in over two years.

Heather @ Side of Sneakers said...

I love your shoe collection :) Maybe if you have a favorite shirt or two you could frame it? I dunno. I know you can send your shirts off to get put in a quilt for you too.

Midwest said...

I am planning on doing the quilt thing. I am hoarding all of my race t-shirts, and when I have enough to make a quilt, I'll start saving them up again.

Whitney said...

I'm so glad you said something about a t-shirt quilt. I had completely forgotten about those and I don't ever want to get rid of the t-shirts I get from races!

MN Mom said...

I have seen the quilts and they are nice. But an easier way to remember them might be to lay them out on a back-ground super neatly so you can see all the logos (put into appropriet size piles of course) Photograph them and frame them. They would make a pop art kind of look.

X-Country2 said...

I'm signing a couple and submitting them to Razz's virtual race. :o)

Jess said...

I think making a shirt quilt is an awesome idea. I've seen an ad for the place that does it in the back of my runner's world. I don't how pricey it is though, but that's what I plan to do with all of mine when I get enough of them.

Katie A. said...

Yay for springbreak cleaning!
Totally have them made into a quilt - just gave my pile to my mom and I am super excited!

Anonymous said...

I get cotton race Ts in a bigger size on purpose so I can give them to my hubby or sleep in them.

Anonymous said...

I'd have them made in to a bag. This company makes bags from race bibs, but maybe they also do the shirts?
http://site.racesrmybag.com/