• Letters From Our Readers

Letters From Our Readers

One of our reader's questions sparked a lot of great ideas for upcycling cuffs and collars. Here is a sampling of just a few of the creative ideas we received for June O.

"For June, who has collars and cuffs left over from a shirt quilt, use the cuffs for bracelets. Trim the edges, tucking under and stitching the raw edges, and then embellish with laces, buttons, charms or whatever, and maybe replace an ordinary button with something fancy. Teens love these! The collars can be stitched to a plain T-shirt, or add some elastic or ribbons to use as ties, or use as a collar for larger dogs. They could even be embellished and worn as a necklace by a person." -- Patti T.

"Regarding the reader question about what to do with collars and cuffs left over from cutting up shirts to use in a memory quilt, there are some ideas on Pinterest for using cuffs from men's shirts. I've seen cuffs used for small pouches, coin purses and smartphone holders, but haven't seen anything using the collars. There are also ideas for using neckties." -- Val E.

"Hello! To June O: I love saving cuffs and collars from shirts. My granddaughter now has lots of cute and colorful bracelets. We sew on beads, buttons and cute shapes, or have even added bells for Christmas. As for the collars, I have used them to stuff for her little Chihuahua pup for dog toys. Good luck with any upcycle project you do."
-- Lori M.

"Re: Using collars and cuffs left over from the memory shirt quilt: Couldn't she make a wonky Dresden plate block with the collars? Separate the cuffs and use them as rectangles or cut squares. My sister made a pocket quilt using just the pockets off her deceased husband's shirts. She left on the buttons and other details; it was really an original." -- Judy K.

"This is for June O. She wanted to know how to use the collars and cuffs from shirts she had used in a memory quilt. My suggestion is to take them apart at the seams and then piece them together as a crazy quilt. The shapes will be similar, so they should make for an interesting pattern. It will certainly be a one of a kind." -- Mabel G.

"Why not incorporate cuffs and collars as 3-D elements? Stitch them onto the blocks with a thin seam allowance and then stitch your pieces/blocks as usual -- kind of like adding prairie points. Otherwise, donate the leftovers to your local thrift store -- some places send clothing they cannot sell to the recyclers. Check to see if they do that in your area." -- Candy P.

I received the below comment from Nancy M., and I thought it would be of interest to all you quilters. I'm impressed with this young lady. I wish her much success.

"I would like to tell you about my 8-year-old granddaughter's charity, Quilted Hugs from Maddie. She asked to learn how to quilt when she was 7 and made a doll quilt. Then asked to make more quilts and said she wanted to donate them to needy kids to make them 'feel safe.' She actually makes some of the quilts herself and also has quilting friends from all over that send her quilt tops and completed quilts, fabric binding and thread. Her nonprofit status is pending. I was hoping some of your readers would want to donate quilts or supplies. Thanks." -- Nancy M.

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