A Stitch in Time Saves Closet Space

Photo: Leigh Lowe

Every time I've had to move from apartment to apartment, I've announced to myself that it is the single worst experience of my life.

It's not the physical move and the carrying of boxes, or the task of learning my way around a new neighborhood, though.

Instead, I hate having to go through my closet and rid myself of worn, torn t-shirts from concerts past.

I was one of those kids with a hunger for memorabilia; every rock show I attended, I gladly forked over more money than I should have for an overpriced shirt.

When I was younger, it was a rite of passage -- I could show I was a real true fan (except on laundry day).

More than a decade later, those shirts are tucked away on hangers in the far depths of my closet. The painful process of discarding them has now become a yearly ritual. I have to toss the oldest and most faded ones, as I just can't seem to find a reason to move clothes I'll never wear again.

So that's why I could not have been more delighted when a friend sent me photos of a quilt she had made of her old concert t-shirts. Louisville, Ky.-based Campus Quilt Company specializes in turning old shirts -- and nearly any other fabric -- into quilts and pillows, giving those shirts a quirky new use.

Stitch in Time

Leigh Lowe started Campus Quilt as part of her M.B.A. thesis at the end of 2000 and is still owner of the successful company.

"I launched the business out of my apartment," Lowe recalls. "I was 24 years old with $5,000 I had saved from my first job out of college. We basically only made quilts for my friends and family that year.

"My husband and I each have a quilt commemorating our college days," she continues. "After that, every t-shirt I could find went into one test quilt or another."