A Decade of Concert Memories

Every so often, I get a project that feels like a real time capsule, and this one was just that. My client, a true concert fanatic, had spent over a decade collecting T-shirts from their favourite shows. We’re talking everything from Taylor Swift and Elton John to Childish Gambino, Bon Iver, and even André 3000. When I first saw the stack of tees, I couldn’t help but joke that the total ticket value behind these shirts could probably fund a world tour of their own!

They wanted a way to preserve all those incredible memories, and a concert T-shirt quilt was the perfect solution. Each shirt tells a story- a song that hit just right, a night with friends, a once-in-a-lifetime performance - and together they form a one-of-a-kind piece that celebrates their love of live music.

Because so many concert tees have tour dates and cities printed on the back, we decided to make this quilt double-sided. That meant I got to feature both the bold front graphics and all those detailed back prints — essentially creating two quilts in one. It was a fun challenge to balance the layout and make sure every shirt got its moment to shine. You’ll see how the front and back each tell their own story.

Before sewing, I laid out all the cut shirts to puzzle together the perfect design. I usually have to move my coffee table and find a big open space of flooring (peep the toddler toys). There’s something so satisfying about seeing all the colors, fonts, and memories come together like that.

Once the top and back were pieced together, this quilt was sent out for longarm quilting — a process where a special machine stitches the quilt layers together with beautiful, even designs. It gives the quilt a professional finish and ensures it’ll last for many more encores to come.

Below is a picture of it before it got sent to the longarm.

One of my favorite moments from this project was sewing through the Céline Dion shirt. It’s such an iconic Canadian tee!

My client is already planning to start saving shirts for their next quilt — maybe in another ten years of concert adventures. I love they can have another quilt made to continue telling their stories.

If you’ve got a pile of concert tees (or any shirts tied to special memories) collecting dust, I’d love to help you bring them back to life. A memory quilt is more than just fabric : it’s your story, stitched together.

Ready to turn your memories into something beautiful? Contact me today to start planning your custom quilt.