+- International Simulation Football League (https://forums.sim-football.com)
+-- Forum: Community (https://forums.sim-football.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=5)
+--- Forum: Media (https://forums.sim-football.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=37)
+---- Forum: Graded Articles (https://forums.sim-football.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=38)
+---- Thread: *Old Jerseys? Make a Quilt (/showthread.php?tid=22985)
*Old Jerseys? Make a Quilt - SchwarzNarr - 06-12-2020
Hey y’all, it’s your girl Daria Guava-Fresca here, and I want to talk to you about a great way to keep your old jerseys and enjoy them. (Especially those jerseys from your baby football days).
We all need blankets, and a lot of time we think of them just for comfort and to sleep in bed with. But sometimes, you can have that and make it decorative too. Instead of storing your jersey’s in a box, especially if they’re ones you want to keep, but don’t necessarily need in mint condition, you can turn them into a quilt.
I know, this seems scary - cutting apart your jerseys and hoping that they will turn into something beautiful. But hear me out. There are loads of great ways that you can make a quilt and still keep all of the memories and beauty that your jersey holds for you.
You can go the traditional route and have several jerseys and lay them out in a grid. While a lot of people really enjoy this, I find that sometimes jerseys are so brightly colored and filled with contrasting colors that it can be difficult to make a quilt that doesn’t seem like an eye sore. I mean, can you imagine what it might look like to see a Myrtle Beach Buccaneers jersey with that purple and green next to the deeper richer tones of the Luchadores? However, that doesn’t mean that this is the only option that you have for creating a jersey quilt. That’s the great thing about quilting is there really isn’t a wrong way to quilt, and you can make it whatever you want.
For instance, you can also pick one jersey, and instead of just cutting a square to highlight the name and number of your jersey, you can truly keep that jersey shape inside of your quilt. Then you can use fabrics in complementary colors (or even fabrics with your team logos on it! There are loads of premade NSFL fabrics out there, and loads of companies that will let you print custom fabric). If I was going to make a jersey quilt for the New Orleans Second Line, then I’m going to look for some deep purple and maybe even black fabric to combine with those jersey colors. I might even look for some NSFL team fabric, showcasing their logo even more, especially around the outside of the quilt. This way, you can add subtle details and really make the team colors and designs shine. This is definitely great for making smaller lap quilts, that really highlight that one jersey and team. This is great for your college jerseys or those teams you spent a long time with.
You can also take pictures from your playing days and add that to a fabric to include along with your jersey to make a very different looking quilt. A combination of photographs mixed with solid and printed fabrics in your color scheme can really make a stunning piece that will last a lifetime. My personal recommendation is large blocks that really accent and highlight your team, your play time, and the colors that go with your team. It’s important to remember that colors matter! Complementary colors may not be obvious to you at first, so take your jerseys with you to the fabric store and pick out what looks good. Hold it next to, hold the fabrics close together, and then just go for it.
Obviously you have to do what you’re comfortable with, and it can be very nerve wracking to cut apart your first jersey, hoping that it’s going to turn out okay. While you may want to opt for just a shadow box mounted on the wall for your jersey, if you feel like your walls are a little full, keep in mind that quilting your jerseys is always an option.