I have been enjoying running for several years now. I started running through the Couch to 5k Program and have run a few 5Ks since then! You can read about my first, muddy run through a beautiful winery here and another one along Lake Erie here.
My family chuckled at me when they heard I was going to run. “You’re too old, you’ll get hurt,….” were some of the things I heard. But I persevered, surprised them and even motivated them. My husband joins me now and is on a quest to earn enough T Shirts for me to make him a blanket! (We both have a way to go.)
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I participated in the Color Run this year, which was a different experience. I enjoy the festive atmosphere at the races but I was a bit overwhelmed by the number of people here (over 8,000). It took 45 minutes to get through the start gate. Once we were out on the roads, however, it was fun.
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The variety of races these days is quite interesting. On any given weekend you can find challenging runs, runs for great causes and runs that intersperse a bit of fun!
I noticed our nearby town hosting its inaugural run and thought it sounded like fun – flat course, tech T shirt, pint glass, tote bag, and 3 beers. Yes, you read that right, 3 BEERS! (From a wine run to a beer run….do you notice a theme with me?)
I decided to sponsor the Downtown Willoughby 5K. Not only does it sound like it will be a fun, festive atmosphere, but it supports a great cause: Make A Wish foundation. There is even a way to roll back your time based on the donations you collect. So if you are in Northeast Ohio, consider joining me in running this 5K!
As I drive around town and see all those 13.1s and 26.2s I get an inferiority complex. I don’t know that I will ever even try to achieve those kinds of distances, but I have noticed that runners are serious about their running and their races! I think that there must be some runners with quite a few race shirts. And although I have created blankets that have included a few running shirts or memory pillows out of race shirts, I have never created an entire “running blanket.”
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| Memory Pillow from Tokyo Marathon – more photos here. |
So in the spirit of my love of running, the fun Willoughby 5K, and my desire to showcase a runner’s blanket, I am hosting my first-ever T Shirt Memory Blanket Giveaway!
I am a custom sewing studio. I sew and create a variety of items. You can learn more about me and my shop on my website, Maiden Jane or on my Etsy shop. I have created memory blankets for wedding and graduation gifts and in memory of deceased love ones. My memory blankets are affordable and practical – they are meant to be used! They are backed in cozy polar or sweatshirt fleece. You can read a little more about them here on my FAQ page.
I make a variety of blanket sizes. The smallest blanket uses 9 T Shirt sides and is considered a lap quilt size. I often use this size for baby blankets and use the T shirts of the parents-to-be.
My most popular size is the 12 Block T Shirt Blanket.
A 20 Block Blanket has all the shirts sewn together.
The 25 Block Blanket is about 6′ square.
It’s big enough for 2!
And finally, my Hodge Podge Blanket makes use of approximately 30 – 40 shirts.
So if you have 9, 12, 20, 25, or 30+ running shirts, I have a blanket to fit your needs!!!! I can use the front and back of a shirt, so you don’t necessarily need that many shirts – but “sides.”
So if you want to participate in this giveaway, take a look at the rules and enter via the Rafflecopter below.
The rules:
1. Shirts must be from running events.
2. Contest open to US residents only.
3. Value is between $150 – $220.
4. Contest Runs from 7/1 – 7/31 with all entries and winner managed via Rafflecopter below.
5. Winner will be notified by email.
5. You will ship the shirts to me at your expense (typically under $20) by mid-August. I will work with you to create a blanket and ship it to you at my expense.
********** EXTENDED THROUGH THE WEEKEND! ***********************
Since this is a DIY blog, I also hope to share some of my running related tutorials with you. For starters, you can check out my DIY Armband Case.
I will add a few more throughout the month and if you have any tutorials to share, feel free to send me a link or share it in the comments.
Can’t wait to hear your wonderful ideas and stories!
Love this! What a great idea! Now, to see if my husband will part with some of his shirts……
how fun! thanks for the opportunity- i started running when i was about 5 years old when my dad used to drag us out of the house on sunday mornings for our family runs through the farmer’s fields across from our house in germany… boy did i hate running for the longest time- it seemed like torture, but i finally started appreciating it when i was in middle school and now i couldn’t imagine not running! it got me through army basic training, 3 deployments to iraq and many many miles of scenery throughout japan, europe and the united states!
You are so fun. What a great idea!
So cool! You are motivating me to start exercising again. Remember to stretch good!
RUNNING IS VERY GOOD EXERCISE
I am sharing this with my running friends! I am still wearing most of my running shirts, or I would join in!
Awesome giveaway! I’ve shared with friends on FB and am thrilled to be a part of this race. Just finished my first marathon in May and am training for one in October as well. So excited to run a race through a neighborhood I love!
This is a great giveaway! So kind of you to sponsor the event. I have been looking for someone to make my boyfriend a shirt blanket for awhile now. He has over 50 running shirts! I hope I win!
This is amazing! I am signed up for the DTW 5K and can’t wait for it- what a great race it will be. I started running three years ago, almost on a whim, and fell in love with it. It’s never too late to start something so wonderful! I am also one of those people driving around town with their 13.1, 26.2 and Swim,Bike,Run stickers and magnets on their car– and, trust me, three years ago I never would have thought I would be one of those people. If you want to, you can conquer any distance you want! There are some amazing longer distance races in this area, and i would be happy to recommend a few if you are interested.
I am super excited about your giveaway too– I have accumulated a shocking amount of race t-shirts, and have actually started on the idea of making them into a quilt or a blanket; I even have them cut out in neat little squares, which probably won’t help if I do end up winning your giveaway. Either way though, I would love to stop by for maybe some tips or advice on how to proceed. I am just getting into sewing, even though I have been into jewelry making and scrapbooking for quite some time now. Is your shop in DTW?
I love your work! My favorite run is always whatever I’m training for.
My aunt just served as head organizer diva for the annual Traverse City Cherry Festival of Races and it cracked me up when she told me the biggest challenge of this year’s race was that a greater number of runners than usual barfed all over the place after crossing the finish line. Gotta love a hobby that results in such, well, results!!
These look great!!
I just feel better after I run.
I LOVE it!! 🙂 also… we live about 3 hours away! 🙂 pretty cool!! I love running because of how it makes me feel! 🙂 Good luck with the giveaway! 🙂
This looks so nice! I have so many shirts that I need to win this! LOL!
I need to win this as I have so many shirts! This is cool! Thanks for the chance to win!
Oh how we need this! We began running less than a year ago, but hubs and I have PILES and PILES of race shirts. A quilt would be perfect! Thanks for hosting this awesome giveaway.
Oh my gosh!!! I can’t believe I came across this tonight!!! I have been wanting this FOREVER!!! I have a pile of shirts from running events, running my first 5k, 10k half, running events while pregnant with each of my kids, the pile grows and I have always wanted a tshirt blanket of them!!!!!! Oh boy my fingers are crossed for a win!!!
I want this for my sister who is an advent runner and who teaches running her birthday is coming up and I know she would love this wilcarvic
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I’m so bummed that I missed the deadline to enter this contest. I’ve been wanting to do something like this for my pile of running shirts!
Maybe I’ll see you at a Cleveland-area race one of these days.