Archives for 2010

Today’s review is about the company BiPedal Humm. Unlike most reviews, this company didn’t contact me but I sought after them.

Let me back up a bit… Time was ticking as it was getting closer to my husband and my anniversary. Two months before an anniversary is probably adequate time for most people to choose a gift but I was getting anxious. I’m the kind of person who likes to have Christmas gifts chosen and bought 6 months in advance so not having an idea what I was going to get my husband was quite distressing. I decided to take a look at the traditional gift for a second anniversary and see if that could give me some inspiration. I was pretty bummed when I found out that the gift was cotton. Cotton, really? Cotton is suppose to be symbolic of the comfort two people feel with one another after two years. Very cute, right? But I knew I couldn’t get him a sweater or socks for an anniversary gift so I would have to be creative. After a few days of thinking I remembered a memory quilt kit I saw for sale online. It was a quilt kit that incorporated old t-shirts into a quilt. I thought this would be the perfect gift because my husband adores some of his old t-shirts, absolutely adores them…I mean, some of them are so special that they can’t even be worn any more. What a great way to keep those meaningful t-shirts around! Seeing how it’s an anniversary gift I thought it would be a nice idea to combine his old shirts with a few of my old shirts. While I felt confident I could sew a few straight lines I knew that my skills were not up to the task of making a good looking quilt (and I couldn’t chance messing up his favorite shirts!) so I had to look elsewhere.

I did a google search for a company that made t-shirt quilts and to be honest I wasn’t satisfied with any of what I found. The quilts looked cheap, poorly made, or just plain tacky. I decided to look to etsy; a big favorite of mine for personalized gifts! This time I didn’t look for a shop that specialized in t-shirt quilts but nice, good-looking, quality quilts. I found a few I liked but one that I LOVED! I found Bipedal Humm and absolutely adored their work….even though I thought their name was a little funky. : ) They didn’t have any personalized items that I could see on their site but I emailed them and told them my story and asked if they would be interested in making the quilt that I had envisioned. They were quick to respond and were interested in making a unique quilt for me.

Carolyn was so great to work with! She let me chose any fabric that I wanted for the quilt. I found fabric for the front and back of the quilt from a shop online and she ordered it and took care of everything. She helped me find the right size for my needs and helped me understand the reinforcing process of quilts.

Ready to see my husband’s quilt? Here it is! I am quite pleased with the way it turned out. It has a good variety of t-shirt from different periods of our lives woven together. Carolyn’s work was perfect! I assumed it would be nice because after all, I searched for someone I felt I could trust to make the quilt but I had no idea how incredibly nice it would be. The quilt has a good amount of fluff to it, the seams were straight, and I love the variety of sizes and shapes that were thrown into the arrangement.

I know it’s hard from these pictures to see the detail involved but let me tell you, it’s great. I love the little squiggly lines that go all over it and make it an official quilt in my opinion. Squiggly lines? See, I have no quilt knowledge but I know what I like. : )

So take a look at Bipedal Humm and see if they have anything that you would be interested in. Or you could think of an item that you would like personalized and have Carolyn work with you to create it. She makes more than quilts; she sells place-mats, napkins, pillow shams & totes. Who would you like to create a gift for? Mom, Dad, spouse, best friend? Go visit Bipedal Humm to get inspired.

By the way, my husband LOVES his quilt. He was less impressed with my idea of combining our t-shirts to be romantic (although he liked it) but he was thrilled I found a way to preserve his beloved shirts. In summary, the quilt was a big hit at our house!