We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cierra Lewis a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Cierra, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

The beginning was 2020; we were about 6 months in of being home due to the pandemic. For enjoyment I would sit and watch DIY projects and I was searching for things that would keep me occupied. I came across aa video about ways saver some t shirts. I thought this would be different because I had saved so I decided to give it a try. I gathered my old college shirts, high schools and started to cut. Know at that time I was not a pro on the sewing machine so I decided to hand sew the entire quilt and it came out ok (if I base it off of today’s work). It took me 3 days to complete and took up my entire bed that I sacrificed and slept on the floor. I was so excited that I shared the look with friends and family and I was getting great responses that people then started asking me could I do there’s for them. I’m not sure what give what inspired me to research more videos but I started to see how I could improve. I spoke to my grandma and she volunteered to show me and loan me her sewing machine and I believe that was the beginning to something unimagined. I had no idea just how much this business would change my life. I absolutely love what I do! I feel business could be successful is because no one was doing what I was doing, I was in my own lane. Young black small business providing a way to for people to preserve their memories in a unique and creative way.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

A t-shirt quilt is a beautifully crafted piece of comfort that consists of various t-shirts sewn together. Each t-shirt forms a unique patch or square in the quilt, often representing a special memory or event. This could be from concerts, sports events, vacations, or any memorable occasion.

The t-shirts are cut into squares or rectangles, then they are sewn together in a pattern or design. The quilt can be backed with a wide variety of materials, most commonly flannel for softness and comfort.

T-shirt quilts are often cherished because they offer a sentimental and practical way to preserve and repurpose old t-shirts. They are especially popular as graduation, anniversary, or retirement gifts, serving as a cozy collection of memories.

The design and size of a t-shirt quilt can vary greatly, depending on the number of t-shirts used. Some are small and simple, with just a few t-shirt squares, while others are large and complex, with dozens of t-shirts making up a detailed design. Regardless of the size or complexity, each t-shirt quilt tells a unique story of the person’s life and experiences.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is I have found an innovative way to preserve memories. Each custom-made blankets are from old t-shirts, which are not only sentimental but also eco-friendly. I enjoy receiving their box of shirts of memories and sending it back to them messages of this has made them smile viewing everything at the exact time and something they cherish forever.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I have to be honest, I am not truly the best at social media. I can say the way I continue to build my audience is creating reels and try to create videos with popular songs to catch the viewers attention. I have 3 social media platforms because I believe my target audience is a wide range of people from different ages. The advice is find the platform where you believe you receive more viewers and set days where you post be consistent, consistent, consistent.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cescloset.com
• Instagram: _ces_closet
• Facebook: ce’s closet