HANOVER — Hunter Verrill looks forward to attending college in the fall, but she also knows she’ll miss her hometown, friends and family.

So, she decided to take a piece of home with her when she attends Vermont Technical College. Accumulated during the past 10 years are many memories, all in the form of T-shirts.

The Telstar High School senior and her mother, Amy, were busy Tuesday afternoon at Gardener Memorial Library cutting squares from bright orange, red, blue, green, black, white and yellow T-shirts, all with a logo from her activities since second grade.

As a future equine studies student at Vermont tech, she has T-shirts from Deepwood Farm in Albany Township where she attended camp. As a field hockey player since fourth grade, and this year as captain, she was cutting up a variety of field hockey T-shirts, and as a student at Telstar High School, the blue and white colors and logos were everywhere.

Then there are T-shirts from places where she and her family camped, such as Cupsuptic Campground, dance studios where she learned to clog, and myriad other interests.

“When she goes, we want her to have a piece of home,” Amy said.

Cutting the squares is the first step in the process to eventually create a twin bed size quilt. Each square must be stabilized with a lightweight fabric made for that purpose. Borders and backing must be created, filling must be inserted, and then, the quilt hand tacked.

When it’s done, which Hunter believes will be sometime this summer, she will have a warm, snuggly reminder of so many memories from back home.

Hunter’s mom will make a floor rug from remnants of the shirts.

Volunteer librarian Peg Susbury d made similar T-shirt quilts for her daughter, and was helping Hunter with her project.

Amy said she and her younger daughter, Dakota, a sophomore at Telstar, are also saving up T-shirts so she’ll have a quilt when she leaves for college in two years.

“This is a great thing for a mom and daughter to do together,” Amy said.

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