Stitching style into senior year

Working meticulously on the final stitches with her needle and thread, the sun sets as senior Klaire Leimbach finishes adding the last fabric flower to a T-shirt. While her classmates watched the sun rise the next morning during their final year. Leimbach was already glowing with pride. Seniors all around her wore her designs proudly on their shirts, a tribute to a new beginning for them all.

Leimbach’s hand-sewn business initially began as simple designs, featuring an American flag to celebrate the Fourth of July and hydrangea flowers to represent the summer season. However, as her confidence in her abilities and the demand for commissions on social media started to grow, she decided to create special and customizable designs specifically for the Class of 2026. 

“I feel good because I like to help people—to give and exceed what they want [in their shirt order]. I want them to be happy with what they receive from me,” Leimbach said, “Senior year is so important; it’s a milestone because in those four years in high school, going from freshman to senior year, it really shapes you as a person.”

With sewing lessons over summer and lots of Pinterest-perfect inspo, Leimbach started to turn plain t-shirts and sweaters into personalized mementoes for seniors to wear at special celebrations as a homage to their last year of high school.

“I was on Pinterest and I saw some pictures [of shirts with sewn-on designs], and my grandmother [sews] so she taught me over the summer. I [self-taught] mostly on my own and I’ve always been crafty, so I thought, why not just give it a try?” Leimbach said.

One of her most popular designs, a T-shirt with the word “senior” spelled out in fabric for $25, has a fully customizable system where each letter can be a different color or pattern such as floral or pastel. This gives each piece an original and one-of-a-kind style that is unique for each individual. 

Branching out from her usual designs on T-shirts and tank tops, Leimbach started to design popular college logos on sweatshirts with their own unique flair. Giving seniors a way to showcase their college pride in their dream school or the colleges they plan on attending, offering the sweaters for $45 and custom ones for $50.

“The shirts are a little bittersweet, but it also makes me happy because I was able to match with my friends. I think having that article [of clothing] is a token to look and reminisce on about my senior year,” senior Frankie Chu said, “It’s a reminder of what I’ve gone through and what I have overcome. It makes me happy knowing that it’s cute and it’s special to me.”

Although senior year brings its own challenge of time management for Leimbach with sports and advanced classes, she still finds a way to make time to carefully produce a finished product. She spends an hour on average  on simpler designs, while more extravagant patterns require more handiwork and a couple of hours each, but gives her more joy in seeing the finished product.

“It’s only been the third week [of school], but I think it makes people feel really special. I feel like I can help make [their] senior year more memorable,” Leimbach said. “It’s memorable for me too because although it’s a little stressful, it’s worth it when I see how happy and cute they look wearing them.”