T-Shirt Quilt Specifications & Constraints

For my T-Shirt Quilt Final Project, I have several specifications and constraints for the final product. I have chosen my top five constrains and specifications below:

Top 5 Specifications (no specific order):

1. Comfortable/Meet Comfy Coze Aesthetic
   1. A blanket should be comfortable. It should be soft with a good amount of weight that anyone who finds themselves under it would find immediate comfort and relaxation. My comfy coze aesthetic, as described in my personal aesthetic post, includes articles such as blankets to help provide this aesthetic.
2. Meet Old School Athletics Aesthetic
   1. Because this is a quilt made of t-shirts from a specific university, it should meet my old school athletics aesthetic. With red and yellow being the most dominate colors in this quilt and also being very prevalent in many universities sports uniforms and other paraphernalia, I should be able to meet this aesthetic just by virtue of the fact that I am using these t-shirts.
3. No Holes or Loose Stitches
   1. In general, I want this to be a high quality quilt. It shouldn’t have any holes, loose stitches or bunched fabric. I want it to look professionally made and be of the highest quality of quilts.
4. Geometrically Accurate and Symmetrical
   1. Since I do not have the fanciest of tools for the purposes of measuring, cutting and sewing the t-shirts together, it is going to be difficult to get accurate shapes and sizes for each panel of this quilt. This plays into the final quality of the quilt which should have nearly perfect rectangles for each shirt panel. It should also have an overall symmetry to it, as I have planned with the layout for the front.
5. Proper Size Overall
   1. This Quilt should be about 5.5′ x 6.5′ in size overall. This is a perfect size for a larger throw blanket that will cover someone completely when laying down or lounging on the couch. Size is important as it affects the overall comfort and usability of the blanket.

Top 5 Constraints (no specific order):

1. Space
   1. Making this quilt requires at least a 6′ x 7′ piece of floor. This is difficult to find as my bedroom is very small and does not have this much floor space. Additionally, I do not want to annoy my roommates by monopolizing the living room floor with this project. Finding a space large enough to complete the project and not feel crammed for space has been a large constraint.
2.  Time
   1. Time has also been very difficult to come by during this project. I was planning to complete most of this project on the weekends, however, as track season progresses I have fewer free weekends without a track meet. Senior Design has also picked up the pace as we are finalizing our designs and final deliverables and presentations. This has made finding time to work on this project very difficult.
3. Sisters Approval
   1. This quilt is a gift for my sister that she asked me to make when she graduated from college 3 years ago. Because of this, I need her approval on all designs. This is a constraint that slows down the project progress as I have to wait for her to ok all design decisions before moving forward
4. Personal Sewing Skills
   1. I have my own sewing machine and have made a t-shirt quilt before, but it’s been awhile since I’ve used it so my skills are a little rusty. This is going to add time to my project as there will be a slight learning curve to figure out how to properly use my sewing machine again.
5. Limited Number of Tshirts
   1. The front of the quilt can only be comprised of the t-shirts I’ve been given by my sister to use for this quilt. This limits my ability to alter the design of the quilt and the overall size and shape, as well.