Indoor-Outdoor Quilt Top 5

I’m  making a multifunctional  quilt that can be used indoors as a comfy blanket, or outdoors as a picnic blanket. This quilt will have detachable components that help it transition from indoors to outdoors. My previous posts on this design describe my desired aesthetic and project plans.

Top 5 Things I Want my Project to Accomplish 

1. Size. I want this blanket to be huge! I am planning on making it 72” x 83.” Additionally, I want it to be puffy and have a lot of volume. It will take up space, but this is the point. I don’t need it to be packable for backpacking or traveling because the intention is to use it for car camping and picnicking. So, in my eyes, the bigger the better, both in terms of visual aesthetic and also in terms of comfort and enjoyability. 
2. Colors. I want the colors in my design to be colors that I love. I’m hoping that they’re semi-cohesive, as I want to incorporate a few different patterns while the overall design remains aesthetically intact. I love blues, yellows, browns, and oranges. I took a lot of inspiration from existing quilts that I found online, and used these to develop my color palette and design. 
3. Craftsmanship. Quilt making, as I’ve learned, is all about proper technique. The tiny details of stitching,  aligning patterns, and sewing together many pieces are obvious in the final product. Even though this is my first time making a real quilt. I want my final product to show a high level of craftsmanship characteristic of typical quilts you may find on the market. I plan to do so by carefully following tutorials, paying attention to detail while I’m sewing, and working slowly and steadily. 
4. Uniqueness. I want to make something that I’m positive nobody else will own! It excites me to think that I can create and own something that is completely my own, down to every last stitch. This also ties into my desire to fulfill my personal aesthetic that I described a few posts back. I will know I’ve succeeded in this when my finished quilt feels like ME.
5. Functionality. I know this class is all about aesthetics, which is awesome. However, personally,  I will love to see that my multifunctional quilt achieves its desired uses. I want to make sure that my transformable components (snaps, buckles, carrying handle) allow this project to become a truly useful multi-environment object. I’d love to see it be used both indoors and outdoors.

Top 5 Constraints

1. Skills. I have never made a quilt before. While I’m familiar with many aspects of sewing, I have learned that quilting is much different. I’m nervous about dealing with three layers of fabric at once and running into issues with the sewing machine. 
2. Money. Fabric is much more expensive than I anticipated! Even though I bought a lot on sale or from Art Parts, I still spent almost $100 on fabric alone. I am trying to keep this project to the $150 limit, so I have to be mindful about other pieces that I may buy. However, something that has been super helpful in this regard is that the idea forge has a lot of materials accessible for me to use (i.e., needles, thread, sewing machines, clips, a walking foot attachment) so thankfully I don’t have to spend additional money on these components. 
3. Machinery. Many large quilts require a special long-arm sewing machine so that all the fabric can be pushed through at once. The sewing machines I have access to are standard arm machines, so it may be challenging when I am quilting to deal with managing the large quantity of fabric. Unfortunately, this is not something I can easily predict or mitigate until I actually get to that point in manufacturing. 
4. Access hours. While time shouldn’t be a huge issue, I know the idea forge closes at 10 every night and it’s not open on the weekends. This means that I will have to strategically plan when I can be there working on my quilt to work with their access hours.
5. Supplies. Since I already bought and planned my fabrics, there is little room for mistakes as I do not wish to buy more fabric. This constraint aligns with the money constraint.