T-Shirt Quilt Calculator
Enter how many shirts you have and the block size their designs fit in. The calculator suggests a layout and gives the finished size plus interfacing, sashing, border, backing, and binding.
T-Shirt Quilt Calculator
Enter how many shirts you have and the block size the designs fit in. The calculator picks a layout (or uses yours), then gives the finished size plus interfacing, sashing, border, backing, and binding yardage.
Formula: quilt width = columns × block + sashing between blocks + 2 × border; interfacing squares = block + 1"
Results
Finished Quilt Size
72" × 89"
183 × 226 cm — closest standard size: Full / double.
- Layout
- 4 × 5
- Every block is a shirt.
- Cut Each Shirt
- 15½" square
- After fusing the interfacing.
- Fusible Interfacing
- 9 yd (8.3 m)
- 20 pieces 16" square from 20" interfacing.
- Sashing
- 1 ⅛ yd (1.1 m)
- Border
- ⅞ yd (0.9 m)
- Backing
- 5 ½ yd (5.1 m)
- Backing 80" × 97" (4" extra on every side). 2 panels of 97", sewn with vertical seams.
- Binding
- ⅝ yd (0.6 m)
- 9 strips × 2½".
Measure the largest design first: it has to fit inside the block minus ¼" on each side. Common block sizes are 12", 14", 15" and 16". Stabilise every shirt with lightweight fusible interfacing before cutting.
Turn a photo into a real pattern
Upload a photo or drawing and get an embroidery pattern for an empty block — a name, a date, a team logo.
Open Embroidery GeneratorHow Many T-Shirts for a Quilt
15" blocks with 2" sashing and a 3" border.
| Shirts | Layout | Finished size | Closest size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 3 × 4 | 55" × 72" | Lap / throw |
| 16 | 4 × 4 | 72" × 72" | Lap / throw |
| 20 | 4 × 5 | 72" × 89" | Full / double |
| 25 | 5 × 5 | 89" × 89" | Full / double |
| 30 | 5 × 6 | 89" × 106" | Queen |
| 36 | 6 × 6 | 106" × 106" | King |
| 42 | 6 × 7 | 106" × 123" | California king |
Planning a T-Shirt Quilt
Measure the largest design first. Every block has to hold it with ¼" of seam allowance on each side, so a 13" wide print needs at least a 14" block. Most t-shirt quilts use 12", 14", 15" or 16" blocks.
Knit stretches, woven cotton does not. Fuse lightweight woven interfacing (such as Pellon SF101, 20" wide) to the back of every shirt before cutting, then cut the block ½" larger than finished. The calculator sizes the interfacing 1" bigger than the block so you can centre the design and trim square.
Sashing between blocks frames each shirt and hides small size differences. The layout the calculator suggests is slightly taller than wide, like a bed, with as few empty blocks as possible.
Filling Empty Blocks
If the shirts do not fill the grid, use the leftovers for a pocket, a sleeve logo, a photo printed on fabric, or an embroidered block with a name and a date.
T-Shirt Quilt FAQ
Related Tools and Pages
Quilt Calculator
Finished size, backing, binding, border, and batting from block size and layout.
Quilt Backing Calculator
Backing yardage, seam direction, and panel lengths for any quilt top.
Rag Quilt Calculator
Cut square size, square count, and flannel yardage for every layer.
Hexagon Quilt Calculator
How many hexagons fit your quilt, their size, and the fabric to cut them.
On Point Quilt Calculator
Diagonal, block count, and setting and corner triangle cuts for on-point layouts.
Charm Pack Quilt Calculator
How many charm packs, layer cakes, or mini charms a quilt size takes.
Embroidery Pattern Generator
Turn a photo or drawing into an embroidery pattern for a quilt label or a memory block.