Need info on making a signature quilt for a very sick friend.
 

A friend in my Bible study group has learned she has blood and bone cancer. I want to make a quilt that everyone in the Bible Study can sign for her. I need to know everything about this...
Do I wash the signature fabric first?
Any pre-treating needed?
Best pin to do the signatures with?
How to make sure they don't wash away?

I tried looking in the search box, but didn't have time to read every message to get info.

Thanks for any info you can provide me, Kathy

When I made a signature quilt, I used Tulip brand fabric markers in many different colors. The instructions said to wash the fabric first to remove the sizing. I used the butterfly style clips from the office supply store to clip each square down to a piece of plastic coated cardboard for the signing (used an old political sign). I sewed the quilt together after the signatures were gathered. Tulip fabric markers don't have to be heat set, but with pressing the seams it got heat set anyhow. Washed up fine with no running anywhere.

Here is a pic of what I did. Double irish chain with rooster prints in the middle. I had people sign in the blocks around the rooster. Sewed the block that far, got the signatures, then sewed the quilt top together. Some people wrote a lot, some just signed their name. I ended up with close to 300 signatures on a king sized quilt 120" x 120".

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prewash the fabric- detergent- no fabric softener- or starch or any other chemical additive.
it is easiest to write on the fabrics if you press the shiny side of freezer paper to the back of the fabric- (freezer paper-not wax paper) use micron pigma pens- they do not get the fuzzy edges lots of markers will get- they are acid free- permenent- and come in a variety of colors and point sizes. after the signatures are all done you can heat set- but the ink is permenent as soon as it's dry- there are a number of fabric markers on the market- the micron pens are easy to write with- & like stated earlier- they do not bleed-fuzz around the edges. and a pen will last a long time.

Thanks ladies -- the info was just what I needed!! Kathy

I did what ckcowl did. However, it helped that I made a frame to put over the fabric and also had drawn lines on the paper side of t he freezer paper ... that way those signing had a line to write on and wrote within the boundaries of the frame. It worked great.

ali

all of the above but a rail fence would be quicker--[time may be important] strips could be made the same as shown--thanks for the freezer paper+lines tip

Jemma Do you know where there's a picture of the rail quilt using signatures?