Guest Book Quilt?
11-10-2013, 05:35 AM
#1
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Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Central Alabama
Posts: 256
Guest Book Quilt?
My youngest son is newly engaged to a wonderful young woman and I am thrilled. (after browsing pinterest) she asked if I would consider making a signature quilt in her wedding colors to be used as a guest book. HELP! Does anyone have any experience with this or just some suggestions? Thanks.
11-10-2013, 05:51 AM
#2
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Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Michigan
Posts: 402
What a wonderful idea. I attended a 50th anniversary party where white squares of cloth (larger than finished size) and fabric paint pens of some sort were on every table with instructions to draw a square and sign it. there were some wonderful squares done, as people had time to sit and think about it. I love the idea of having signature squares. Just don't use sharpies--they can bleed over time. Grammahunt
11-10-2013, 06:12 AM
#3
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Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 574
I think this is a great idea! Do not make the quilt first and have them write in squares. You will not be happy with that solution, just in case they goof up you will have blocks that you won't want in the quilt.
Originally Posted by Grammahunt
What a wonderful idea. I attended a 50th anniversary party where white squares of cloth (larger than finished size) and fabric paint pens of some sort were on every table with instructions to draw a square and sign it. there were some wonderful squares done, as people had time to sit and think about it. I love the idea of having signature squares. Just don't use sharpies--they can bleed over time. Grammahunt
11-10-2013, 06:15 AM
#4
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 41,463
I would make the quilt top and iron freezer paper to the back of the blocks so they are more stable to sign. Some people just do blocks so any goof ups can be eliminated but someone always writes into the seam allowance that way. Then you are faced with leaving them out or sewing off some of the signature. I would rather have them all, boo boos included. There are lots of great signature block patterns available.
Last edited by Tartan; 11-10-2013 at 06:23 AM.
11-10-2013, 06:41 AM
#5
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Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: NW Kansas
Posts: 596
I made one of my grandson's a T-shirt quilt, and made a wide border in a light color for his guest book at his high school graduation party. Had several perma markers and he made sure that everyone signed his guest book. Then heat pressed the signatures. He loves this it is one his bed at college.
11-10-2013, 08:46 AM
#6
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: Quito, Ecuador
Posts: 72
I made a signature quilt for a wedding where the signature block was the center square of Variable Star block (COC). I stabilized with freezer paper and drew the seam allowance, and penciled in "do not write beyond this line" in the seam allowance. I agree that you need to try out markers first. The ink needs to be permanent and not run after washing. Also, it was nice having markers in several different colors - some people like to draw! And, quite a few extra squares, because people do mess up. We also set out squares of paper the same size for people to "practice" on first, and found that had been a good idea, because a lot of them needed to think through what they wanted to write and some even changed their minds several times.
Good luck with your project. I'm sure it will be beautiful and a wonderful wedding memory.
Good luck with your project. I'm sure it will be beautiful and a wonderful wedding memory.
11-10-2013, 12:23 PM
#9
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 2,943
There are lots of signature quilt block designs on the net. Just do a browse. I like to keep mine simple. The most colorful one was in a coin quilt type format with signatures every other coin. I used bright batiks for the colored fabric, not the signatures, quilted it with different threads including metallic, and it was gorgeous.
Having made some I have the following recommendations from the easiest and best of them I have made:
- make sure your fabric is prewashed and ironed without anything like a spray or such
- have several templates available in which to put the prepared material so that guests sign only on the available space. I used file folders cut down to size and with a window opening for the signature. I also had marked with a sharpie a baseline that would show through to help guests keep their signatures on line. Trust me on this as many would otherwise have their signatures in the seam lines or beyond. It the floder and the fabric are the same size it seems to work best.
- have several pigma micron pens available.
- it also helps if you have a few volunteers to assist with the process to keep things flowing evenly and the pens from walking.
Make it fun and add the bridal colors for the rest of the quilt.
Having made some I have the following recommendations from the easiest and best of them I have made:
- make sure your fabric is prewashed and ironed without anything like a spray or such
- have several templates available in which to put the prepared material so that guests sign only on the available space. I used file folders cut down to size and with a window opening for the signature. I also had marked with a sharpie a baseline that would show through to help guests keep their signatures on line. Trust me on this as many would otherwise have their signatures in the seam lines or beyond. It the floder and the fabric are the same size it seems to work best.
- have several pigma micron pens available.
- it also helps if you have a few volunteers to assist with the process to keep things flowing evenly and the pens from walking.
Make it fun and add the bridal colors for the rest of the quilt.
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