Tippy

OK.. I'll try to make a long story short..I sent log cabin strips out over a year ago to be taken on a Motorcycle relay for a friend who had an almost fatal accident. I sent (I thought) very clear directions on how to sign the pieces and even sent a Pigma marker and mechanical pencils to sign pieces. I did leave 2 to 4 strips together to minimize fraying.
FINALLY got them back today.. some signed across 2 to 4 blocks.. some signed on the WRONG side across the lines. And worst of all some signed with markers of a different type that have already bled all over the place. I still want to make a quilt for this dear friend.. who by the way recovered fully.. against all odds and is already riding again!! All I can think to do is to piece this mess into a backing and make a pretty front. I am at my wits end and am trying not to cry and or blow up at these "poor dears" "bless their hearts"... southerners will understand. :?

LoisN

I've made 2 memorial quilts and getting blocks back from people is extremely frustrating. Sometimes it's months and it really only takes a few minutes to write something on a block WITH THE PEN I PROVIDED. Yikes. OK, I vented too. Now I feel better. Sounds like yours is really a mess, but put your creative juices to work and see if there is a way to salvage the quilt top. If your friend knows the "signers" it may be funny and meaningful to the friend to get the "mistakes". It would be a unique quilt, to say the least. Good luck. And, yes, I do understand "bless their hearts". haha
Lois

shaverg

Is it possible to trace over the ones that are messed up or written on the back. Then wash it to see if you can get the markers out that bled and transfer the signatures back on to the strips with the pigma pen? Then decide if it looks good enough to still be part of the top or make it the back.

susiequilt

After all this time could you just make a quilt the way you want and you can sign all the names that you got strips from?
Put the names around the border or something.

Ninnie

I like this idea. I too have tried sending out the blocks,and somehow it never seems to work out. Unless you are there to oversee each one, you are going to get all different types. Make a quilt, and sign each name that participated.

LovingIzabella

I did this for my MIL's retirement. It was a dinner and I had all the blocks prepped and ready to go and wrote out directions and placed them by everyone's plate and went around to everyone and told them and still had a few blocks I had to unstitch and restitch so the writing was in the right direction. In this case I would just maybe put the names of everyone with their well wishes underneath on the back-maybe make the back muslin and attach by handstitch some of the savable ones and then just rewrite the ones you can't. Good luck and I am glad to hear your friend made a complete recovery!
Hugs
April

QBeth

Does your friend have a sense of humor? I yes, I like your idea of making a pieced backing using the signatures. For those blocks that are signed on the back side, make a flap where one side is stitched in place and the other is held down with velcro! Everyone needs a good laugh and, after all, it is the thought that counts!!

Anyways, bikers are supposed to be good riders, not necessarily quilters. :-)

NCfleur

I totally know where you're coming from. I got married in May and instead of a guest book I made white fabric squares for guests to sign. I had instructions on the table and even drew the border on each square so they could "stay in the lines". Wow! what a mess. People drew pictures outside of the lines or didn't draw on the right side....hello?? there's a border already drawn for you! I know how frustrated you must be. I think you've gotten some great suggestions here. Let us know what you decide to do with the project.

Jim's Gem

I have had this happen before too, however I sent the quilt(and a couple Pigma pens with instructions to sign on the large back label) to my daughters Army Reserve Unit for them to sign at their Christmas party, it was a Home of the Brave Quilt that I made for the daughter and mother of a soldier killed while he was serving with my daughter in Afghanistan. they signed all over the front of the quilt with Sharpie markers and when I got the quilt back a lot of the signatures had bled. The FRONT of the quilt. I was sick. I pressed with a hot iron and sent the quilt off to our Home of the Brave Coordinator with apologies and instructions that the quilt, which was for his 4 year old daughter, probably should not be washed.
Some people are just ......... not real bright!!!
I hope you can salvage the quilt signatures!!!

littlehud

What a wonderful thought. Too bad it went so wrong. I would try to trace the signatures on new strips and finish it.