When do you actually let the people sign the quilt? Before the top is quilted to the back, take just the top, or just have the blocks and finish quilt later?

I want to make my niece a signature quilt for her graduation party.....

Any of the ones I have seen, we signed the blocks ... that way if someone makes a mistake, you can let them do a different one. Take spares!

You could have them sign the quiltop before quilting (see inherent risk above) .... I think after quilting, would be very difficult for them to write on it.

We've always ironed freezer paper to the back of the blocks to stabilize them & have people sign them with pigma pens. Then heat set the ink before ripping away the freezer paper, then sew blocks into quilt. REMEMBER to draw a washable outline for people so they don't write out into the ¼" seam allowance.... you might want to put at ½" border allowance so the fancy swirls etc. aren't cut off.

Might even be a good idea to oversize the blocks, and use a 1" border ... then it leaves you some space to trim and/or if someone goes outside the line then you can shift to keep it in!

I cut the blocks and starched them real heavy and took them to her wedding showers and she wanted it brought to the wedding. I took pigma pens, scrap material for people to practice on, and told everyone to stay within the boundaries. I marked the seams. Some people still signed inside the seam allowance.

Thank you all for your suggestions. I'll get with it and make her quilt. :)

I have them sign the squares before thay are put together. It will be easier to heat set the signatures.

I would think that starching before signing might interfere with the ink setting.

I just provided a backing with lines and borders the same size as the material for the individuals to know where they had room to sign. I verbally explained the process and then had a complete square so they could visualize the finished signature piece.

Used pigma pens. Only 1 person ever had to rewrite their signature. [Not everyone can get the concept.]

ali