Writable material
 

Hi and good evening, my niece seen this idea for guest quilt, you have your guest sign on the quilt block and I was wondering if there was a special material ? I would assume you can write on any material with a marker, but I would li,e to avoid any types that would not work well. I do not know if I am explaining this correctly?

A couple of things.

It helps a *lot* to back the fabric with freezer paper. Ideally you want to iron freezer paper to the back of the fabric before cutting the squares. To ensure that guests do not sign into the seam allowance, you then want to add blue painter's tape to each square to "frame" the square. After the squares are signed, you assemble them into the quilt top. Obviously, in the photo, the quilt top was assembled first. This is not the best way to do it, in my opinion, but could work if you back the quilt top with a sufficiently smooth surface that makes writing easy.

You really want to use permanent markers made for writing on fabric. Pigma brand pens are the ones I am familiar with, and come in different sizes. For this type of quilt you probably want a fairly large pen point (nib). They come in colors too. Here is a link to some of them on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Sakura-Pigma-M...dp/B00CA15JRG/

You should test any pen first, to make sure it is going to work the way you want. Some permanent markers, such as Sharpie, will bleed when used on fabric. You want a permanent fabric pen so you don't get unwanted bleeding. If you have a Dick Blick's in your area, you might want to go there and ask what is available.

I think if you wash the fabric (to get out the sizing) and use a pigma pen just about any fabric would work.

I do believe she wants the quilt all made so when she has guests thy can sign it as a momento.

if you plan to put the quilt together before writing you want to use pre-washed 100% cotton fabrics- washed with detergent-no fabric softener. use a tear away stabilizer on the back of each square- this will give some stability and help keep the ink from soaking through onto what ever is behind it. use micron pigma pens- they are permanent, acid free, archival quality- do not bleed or fade. at my daughter's wedding reception we had 100 prepared blocks (10" squares cut, ironed onto freezer, framed with painters tape- in a stack on a table with an assortment of colors of pigma pens- the guests enjoyed grabbing a block and sitting down to write words of encouragement, advice, draw pictures, personalize their messages- after the *festivities* were over I took the blocks home & constructed the quilt- turned out wonderfully...if the quilt is all together ahead of time the amount of time the guest will spend will be very limited- you may want to reconsider- it's not that easy for some people to write/draw when something is hanging- where if they can sit down with a block they tend to (enjoy) the process much more & it shows.

Also if the quilt is totally finished with the batting & backing, it will be very difficult to write on such a soft surface. Make yourself a little sample sandwich & try it with just a plain pen to give you an idea. And if you are using a fairly large nib on the pen it may even bleed right through to the backing.

Another issue to consider with a completed quilt is mistakes. You know how easy it is to start to write a greeting and mess it up. I'd hate to have the quilt ruined by someone from the other side of the family spelling a name wrong or whatever.

If you do decide to go with a complete quilt, maybe you could stretch it tightly to make the writing process easier. Possible clamp it to a table so several people could gather around it at once to sign and still have the option of setting down.

Another idea is to use crayons, if the blocks are big enough. Then, put any kind of paper down on your ironing board (I used several layers of newspaper covered with brown wrapping paper so the ink won't rub off on the fabric), then your quilt squares or top, face up. Covered the portion you are pressing with several layers of paper towel, then press, not iron, the block with a medium hot iron. The heat fixes the pigment into the fabric and melts away the wax, which is absorbed by the paper towels and the brown wrapping paper. Keep changing the paper as needed until all the blocks are pressed.

If this is just the top, and not a quilt, you can cover the board it is mounted on with fine grit sandpaper. The sandpaper will grip the fabric and stop it from shifting and you won't have to stabilize the blocks with freezer paper.