bobquilt3

Attach with a method that makes it removable. At some point the quilt will have to be cleaned and that poor little hanky will never survive the washing machine.

bobquilt3

I couldn't agree more about quilting later. Better for signing and better for the quilter. A more relaxed quilting without a dead line has got to be easier and way less stressful.

Mitch's mom

I agree with having guests sign the back. If there is concern about the plain pink blocks on the front could someone with an embroidery machine put the wedding details on them? Date, time, place and maybe some decorative details from the wedding itself, perhaps flowers from her bouquet, the name of the song for their first dance, those type things that mean so much to them as a couple.

tessagin

Ditto to Paulswalia. You may also want to have it like a scroll where it can be rolled, signed, etc.. Would really consider suggestions from "dunster" and Nammie to 7 also. Some guests may be a bit much inebriated before they even get there and lord knows what they may do to that quilt.

linda faye

I am with Pauls on this one. That is what I did with my parents' 50th anniversary quilt. Friends signed the top and I quilted it afterwards. I think I put freezer paper on the back of where they signed to protect what surface was under the top (i.e. podium, book, anything hard to write on). Love the bride and groom.

chrisvdh

masking tape over the raw edges!

cpcarolyn

Beautiful quilt.

riutzelj

i did a signature quilt for my daughter's graduation. turned out she really preferred the signatures on the back. she made a good point: what if i end up having a falling out with that person, if it is on the back, i can still use it and not be reminded everyday of them. Therefore i go with finish the front and put the signatures on the back. i did give my completely quilted and the guests used fabric crayons, which worked well and gave them the option of being creative if they wanted. a few drew pictures rather than just signed their names

MacThayer

Having a "Signature Quilt" is a double edged sword. Lovely to look at; way too easy to mess up. I was at 50th Anniversary party where they had a completed (quilted) quilt. It was impossible to write on. Who knows if any of the ink is colorfast, washable, etc? People signed all over places that were not meant for signing, despite very explicit written directions, which no one took the time to read. More than one person used a felt tip pen that bled through to the back, and smeared all over the front. IMHO, they took a beautiful quilt and ruined it. People will be drinking, excited, NOT focused on the quilt, trust me. If you don't control the way they write the signatures, they could end up as a mess, and that's the last thing you need. I vote for giving them small sheets of white fabric (8 1/2 X 11, as a guess but could be any size), back the fabric with either wax paper or a thin, fusible interface (to make stiffer and easier to sign on), then drawn on the lines with a pen that will wash out, and have the piece signed with a pen that will go through the wash. For best results, make a visual sample of this, signed exactly the way you want your signatures to look, and display it prominently at the signing table. People can usually follow an example, or visual instructions if it's quick and clear. Then use those signatures on the back.

On the front you could add wedding date and names: of the Bride and Groom, and perhaps the wedding party, or part of it. You could do a little "family tree" of each side. You could add blocks to fill in white space. The choices are limitless.

Just a suggestion. I hope it turns out great! And BTW, after the wedding, get a long armer to quilt the quilt -- someone who can do lots of beautiful quilting for this heirloom. If you try to do it yourself, you will be pulling your hair out because you'll want it "perfect", and perfect quilting isn't in your skill set yet. So give yourself a break!

Diana Lea

I agree with MacThayer, 10 x10 or 12 x12 blocks would be ideal. Less sewing putting the blocks together and same size would make it even. We made a quilt for a good friend that was moving and I miss spelled her name had to make another block. Yes I am blonde. So glad she did not see that. Kick back and have fun. Everything and anything will happen.