Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
toolgranny

I'm pondering a new quilt problem - suggestions?

toolgranny
11 years ago

I'm faced with a wedding quilt request. Nephew's wife-to-be wants an autograph quilt from signatures on white fabric blocks used as her guest book. Then I am to make a quilt from them. She's asking for queen size in blues. She will have at least 90 guests.

Question is this - what pieced block would be fast and easy for me and hold enough white rectangles? I think 30 blocks.

My first thought was "antique tile" which has space for four. Do any of you have another idea? I'll throw it into EQ7 today and see what I can come up with.

Comments (19)

  • grammyp
    11 years ago

    I will be making one for the daughter of one of my techs. I can't find the actual pattern right now, but here is a link to a picture of the pattern she picked out. Her colors are pink and grey and she wants it to look woven when finished. There will be squares of the 3 strips already pieced for the guests to sign and leave at the reception. All I will have to do is sew them together and quilt it.

    beverly

    Here is a link that might be useful: Woven Ribbons quilt

  • toolgranny
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Great idea, Bev. Looks much easier than what I had in mind. Thanks.

  • msmeow
    11 years ago

    Toolgranny, the block library in EQ has a whole section on album blocks to choose from.

    Donna

  • ritaweeda
    11 years ago

    This one is very easy, too, I've made it before.

    Here is a link that might be useful: {{!gwi}}

  • jennifer_in_va
    11 years ago

    Anything with a plain center square would work...

    Kind of depends on how involved you want to get with it. Maybe you could work on prepping all the components of a block ahead of time and then just sew the blocks together (thinking 9patch) once you get the centers autographed.

  • quiltnhen
    11 years ago

    Many patterns lend themselves to signature quilts if you think outside the lines. The ones above look like great ideas.

    I've also made the star quilt with the lights and darks reversed so that people signed on the cross pieces.

    And the next quilt pic is one I decided had plenty of light space and people could write on the light fabrics. This pic is cropped from one of her in her hospital bed and I didn't think she'd like to be included. She really enjoys reading all the lovely comments people made.

    For ease of signing I ironed each piece to freezer paper. The difficulty I had with the smaller pieces of the star quilt (they wrote on the pieces that are purple in this one, light in the signature version) were that even though I stressed staying within the quarter inch margin they sometimes didn't. The parts were mailed to them, so maybe with the pieces at a wedding reception table that won't be a problem.

  • quiltnhen
    11 years ago

    Don't know if this will post or not. Had trouble with the cropping. Still having trouble, post later.

  • teresa_nc7
    11 years ago

    A friend of mine did a signature quilt for her son/DIL's wedding last fall. She made sure to outline the writing area so she wouldn't have to deal with writing in the seams. She might have used a decorative machine stitch to outline the area where people were to write - can't remember now, but I can ask her.

    Teresa

  • day2day
    11 years ago

    I agree with quiltnhen...I think that star blocks always make great signature blocks with the siggy in the star center.

    Here's another suggestion for a signature block:
    siggy block

    ~Geraldine

  • quiltnhen
    11 years ago

    Picture's a bit blurry, but this is the pattern I was trying to show.
    LindaB/CA

  • quiltnhen
    11 years ago

    Sorry, wordy again. The reson this one worked so well for her is she loves green, I got to use the rainbow of batiks and fully 1/2 the sections of the quilt were ok for signing. Even the red one (not shown) let the writing show just fine.

  • K8Orlando
    11 years ago

    Whatever pattern you decide on, I would suggest making up the blocks and even put a dotted line along your seam allowance. If you don't, someone is bound to sign it too close to the edge and part of their signature or message will be lost.

    Kate


    This one isn't mine - I found the picture on Google Images - but I thought it was pretty neat. Simple, easy to make up the squares before the wedding, but still a very attractive quilt.

  • K8Orlando
    11 years ago

    That's not my quilt and it's not me in the picture, but I just realized I DO have a hat exactly like the one she's wearing!!!

  • Robbi D.
    11 years ago

    I'm loving these ideas! I have a friend how married about a year ago and I told her I would do a quilt like you are describing, but also with pictures. The reason I haven't done it yet is because we (she and I) can't decide on a pattern! These are some great options. I will show them to her :-)

    Robbi

  • geezerfolks_SharonG_FL
    11 years ago

    Eleanor Burns has an autograph block called Cracker Box. One of the things we discovered when DD used this idea for a guestbook is that even the kids wanted to sign and now, it's fun to look at the quilt and read what they wrote. I've shown this before, but in case you've forgotten.....white hearts on white on cream background.

    SharonG/FL

  • toolgranny
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Wonderful suggestons. I decided on the rail fence idea and an 8" block. That's big but I have to fill a queen size quilt with only 90 signatures and I did it with plain old math. I left a hole in the middle where I'll put a carpenter's star motif.

    I've sent the bride out to pick her blue fabrics and will strip piece the blocks and iron freezer paper to the back. Now, I have to test all my pigma and other pens to see which holds up better after a few washes.

    Wedding is Oct 13th. But I'll have plenty of time after that to put them all together.

  • magothyrivergirl
    11 years ago

    Linda, This is an easy quilt I made, similar to what you decided on. I made 2 strips of the same fabric and a jelly roll. The pinwheel was white and a contrast. If you want the directions I will find them.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Quilt Pic

  • toolgranny
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks Marsha. It was lovely. I've already layed mine out in EQ7 and I think it will work fine. I had to insert a motif in the middle since it was too big for the number of guests but I think I can make it work.

    See you soon.

  • quiltnhen
    11 years ago

    toolgranny, your decision sounds great. Plenty of room for signing and a fun medallion too.

    Great idea about testing the pens. Don't have any idea how some of the ones people used will hold up. I asked that they use only pigma, but there was a big variety anyway.

    Please let us know the results of your testing. I've been asked by one recipient if it's ok to wash it.

Sponsored
Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes
Average rating: 4.9 out of 5 stars254 Reviews
Northern Virginia Design Build Firm | 18x Best of Houzz