Planning a Signature Quilt
Life's major milestones are a time for our communities to come together, in celebration or commemoration. What better memento of such an occasion than a signature quilt? Reunions, weddings, baby showers, retirement parties, the end of a school year—there are any number of great reasons to organize your friends or family to make a signed quilt for someone special. Johanna's featured quilt has signed blocks and backing, remembrances of the attendees at her annual summer quilting retreat at Shalom Hill Farm in Windham, Minnesota, and the farewell party given at the time of her recent move from Minnesota to Arkansas. No matter what the occasion, begin by choosing a quilt design with large open areas for the signatures. If your participants are all quilters (like Johanna's students), they can piece their own blocks, but non-sewers and even children can join in as long as you are willing to do the sewing. By far the safest way to collect signatures is to have participants sign precut fabric patches, backed by ironed on freezer paper, before the quilt is assembled. This way, any mistakes can be discarded without ruining your quilt. Good fabric choices for signature patches include any light colored solid cotton, or a striped fabric with open areas large enough for writing. White-on-white or cream-on-cream printed fabric is not recommended, as the ink used for signing will likely absorb differently into the plain vs. textured areas. Permanent fabric marking pens are a must, unless your participants are up for the challenge of embroidery! You will need to clearly indicate how large the signatures can be, keeping in mind your seam allowances. Once the signed patches are collected, you're ready to sew. It's also possible to pre-assemble a quilt, and have participants sign on the actual day of the celebration or memorial. This can be harder on the quilter's nerves (civilians are approaching your quilt with permanent ink and hands that may or may not be clean!), but the bonus is that the quilt is ready for presentation as part of the event, not weeks or months later. When you create and give a signature quilt, the recipient has a useful, unique remembrance of that special moment and all the people who shared it with them. No matter its size, your signature quilt will hold a huge treasury of priceless memories. |
