So my signature quilt from the wedding is still in pieces. I hear this is a common trend caused by post-wedding bliss (...or something). In an attempt to prevent this, I made sure to have the quilt in block form prior to the wedding. I think this helped a lot with the issue of guests signing beyond the sewing line, which causes you to then have to get them to resign later (so unromantic) or secretly forge their name (feeling dangerous?). The quilt will remain in blocks until all our loved ones have added their signatures and blessings. Gathering all the family that were unable to travel for our wedding is a task that probably won't be completed until this July, and one that will probably require me to make more blocks. Definitely worth it!I must say that I am so happy to have chosen this keepsake over a guest book. I love its uniqueness and how guests eagerly shared their blessings and comments right on the quilt. I may take out their cards and read them from time to time but I will see this much more often. My uncle has always drawn a self-portrait when signing my birthday cards and I absolutely adore that he chose to sign my quilt the same way!
I especially enjoyed learning how to quilt with my mom. This is the first quilt for both of us and we both want to do it again. We'll see how we feel when it is actually complete! An avid quilter friend of mine tutored me along the way and she is also going to quilt the whole piece when we are finished. In the center of the quilt will be an embroidered block of my husband's and my name with our wedding date.
For this signature quilt, I used archival-quality, permanent markers. I did toy with the idea of using washable markers so that I could hand-stitch over the signatures, making them more permanent. I think that would be absolutely beautiful! It is a much bigger undertaking, though and this being my first quilt, I thought it better that I not overwhelm myself and then never want to quilt again! It is probably a better match for a smaller signature quilt like a baby shower. We shall see. I wanted the wedding quilt to be a wall hanging but, realistically I think it will cover a bed when it is all finished. Of course, size depends on your guest list and the pattern you choose.
I chose the pattern Misselthwaite for several reasons. First, you can fit 4 signatures on a single block. I also love the story of The Secret Garden and gardening in general. I also considered Don't Fence Me In because it screamed signature quilt to me, but I thought a pattern name like that would be bad ju-ju and not appropriate for a wedding.
This pattern uses paper-piecing which I was really intimidated by since I have heard it to be tediuos and hard to wrap your mind around. But, it was so easy! If you can trace, then you can do this! It really is just tracing with a sewing machine instead of a pencil. It was an added bonus to have the paper backing on the blocks during signing - it added extra stability so the fabric did not bunch. Speaking of fabric - all of my fabric came from Hancock's of Paducah where I found Deb Strain's beautiful peices. I was very impressed with the quality.
I will be sure to post the completed version of our signature wedding quilt....stay tuned!
What is a treasured keepsake from your wedding? How did you capture who was in attendance?
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