Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Signature Quilt

      Signature Quilt for Grandma Phyllis




Almost a year ago I got the idea to make a signature quilt.  I planned a design and sent out a letter to my aunts, uncles, and cousins.  Included in the envelope was a piece of white fabric, a letter describing what to do, and a cardboard cutout guide to help people know how big to sign on the fabric. 


  



As the signatures began to trickle in I started piecing them into blocks and embroidering the names.  I chose to do the ladies in pink, the men in blue, and my grandmother in black.



It took a while to get all of the signatures rounded up.   I had the pleasure of waiting for the names of the two newest members of the family!

I spent a long time rearranging blocks.  I ended with an arrangement that had all of my grandmother's children touching her block.  From there, the blocks of each immediate families' members were also touching.  There had to be some empty blocks so I tried to position them next to the families who might still be growing.  

One block is in honor of "those who have gone before us".   




 In my quest to decide on the right backing and binding fabrics, decided it needed a border.  I love the diamond border.  A few of those corner squares had to be fudged just a bit to make the points match.



A solid, almost periwinkle, blue became the backing fabric.  I used the remaining  30s prints for a scrappy binding, which turned out great.




 
Then came the quilting.  Obviously you don't want to quilt over the names, so it was trickier than normal deciding what to do.

I machine quilted each square of four colored triangles--in the ditch above and below the signatures.


 
That wasn't enough quilting though, technically (per instructions from the batting I used) and aesthetically because the quilt was a bit poofy in the corners of the blocks. 


So I decided to tie the quilt also.  At the corner of each block (in the middle of the four-triangle-squares and where the four points of white come together) I tied with two pieced of white embroidery floss.  

Here it is folded just right and in our family's special box we reuse every year and lovingly call "the box," which I just so happen to have been in possession this year. 








 Thanks for stopping by my blog!  I've been waiting to share this one for such a long time! 

Molly


linking up with Let's Bee Social
 and Crazy Mom Quilts

19 comments:

  1. Love this idea for a signature quilt. The design still stands out and the signatures do not take over the quilt. It is beautiful - your smile says it all!!!

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  2. Such a lovely quilt, no wonder your Grandma loved it!
    Happy NewYear!

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  3. The quilt is beautiful and what a great idea for a family quilt! I love that your family members signed the fabric and then you embroidered it - genius! Congrats on completing such a special quilt :)

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  4. Lovely quilt. Great colors and I like the pieced border.

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  5. This is a treasure! You have made a family heirloom and done it so well! Using the quilting as well as tieing the blocks was a clever idea. Nice work, Molly!

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  6. Very pretty. I love the border - just the right finishing touch.

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  7. What a wonderful meaningful quilt! Love the idea of the names in the sashing.

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  8. Brilliant idea! A genuine heirloom. And I adore the 30s prints.

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  9. What a fantastic quilt!

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  10. Love this so much! I bet she adores it so much. Your final quilt came out so close to your plan! It's beautiful. :)

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  11. What a thoughtful, heart-felt quilt you have made for your Grandmother. I know she will treasure it.

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  12. What a fantastic idea! I made three signature quilts for a family reunion for each branch of the family to keep, but we just signed them with Pigma pens. The diamond border was a great call!

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  13. Beautiful quilt and so thoughtful. I'm sure your grandmother will feel the love put into each stitch!

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  14. What a special unique quilt. Well done!

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  15. How beautiful! I usually don't comment on these link parties, but I couldn't let this one go! What a very special quilt for your grandmother!

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  16. What a great finish! You should be very proud of yourself! I'm sure she will enjoy it for a long time to come.

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  17. What a sweet gift! I'm sure it will be treasured, great job! : )

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  18. I am touched by the deeper meaning of this quilt. The whole process of gathering and incorporating the signatures. The thinking that went into the arrangement of the blocks. What it says about the love for your grandma. What a special gift! What a special quilt. Bravo!

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