wedding quilt in progress
I finally made some progress on our wedding quilt. Instead of a guestbook, we had our guests sign squares of fabric to be sewn together. While I am still very happy with this idea (I’d much rather have a quilt than a guestbook) it probably would have helped if I’d ever made a quilt before. Ever.
Not that it’s going badly, but it started out a bit rough. Mainly because a handful of squares, cut a the last moment before the wedding, were not only different sizes, they were not even really square. On top of that, without any guidelines for signing, some guest wrote all the way to the very edges of the fabric, leaving no seam allowance at all.
After arranging the swatches into their pattern, I traced new square guides onto each piece, so I would have a uniform size while trying not to cut off bits of what people wrote. I then basted each strip together and got to sewing, first making vertical strips and then sewing those together.
I knew from the beginning it would not be perfect, and I’m quite happy with how it’s coming along. Next I plan to put some edging fabric so its a bit larger and then I’ll have to choose a backing. I’m not sure how I’ll stitch the front to the back, since I don’t want to detract from the writing.
Any ideas from seasoned quilters out there? Actually an suggestions would be helpful really.
I’m not a seasoned quilter by any means so I am afraid I can’t help you there, but I just wanted to say again this is such a beautiful idea and I can’t wait to see it finished.
Suggestion: Use a plain white sheet the size of your front piece…sew on three sides and stuff accordingly.
OR
Use a sheet and edging so that you dont go over the writing of any of the guests.
Either way will give you a lovely finished quilt to cherish forever.
:))
Looking good!! When it comes time to do your basting I would suggest safety pins, or you could use a basting spray. I have never used the basting spray, but some people really like it because they don’t have to take out the pins as they are sewing. You could stitch in the ditch if you don’t want to go over the writing. I can help you with your binding if you want. It took me awhile to figure out the blind stitch, but I am kinda obsessed with it now. 😉
yes i need your help! and you still need to sign a square i think. 😉
i foresee a quilting night in the near future.
This is the best idea ever. How did you get to be so good!?
I think it’s freakin beautiful!
I have no brilliant quilting advice for you, but I have to say that this is an amazing idea! It has the potential to look a little wonky, but the fabrics you chose work so well together – it’s going to look fantastic when you’re done, even with your novice quilting skills!
And I’m going to sound like a major creeper now (I’m usually a silent lurker/reader), but I just have to say that everything about your wedding was so lovely. I usually could take or leave (mostly leave) wedding-focused blog posts, and truthfully the wedding business just turns me off, but you had such a creative and unique approach to the whole affair that it just seemed perfectly fitting and appropriate and personal. I’ve enjoyed every one of your wedding-focused posts, so I was delighted to see this one! 🙂
Thanks so much Kelly! I totally agree, I’m not necessarily a big fan of the whole wedding world, but I do like crafts, especially when they can have more purpose than just making something neat. Not to mention I do like a good party so that’s what we tried to do. I’m glad that came through.
Oh my gosh, I made the quilt… how wonderful! Had no idea that’s what those squares would be used for, which makes the whole concept even more lovely!
This is so beautiful. I love the fabrics, and the messages make it even sweeter. What a wonderful way to remember the special day!
hi alix! i found you on rock n roll bride and i just had to tell you how utterly gorgeous your wedding was! congratulations on your special day. i’m afraid that i will be totally stealing this idea for mine, if you don’t mind.. 😉
what kind of pen(s) did you use on the fabric? standard biro or special fabric pens? i’d hate any of the messages to come out in the wash!
hi lisa! you should totally steal this idea. 🙂 i’m sure i’m not the first to do it.
i did just use the standard biro pens. i figure it will just be a hand wash only sort of piece.
What a beautiful idea!!
I’m a seasoned quilter and for your first attempt at quilting, excellent job! Your next steps are: Add your borders. Make sure everything is ironed before you start to baste. Depending on what you are working on, I would either tape or pin the backing fabric down to the carpet (using pins) or the tile floor (using tape). Make sure your back is nice and flat before you do anything else. Next, lay out your batting. Lay your finished top down on top of that and use your big safety pins to pin it together every 3 inches and sew.
To quilt it, I’d just “quilt in the ditch”. Follow the seams of your squares and you won’t mess up any of the writing and it will still hold together beautifully.
Feel free to email me if you have any questions!