A Signature Quilt
Greetings!
A Signature Quilt Can Really Be A Memory!

I've heard whispers about signature quilts for years. And, I'm sure that somewhere in our 10,000+ quilts there was at least one.

However, last year our daughter-in-law, Ann, asked Ruth to make one for her first baby shower. There was a lot more involved with than undertaking than I had imagined. It wasn't difficult. But, there were a lot of steps involved and it took a lot longer than I had anticipated. So, what were those steps?
Choosing A Pattern

This wasn't a problem. I think that Ruth can design a quilt in one glance. But, again, this was a little more complex in that she needed to first find a fabric with the theme of the shower. In this case she chose a fabric with the theme of a "baby elephant" that could be "fussy cut" to make little squares. The blocks alternated as to whether the elephant was on the right or the left.
 
It was decided that the invitee would write a message to the baby along with their name.
 
Ruth then had to choose an offset for the complementary fabric for the block where people could write. The combination is shown above. It goes without saying, but I will, that a border and binding pattern needed to be chosen. I never cease to be amazed how fabric shopping is so experiential.
Preparation

Ruth had to make the blocks. She then taped off the areas were people were not supposed to write, such as the elephant and that good old quarter-inch seam allowance.

Additionally, Ruth wrote instructions to the attendees on what and where to write. Whoops! Now we have to bet a boat-load of permanent marking pens to order from Checkers for the people to write with.
What Is The Group?

I couldn't think of a better word than "Group," but the issue was "Who was to be included in the signatures." It started out to be "everyone who attended the shower." That turned out to be insufficient, as there were key invitees who didn't attend. An example was one in the United Kingdom, where such a journey would have been excessive.

Would you believe that 112 people, primarily ladies, were invited? [I don't even know 112 people that I can recognize!] That's 112 blocks! At least it was an even number so that the quilt would be easier to assemble.
Where To Get The Signatures

Seems simple, doesn't it? Well the decision was to distribute the squares, pens, and instructions at the shower and collect them at the end of the shower.
 
The no-shows didn't fit well into that procedure. The no-shows were then mailed the block, pen, and instructions.
 
You know, it is amazing how long some people take to return the finished blocks. It is also surprising that some ignored the tape-off, no-write areas and the instructions.

"Get 'Er Done!"

One day there were blocks. Then, there was a quilt!

Thank you, Ruth!

Al Fin

I trust that this was of assistance or interest. If you have any questions that need to be answered, on this or other longarming or quilting topics, then please write to me at RickG@ForeverInStitches.com or call 219.255.8085.

Thank you for your time and interest.
May The Lord Richly Bless You!
Rick & Ruth Grihalva
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