Signature quilt - how many squares

I'm going to be making a signature quilt for a friend who's getting
married.
I'll bring the squares to the wedding reception and have the guest
sign them there (+ do little pics, greetings or whatever).

Some guest will be there as couples or families, and will sign
together, but not all. How many squares should I make? I want to have
plenty of spares too, if people mess up.

I'm going to have a bigger sheet of fabric for people to practise on,
and the squares will all have freezer paper on the back and be taped
to card stock.

They've invited about 150 people, I don't know how many "family units"
this includes.

I have about 15 pigma pens in various colours (I've had to mail a
whole bunch overseas and back for memory quilts for my grandparents a
couple of times). Do you think I need more pens?

Oh, and I spoke with the brides Mum, and she liked the idea. I didn't
want to just show up with this at the wedding without checking with
someone first.

Thanks,
Hanne

I'm interested in the answer to this one as well. My parents' 50th
wedding anniversay is next December. I'd like to make them a signiture
quilt for it. I thought I'd iron my light fabric (maybe unbleached
muslin) to freezer paper, use a rotary cutter to cut them to size and
then send the cut squares to my parents along with 2 micron pens and
instructions. The instructions will tell them to keep a few fabric
squares and a pen with them during the day. When they see someone
they'd like to have sign their quilt, they ask for a signiture. They
can have as many fabric squares as they like. They send me the signed
ones and get more.

I'll ask them to have all the signed squares sent back to me by July.
That way I'll have time to sew them into the finished quilt by December.
The quilt will be ready for display at an anniversary party if my
brother and I get around to throwing one.

The monkey wrench in my plan has to do with the pens. Ironing fabric to
freezer paper is easy. If a few squares get lost and don't come out, it
is no big deal for me to toss them. I can afford that. I can't afford
to give away a pen to each person signing, and I can't let them use
their own pens because that would mean explaining what washable means.
My parents and their friends are not practical people. The whole idea
of making quilts is a little on the order of vacationing on Mars to
them. In a perfect world, my parents would each have a pen and keep it
with them. In reality, my mother will be losing one at the rate of
about one per week. Dad will keep his; Mom will lose hers. Then Mom
will take Dad's. You get the idea. I'd also like them to be able to
send fabric squares to relatives out of town and get them sent back.

(Lest anyone get the idea that this is a function of aging, rest assured
that my mother has been like this since I've known her.)

I'm sure the only solution will be to buy extra pens and dole them out
to my mother each time she loses one.

Naturally I don't have a solid answer to Hanne's question since I've
never done it before, but I have a guess. My guess is that the pens
will walk out with the guests. No one means to do it, but folks have a
way of assuming that the pens are party favors. They take them without
thinking. That's why they're chained down at banks. I'd say to bring
twice as many fabric squares as you think you'll need. People will
screw up and want to try again. I'd say to bring 15 pens, but don't put
them all out at once. Chat with each guest. Explain what you're doing.
Get a signiture while you sit there chatting. Get the pen back. Move
on to the next guest. Some pens will walk out anyway. Only then do you
reach into your handbag and bring out a replacement pen.

--Lia



Hanne Gottliebsen wrote:
I'm going to be making a signature quilt for a friend who's getting
married.
I'll bring the squares to the wedding reception and have the guest
sign them there (+ do little pics, greetings or whatever).

To keep pens from wandering from the signature area at the party,
you could just put out a few pens WITHOUT the caps. People tend
to put capped pens in coat pocket automatically, but will not do
so with an open pen. Usually. There are always the odd ones, but
they probably deserve the ink stains! LOL
PAT in VA/USA

Julia Altshuler wrote:...cut...
Naturally I don't have a solid answer to Hanne's question since I've
never done it before, but I have a guess. My guess is that the pens
will walk out with the guests. No one means to do it, but folks have a
way of assuming that the pens are party favors. They take them without
thinking. That's why they're chained down at banks. I'd say to bring
twice as many fabric squares as you think you'll need. People will
screw up and want to try again. I'd say to bring 15 pens, but don't put
them all out at once. Chat with each guest. Explain what you're doing.
Get a signiture while you sit there chatting. Get the pen back. Move
on to the next guest. Some pens will walk out anyway. Only then do you
reach into your handbag and bring out a replacement pen.

Hanne Gottliebsen wrote:

I'm going to be making a signature quilt for a friend who's getting
married.
I'll bring the squares to the wedding reception and have the guest
sign them there (+ do little pics, greetings or whatever).

Some guest will be there as couples or families, and will sign
together, but not all. How many squares should I make? I want to have
plenty of spares too, if people mess up.

I'm going to have a bigger sheet of fabric for people to practise on,
and the squares will all have freezer paper on the back and be taped
to card stock.

They've invited about 150 people, I don't know how many "family units"
this includes.

I have about 15 pigma pens in various colours (I've had to mail a
whole bunch overseas and back for memory quilts for my grandparents a
couple of times). Do you think I need more pens?

Oh, and I spoke with the brides Mum, and she liked the idea. I didn't
want to just show up with this at the wedding without checking with
someone first.

Thanks,
Hanne

How many invitations were sent out? How many answered with a positive?
Ask the invitation sender.
--
Kate XXXXXX
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.diceyhome.free-online.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!

And make sure, especially on ones that get sent away, that a generous
"border" is left empty. Some people will want to write/draw clear to the
edge if not.

Pati, in Phx.


Julia Altshuler wrote:

I'm interested in the answer to this one as well. My parents' 50th
wedding anniversay is next December. I'd like to make them a signiture
quilt for it. I thought I'd iron my light fabric (maybe unbleached
muslin) to freezer paper, use a rotary cutter to cut them to size and
then send the cut squares to my parents along with 2 micron pens and
instructions. The instructions will tell them to keep a few fabric
squares and a pen with them during the day. When they see someone
they'd like to have sign their quilt, they ask for a signiture. They
can have as many fabric squares as they like. They send me the signed
ones and get more.

I'll ask them to have all the signed squares sent back to me by July.
That way I'll have time to sew them into the finished quilt by December.
The quilt will be ready for display at an anniversary party if my
brother and I get around to throwing one.

The monkey wrench in my plan has to do with the pens. Ironing fabric to
freezer paper is easy. If a few squares get lost and don't come out, it
is no big deal for me to toss them. I can afford that. I can't afford
to give away a pen to each person signing, and I can't let them use
their own pens because that would mean explaining what washable means.
My parents and their friends are not practical people. The whole idea
of making quilts is a little on the order of vacationing on Mars to
them. In a perfect world, my parents would each have a pen and keep it
with them. In reality, my mother will be losing one at the rate of
about one per week. Dad will keep his; Mom will lose hers. Then Mom
will take Dad's. You get the idea. I'd also like them to be able to
send fabric squares to relatives out of town and get them sent back.

(Lest anyone get the idea that this is a function of aging, rest assured
that my mother has been like this since I've known her.)

I'm sure the only solution will be to buy extra pens and dole them out
to my mother each time she loses one.

Naturally I don't have a solid answer to Hanne's question since I've
never done it before, but I have a guess. My guess is that the pens
will walk out with the guests. No one means to do it, but folks have a
way of assuming that the pens are party favors. They take them without
thinking. That's why they're chained down at banks. I'd say to bring
twice as many fabric squares as you think you'll need. People will
screw up and want to try again. I'd say to bring 15 pens, but don't put
them all out at once. Chat with each guest. Explain what you're doing.
Get a signiture while you sit there chatting. Get the pen back. Move
on to the next guest. Some pens will walk out anyway. Only then do you
reach into your handbag and bring out a replacement pen.

--Lia

Hanne Gottliebsen wrote:
I'm going to be making a signature quilt for a friend who's getting
married.
I'll bring the squares to the wedding reception and have the guest
sign them there (+ do little pics, greetings or whatever).

Hi Hanne
I am doing a signature quilt for my son's wedding (this weekend) and was
having the same confusion. Have decided to do one for each person - if there
is left overs I plan to get the friends that were just not quite in the
"come to my wedding circle" but would love to wish them well to sign. If you
have a few extra just put them aside and use them with a 21st or
graduation!!!! You will find about 75% are couples so about 120 should cover
it. The other thing to keep in mind is the signature area isn't that big so
a square each may be the way to go.

Good luck with the quilt

Liz Ford
Waikiki Wester Australia
"Hanne Gottliebsen" wrote in message
om...
I'm going to be making a signature quilt for a friend who's getting
married.
I'll bring the squares to the wedding reception and have the guest
sign them there (+ do little pics, greetings or whatever).

Some guest will be there as couples or families, and will sign
together, but not all. How many squares should I make? I want to have
plenty of spares too, if people mess up.

I'm going to have a bigger sheet of fabric for people to practise on,
and the squares will all have freezer paper on the back and be taped
to card stock.

They've invited about 150 people, I don't know how many "family units"
this includes.

I have about 15 pigma pens in various colours (I've had to mail a
whole bunch overseas and back for memory quilts for my grandparents a
couple of times). Do you think I need more pens?

Oh, and I spoke with the brides Mum, and she liked the idea. I didn't
want to just show up with this at the wedding without checking with
someone first.

Thanks,
Hanne

This is beyond brilliant! Thanks!
--Lia


Pat in Virginia wrote:
To keep pens from wandering from the signature area at the party,
you could just put out a few pens WITHOUT the caps. People tend
to put capped pens in coat pocket automatically, but will not do
so with an open pen. Usually. There are always the odd ones, but
they probably deserve the ink stains! LOL
PAT in VA/USA

I agree! Pat, that is just exactly what I need to remember to do.

I'm getting really exited about this quilt - although it will be a
couple of months before I can do anything "quilty" on it.

Hanne


Julia Altshuler wrote in message news:CLrDb.401878$ao4.1320429@attbi_s51...
This is beyond brilliant! Thanks!
--Lia


Pat in Virginia wrote:
To keep pens from wandering from the signature area at the party,
you could just put out a few pens WITHOUT the caps. People tend
to put capped pens in coat pocket automatically, but will not do
so with an open pen. Usually. There are always the odd ones, but
they probably deserve the ink stains! LOL
PAT in VA/USA

I am not sure what you mean by squares (plain or already pieced?) but I
would not waste any time making the blocks until people sign. You could
also just draw the outlines in a larger piece of muslin, then cut out
the good ones and add the seam allowance there... I know I had people
write all the way to the edge, with instructions and all...

Hanne Gottliebsen wrote:

I'm going to be making a signature quilt for a friend who's getting
married.
I'll bring the squares to the wedding reception and have the guest
sign them there (+ do little pics, greetings or whatever).

Some guest will be there as couples or families, and will sign
together, but not all. How many squares should I make? I want to have
plenty of spares too, if people mess up.

I'm going to have a bigger sheet of fabric for people to practise on,
and the squares will all have freezer paper on the back and be taped
to card stock.

They've invited about 150 people, I don't know how many "family units"
this includes.

I have about 15 pigma pens in various colours (I've had to mail a
whole bunch overseas and back for memory quilts for my grandparents a
couple of times). Do you think I need more pens?

Oh, and I spoke with the brides Mum, and she liked the idea. I didn't
want to just show up with this at the wedding without checking with
someone first.

Thanks,
Hanne

--
Dr. Quilter
Ambassador of Extraordinary Aliens
(take the dog out before replying)

"Dr. Quilter" wrote in message ...
I am not sure what you mean by squares (plain or already pieced?) but I
would not waste any time making the blocks until people sign. You could
also just draw the outlines in a larger piece of muslin, then cut out
the good ones and add the seam allowance there... I know I had people
write all the way to the edge, with instructions and all...

Just plain squares. I am planning to iron freezer paper to the back,
then use masking tape to tape them to cards. If they write on or
outside the tape, it doesn't go on the quilt.

I know, some pleople will still mess it up, but whoever suggested
sitting/standing there and chatting to people - I might just try and
do that.

Hanne