Tuesday, September 25, 2012

A Wedding Quilt

A month or two before the wedding, my daughter-in-law-to-be emailed me and said she'd seen an idea on the internet where the wedding guests are asked to sign fabric squares instead of a guest book, and she wondered if I might be able to help her do whatever needed to be done.  Of course I would, but when she first brought the idea up, I was getting ready to leave for vacation, so it was a couple weeks before I was able to get back to her to find out what she had in mind.  "Sarah," I asked in an email to her, "what were you thinking of for colors?"  You see, I knew she hadn't picked a color theme for the wedding, so I had no idea where to start.  In response, she sent me three photos of succulents--I've included two here; the third was so similar to the other two that I didn't upload it.



That evening, I was at the quilt shop for Thimbleberries Club, so I took a little time to search for "succulent fabric."  Several people asked me what colors I was looking for, and that was my reply:  "Succulents."  Well, needless to say, it was worth a good laugh or two; the newlyweds are certainly original thinkers, aren't they?!  Eventually, though, I pulled together fabrics in a few shades of green, a couple grays, a couple yellows, a purplish pink, and a lavender.  Oh, and I think I threw in a few pieces of grunge white too.

Altogether, I cut about 80 pieces of fabric, 6-1/2" by 4-1/2" (because I think maybe a "modern quilt" with rectangular squares might appeal to the couple more than a more traditional design) and I backed each with freezer paper.  As a surprise, I made a memory box in which the signed squares could be collected during the reception and then later used by the couple to hold mementos



At the wedding, I handed out fabric squares and invited the guests to write a personal message for the bride and groom or, if they suffered writer's block, to at least sign and date the squares.  I explained seam allowances and why they shouldn't write too close to the edge of the fabric.  I handed out permanent ink pens.  I told the guests where they could find the box so they could leave their messages in it, and I also went around to each table later in the evening and collected up all of the squares that were left on the tables.


There were a few guests--mostly family members--who opted to sign a square later, so I left everything at the bride's mom's house for the time being.  Once I get the squares in the next couple weeks, I'll see how many squares we have and plan a quilt design.  That first photo of succulents looks like it could provide some inspiration as a quilt concept since the succulents are arranged in groups resembling squares.

I'll keep you posted on my progress.  Succulents.  Sheesh!

8 comments:

Cath said...

That is a really novel idea and I am sure it will turn out to be a beautiful quilt. I quite like the colour choices.
Cath @ Bits 'n Bobs

Donna said...

Succulents? Unique choice! I love the colors. This will make a lovely quilt.

Kim said...

Can't wait to see the final product! We did something similar for one of my daighter's weddings. She was married just after Christamas, so I made her a Christmas tree skirt and guests signed it. They use it every year!

Josie McRazie said...

I love hen and chicks! They remind me of my grandmothers house! I cant wait to see your finished quilt! I know you will make it beautiful!

Sinta Renee said...

That was wonderful... and for not having a whole lot of time to plan it out... it seems to have come together perfectly and looks like you worked so hard on everything! This will be a great memory quilt for your son and his wife. My DIL did something similar and then embroidered over everyone's signatures before putting the quilt together.

Judy in Michigan said...

The memory box is beautiful and the wedding sounds like a lovely evening for a lovely couple. I can't wait to see the quilt - those are beautiful colors! Mom, you're the best!!!

Susan said...

Wow! A friend of mine did that too! And she is working on putting this quilt together. You are amazing for doing this for them!

Kelly said...

Love this idea!