Guestbook Quilt

Lollipop951

I am the MOH in my best friends wedding.  As a wedding gift I told her I was going to get fabric squares and pens for each of her guests to write something on and then get it made into a quilt.  I saw this idea on TK and just loved it.  However, I don't know how to make a quilt and I can't seem to find anything else on the topic on TK.  Can anyone help me with simple things like what kind of fabric I need and about how much fabric I would need?  If you have done one of these, pictures would be great.

Thanks!

aleeb

Use cotton. You can probably even find pre-cut squares either online or in the fabric store. Make sure to tell guests not to write near the edges, because of seam allowances

Muffin'sMom

My daughter started out doing this, but when she came up against the amount of work it would be to make sure that all the pieces were done right, and then the amount of money to get it finished...she abandoned the idea.

MairePoppy

You should only use quilt cotton. Other cottons have higher thread counts and are more difficult to quilt. You would need to wash, dry and iron the fabric to pre-shrink it. Then to cut the squares accurately, you would need a mat, rotary cutter and clear, flat ruler. Those are all available at the quilt supply/fabric shop, if you want to price them.

Do you have time to take a class to learn some basic sewing skills? Unless you are able to do the sewing yourself, this could be a very costly project. Look on line for quilt services to get an idea of what it would cost to get your quilt assembled (sandwiched with batting and backing)  and quilted. I'm not sure if the cost  is worth it for this type of project. Unless you have very artistic guests, you'll probably  end up with a bunch of squares that say "Best Wishes, from Aunt Alice and Uncle John."

ehathewa

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_moms-maids_guestbook-quilt?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:357Discussion:4dd430f2-5982-4554-b7d4-975a3a0ab71aPost:635ec2a6-3bcf-48a7-9d38-5005e37f1ec2">Re: Guestbook Quilt</a>:
[QUOTE]You should only use quilt cotton. Other cottons have higher thread counts and are more difficult to quilt. You would need to wash, dry and iron the fabric to pre-shrink it. Then to cut the squares accurately, you would need a mat, rotary cutter and clear, flat ruler. Those are all available at the quilt supply/fabric shop, if you want to price them. Do you have time to take a class to learn some basic sewing skills? Unless you are able to do the sewing yourself, this could be a very costly project. Look on line for quilt services to get an idea of what it would cost to get your quilt assembled (sandwiched with batting and backing)  and quilted. I'm not sure if the cost  is worth it for this type of project. Unless you have very artistic guests, you'll probably  end up with a bunch of squares that say "Best Wishes, from Aunt Alice and Uncle John."
Posted by MairePoppy[/QUOTE]

This is right.  If you took sewing classes you could probably piece together the front panel of the quilt... but quilting itself is painful work. 

sarah42nd

If you go to Joanns Fabric they have pre-cut squares you can buy and they have 50% off coupons all the time. You can also talk to the employees and ask for help.

Lollipop951

Thanks everyone.  I had already decided that I would be getting someone else to quilt it for me (I guess I didn't say that in my original post).  The good thing about living in Lancaster County is that there are a massive amount of Amish stores that will quilt for you and it won't cost me more then $100.  I appreciate the help with what kind of fabric to use and thanks for the heads up to wash and iron it before hand. 

MairePoppy

That's a great deal, you're so lucky.

If you decide to buy those pre-cut squares, don't wash them in a washing machine. The edges will fray. Soak them in warm water in the sink, lay flat to damp dry and then iron them. Good luck with your project.