Friday, September 24, 2010

Ladies, I Need Your Help!!

This week I committed to making a quilt for one of the ladies in my homeschool group. She is going through cancer treatments and i wanted to do something for her. I offered, on behalf of all of us in the group, to make a quilt. I did not know what else i could do. The idea was well received, so once i found out her favorite colors were, ironically, pink and purple i got right to work. I was not thrilled with the colors to work with not to mention i don't use them much so there were not many of them in my stash. What it definitely needed was a few other colors to break up and liven up the quilt. This one came together in one day. Not too shabby for a days work!


Here is what i need help with....how can i make the other ladies feel involved so that this is their project as much as mine? Oh wait there are more questions...should i use fabric pens or sharpies or should we hand embroider whatever messages or scriptures we want to put on it??? Does anyone have other ideas for personalizing the quilt for her??



I want to get this project done fast. I don't want any of this silly indecisive stuff to slow things down, so i hope you all can help me out. I can not wait to read all of your great suggestions!


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19 comments:

Kimberly Tripp said...

wow Leslie, that came out beautifully! You could have them help you bind it, for starters. When I made my Nonna's quilt, I just quilted my message on it, because I didn't want to applique or write on it. I had quilted it with swirly lines, and I just wrote her message in cursive with the darning foot. Or course, I showed her where it was and told her what it said :)

erica said...

I'd give all the ladies a piece of fabric to write a note on with a fabric pen. I'd keep the top as is and use the messages and notes as part of the backing. The embroidery is a great idea, but if you want it done fast I'd go with the pen! This is a gorgeous quilt and I'm sure it will mean alot to her. Wishing her well. thanks for sharing.

Angela Nash said...

That turned out so cool!

I would go with each person writing a message on a block that you piece onto the back. I have found that the fine tip sharpie works best, bleeds the least, and costs the least.

Muslin is a smoother weave, so that works better. You could stabilize them with freeze paper if you have it, but not necessary.

One cool thing you could di is embroider a ribbon loop thing in one of those wider pink rectangles.

Catherine said...

I think embroidered names of all the ladies in the group would be a special touch. Doesn't have to be any fancy stitching, just a quick running stitch. If you want more than names then use some nice good quality fabrics pens. Good luck with this pecial project!

Dolly said...

What a beautiful quilt-top you got made ! Wow, Leslie, that is so cheery, it's bound to make her heart glad !

I think that these ladies in your comments have given you great advice already. The one thought I had to add is to perhaps purchase a pretty little journal/notebook wherein each lady could write something special, maybe echoing their sentiments from their labels, adding their phone numbers with a promise to be there to talk or help when needed.

God bless her as he heals her, and bless your group for their caring hearts.

Evelyn said...

How many women are in your group? You could add a strip of white to the top and bottom, and give a portion of it to each person, and have them write something encouraging (a poem, a verse, etc.). So if she had the quilt over her lap, she could look down and read them.

The quilt itself is lovely! Great job whipping that up so quickly! And good for you for helping out your friend (well, the whole group, really) in such a caring way.

Colleen said...

Even though you don't love the colors, I like the way it turned out. The fabrics that you did have in those colors are great. (I especially like the matryoshka dolls.)
I think the idea to have people write a message on the back in pen sounds the best and easiest to me. (And you know that I'm all about doing things the easy way.)

Kris said...

I love this and I agree with the other comments that a permanent marker on fabric squares would probably be the fastest and easiest way. Two tips: It's easy to write longer messages if there's freezer paper on the back since it holds the fabric firm and if you use Sharpies, run the iron over them to heat set the ink so it doesn't bleed. I missed this step with a recent baby quilt and there's was halo around the message after I washed it.

Georgia said...

I would use embroidery for the names. Backstitch is quick and easy to do even if you haven't done it before. Write your name or message onto some fabric using a water erasable fabric marker and then stitch straight over the top.
OR - have each person embroider their name and trace their hand print and embroider the outline of that too - perhaps easier than a long message.

Kathleen said...

A very, very fine piece of sandpaper under the fabric that is being signed with help hold it in place. Beautiful project.

Anne at Film and Thread said...

This will mean a lot to the lady undergoing the treatment. I would have the ladies all do a message/verse/etc. for her and then print it on the printable fabric with their names. You could then piece them into the back. I did that with my quilting bee quilt and was happy with how it turned out.

The Blessed Wife said...

My vote is for embroidery or maybe an iron on message so if there is a need for washing, nothing will get washed away (fabric pens can LIE). Iron on is easy if done right and can look great. One local group sews as they pray so they are "sewing in" their prayers over the person. Just some ideas. Such a beautiful quilt will truly be a blessing!

Emily said...

What a neat idea! I use the fabric paper from Hobby Lobby/Jo-Ann's for my labels on the back of my quilts. I come up with what I want my label to say, type it up in Word, print it on the fabric paper, and hand stitch it to the back. I iron under the raw edges before sewing it on. Could you have the group come up with a saying/quote/passage that they want the label to say and have someone design the label for the back? Just a thought. It would be pretty quick. Good luck!

Anonymous said...

I love all the other suggestions, but noticed no one suggested what i was thinking. To help them feel like it's their project too, have a quilting day, and everyone pitch in to tie quilt it. We did this at church, and with a few ladies, one quilt won't take that long to do. So that's my suggestion :) I love the way the top turned out, so pretty. You do a great job on these :)

Alisa said...

I just finished a quilt for a lady in our church going through chemo as well. We got them to sign the fabric before I stitched it together (with a permanant pen.) I'd hate for them to mess it up after it's altogether. Maybe they should sign the back? I like it very much.

Mary said...

so pretty--can't believe you just whipped it together--when do you find the time?

I wish I could be of help but I'm not so good with quilts. I like the hand embroidery idea--so personal!

paisley and lace said...

What about having everyone write messages/names/scriptures on the strip of binding around the quilt. Maybe a yellow?

I am not a pink and purple gal, either, but this quilt might just change my mind!

Lovely and thoughtful.

amy smart said...

This quilt is so beautiful - and came together in a day? Nice! Love the greens and blues in there - still a pink and purple quilt but makes the quilt so much more interesting. You did a great job. Good luck with the rest! :)

Brown Family Blog said...

Just saw this. It really is beautiful and I am sure will make her smile and feel loved.

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