In the early 1990's I served as President of the North West Suburban Quilter's Guild (suburban Chicago). To commerate the year, I collected the signatures of every guest speaker. About that time, I too began to travel teach. Thinking each engagement request was going to be my last (seriously...I couldn't believe my good luck).....I started asking my colleagues to sign muslin strips for me.
Amazingly, soon there were nearly 100 signatures which would have made for a HUGE quilt if set in the previously planned album block......meaning 1 patch per block! After much time spent with graph paper and pencil.....a new block was born. The AQS appraiser who appraised this quilt believes it is an original patchwork design. For someone who really doesn't enjoy making patchwork quilts now.....I look back and am surprised at just how many I actually did make.
The name of this quilt describes: BLOOD = hand quilting through cotton batting. SWEAT = the difficulty of developing a setting to include the entire collection. SIGNATURES = 96 signatures
I apologize for the quality of these photos.....certainly not a professional way to present the quilt. My design wall is not large, and my lighting is inadequate, enough said! (Click on image to enlarge.)
Enjoy the sampling of quilt celebrity signatures featured in this wall quilt. Numerous friends are no longer with us, making it even more special.
BLOOD, SWEAT, & SIGNATURES 66.5" x 66.5" - Mary Stori © 1992
Commercial cottons, hand quilted, featuring 96 quilt celebrity signatures.
5 comments:
What a cool idea and GREAT design!!! Another wonderful project from such a talented lady!!! I recognize so many of these names...and sad some aren't with us anymore!!
what a good way to save signatures beats the old fashioned autograph hands down. Victoria Findlay Wolfe is making one too, she requested small signed blocks from those who follow her blog so I sent one to her
A terrific idea which turned into a fantastic quilt!
Gosh, I didn't realize you'd made one of these. I would not have left those big corners, but then, how lovely to have them filled with your signature fiddlehead ferns hand quilted.
Do you remember me soliciting your signature for a "celebrity" quilt I donated to a AQS fundraiser? I was still mostly hand-quilting at the time and I remember Diane Gaudynski telling me I was crazy to have put that much time into it since the bids were so low. However, I found out that whoever won it put it up for raffle to raise money for another cause so that made me feel pretty good.
The icing on the cake was that so many celebs returned both the strip for the quilt and the extra practice strip I sent along to be signed. I had enough duplicates to make a similar quilt for myself, which I still cherish. I used the chimney sweep block, but as you say, had I had as many signatures as you did, that would have been one honkin' big quilt!
Such a beautiful quilt...you should be so proud of yourself...first for the creation and then finding it such a wonderful home for so many to view and enjoy..Bravo girlfriend!
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