Replies

1. 
   Sarah_Kayla | May 15, 1999 03:38am | #1

   *
   I have made several large family and community
   pieces involving large numbers of people. I find
   that it looks significantly better if you do not
   create something based on squares. You have to
   plan something that will look good despite the
   fact that some contibutions will follow all of
   your clearly delineated rules and be really
   artfully done and others will be someone scrawling
   on an old rag with a ballpoint pen.

   I will be happy to discuss this with you further.
   For a couple of years these sorts of projects were
   a big chunk of my incom

1. 
   Carol_T | May 25, 1999 04:14am | #2

   *Years ago, my husband and I got a square of fabric in the mail. A note enclosed asked us to sign it and mail it back to the senders. They had made copies of the addresses in their Mother's address book, mailed a square to each of her friends and relatives, and were preparing the squares into a quilt for her 80th birthday party. EAch signature was embroidered with outline stitch.

1. 
   Ramona_ | Aug 09, 1999 11:04pm | #3

   *Sarah,I too will be coordinating a family quilt for our parents 50th anniversary. I am the oldest of their 4 children, but there are 19 grandchildren ages 28yrs-4 months. This means the process must be simple for each family. I will assemble the 4 pieces(one for each family). Sure could use some ideas,suggestions, tips. Some of us are not remotely creative or patient, but we do have several months to work on this project. Thanks.

1. 
   Sarah_Kayla | Nov 28, 1999 02:58am | #4

   *Sorry it took so long to reply. I just read your query today. Since you are working with kids who are so little, you might want to think about hand prints. I like doing quilts that are essentially large scale log cabin blocks. The whole quilt is one huge log cabin. You could have each family do hand or foot prints onto a dark fabric using acrylic paints. If people wanted they could write greetings on their hands after the paint dried using a permamnent marker. The center square could be a wedding photo of your parents phototransfered on to fabric in one of the gazillion ways there are to do that - i can tell you how to do that too. You could arrange the hand prints either by family or by generation. I have found that the handprints look best if they are light or metallic colors on a dark background. Dark on light looks a bit cheesy. Without the rigity of white muslin squares that everyone seems to use for these projects (I hate those white squares with a passion!) Your quilt can even turn into a piece of art and not be something ugly made with lots of love. Forgive my crankiness about the white muslin square projects, but with three young kids I feel as if every year one of my kid's teachers comes up with the muslin quilt thing as a class project. It was cute 20 years ago but has overstayed it's welcome. An art student friend of mine gave me wonderful advice years ago. She said that everything looks better outlined in black and that a border improves everything. Chana was right. Have fun doing the quilt and feel free to contact