New quilt project

Sounds amazing! How big are you planning? Piecing four quilts the same (in blocks) wouldn't worry me, but quilting them sure would! How long do you have for this marathon project?

Your mother's precedent of making the jumpers identical might preclude this, but I made two quilts "the same" for two sisters (8 & 10yo) but included one tiny difference and told them they had to find it for themselves. It took them two days and a lot of looking.

I would make identical patterns, but different colors. Wouldn't get nearly as boring and would be more individual to each recipient.

I am thinking 6 foot square or a bit less depending on the pattern and how it fleshes out due to the design limitations. We have to be there on the 15th of July or thereabouts. I have a Janome 1600p longer arm machine so the quilting doesn't worry me. The thought of doing that much piecing of all the same thing is what worries me though. Why do I get myself into these things?

John

I had, of course thought of that but, then you would get the"I want the red one", "no I want the red one", "you take the blue one", "no, the blue one clashes with my drapes". We are the original prototype of the fighting Irish family. I know of what I speak. The previously mentioned sweater gift at Christmas scenario, also makes me think that the drama of the thing would be enhanced. Who knows, I my enjoy doing that many of the same thing if I space them between other projects. I want to try to avoid the "night before the flight leaves marathon quilting scenario", if you know what I mean. With a simple enough design and assembly line cutting I might just pull it off.

John

I had, of course thought of that but, then you would get the"I want the red one", "no I want the red one", "you take the blue one", "no, the blue one clashes with my drapes". We are the original prototype of the fighting Irish family. I know of what I speak. The previously mentioned sweater gift at Christmas scenario, also makes me think that the drama of the thing would be enhanced. Who knows, I my enjoy doing that many of the same thing if I space them between other projects. I want to try to avoid the "night before the flight leaves marathon quilting scenario", if you know what I mean. With a simple enough design and assembly line cutting I might just pull it off.

John

Wow - if I could do 4 quilts of any design before the summer I would die of shock!!

Sounds a fantastic gift, good luck!

(uk)

Well, when you are retired and all the kids are gone out of state and it is the middle of winter and you live in Ohio, you will have plenty of time to finish quilts. That and an obsessive preoccupation, and manic work ethic.

John

a really great idea giving them all quilts. i see your point about the arguing over who gets which colour. so...... if you're thinking of irish chain, how bout using the same colours but in different order on each one. oops single, eh. well how bout do a Double Irish Chain. use Two Colours Reversing Position for quilt #1 and #2. then perhaps use 2 different border fabrics. then use those border fabrics as the chains in #3 and #4. with chain fabs from #1 and #2 as the borders on #3 and #4. clear as mud, eh. they'd all be similar but each one slightly different from each of the others. or some such idea as that. still think'n on that one.

oh and shipping anyway is just as likely to vanish enroute as on a plane. i'd carry them onboard if it were me. they should fold up small enough for each of you to carry two of them, even that big size. of course you could 'wear' them on the plane. :)) hell, i wore home 21yds of fabric and carried about that much again in my bag. it can be done, just fold it up nice and flat. oh and that was on both a domestic usa flight and then onto an international flight to get home. :) jeanne

You're getting lots of support & ideas from everyone John. Personally, having just made an Irish Chain - it'll be a long time before I make another one. I found it really difficult to do the same thing over & over & over. However, not everyone has that same response. If you do the Irish Chain - how about personalizing each one & in your center block of each chain, use a novelty fabric that reflects something personal about the intended recipient? Maybe if they live at the beach, use a beach scene fabric, if they are bowlers, use a bowling novelty, etc. You are pretty amazing - 4 completed quilts by July. Makes me tired thinking about it! (Two years ago I made 4 table runners for Xmas gifts & I thought I was doing a lot!)

Actually I have had better luck shipping things than taking them on the flight. I have never lost anything that was shipped, but I guess it does happen. Probably not as much as checked baggage. I understand that 1/4 of all checked baggage doesn't make the connecting flight, and we will be on a connecting flight. I have lost bags in the past and never got them back. There are now a lot of restrictions on carry on and I am not sure if they would be allowed along with the usual carry on stuff we would want to take so that we have some clothes to wear when they loose our luggage. I have shipped a lot of stuff via FedEx and Ups, (bicycle parts sales), and you can insure it for full value, for not much money, and if it doesn't arrive, then you can throw one hell of a drunken Irish wake on the proceeds. I would hate to have worked all that time for naught, though.

John

John

John

thats a good idea bout the middle square, Pauline. clever you!! jeanne

I see only some of the posts but if it hasn't been suggested before

How about quilting the initial or monogram of each recipient in the background of the chain pattern? The monogram can be drawn in a diamond shape to echo the design, and the difference would be very subtle between the quilts, but still very personal.

Makes sense! If they're going to fight over the colors - make'em all the same color - just find a really simple pattern.

Great idea Cheryl - really great! . In message , CATS writes

Having seen it recommended it on here many times, I made one at last. I am usually an extremely slow worker, but I made it in a couple of days - not yet quilted, but I needed just the top to show a group. What is 'it' - Warm Wishes. You could easily use Cheryl's idea in the quilting, for this design as well; and you could use a fabric with large print that would be difficult to use in any other context - and a pity to cut up small (I'm not a great one for prints, but I had a beauty that I didn't want to use in small pieces). If you Google 'Warm Wishes Quilt Pattern', you should get to the Quiltmaker free pattern. It is easy and quick, but looks fantastic. Size is very easily adaptable to what you want. . In message , John writes

Several years ago I made quilts for a retreat center. Each quilt design had to be four matching quilts. The first two quilts were OK, the third was tiresome and the fourth was a real drive to finish. Each set of four were started with a marathon cutting party. This saved on fabric because there wasn't much waste when cutting all four at one time. I then assembled four kits and made each quilt separately. All were quilted on a long arm machine.

I suggest that you personalize each quilt in some way so the person receiving the quilt knows it was made "just for him." This could be a simple as a special computer printed label.

Susan