Always Wishing You Well
So here’s something you may not know about me - I officiate weddings. While my life might not be following all the traditional milestones, I am there to help make sure that couples celebrate one of the biggest milestones, getting married. What this means is that I have seen a lot of different options for the traditional ‘guestbook’, from an actual guestbook to a signed framing mat, but my favorite has always been the ‘quilt guestbooks’. Here a quilt is made with large empty squares for everyone to sign and leave messages in, so that the couple could literally wrap themselves in everyone’s well wishes. I think the sentiment behind this is wonderful, and takes something that would just sit on a shelf and turns it into an item that can be used everyday (at least in cooler weather). But being one of those people who tends to misspell something the first time I am writing anything out by hand, I have always thought there needed to be better way to make a ‘quilt guestbook’ that wouldn’t leave anyone worrying about their writing or moving the quilt all over to find an open spot. When I saw the Always Collection by Belle of Sew Seams Me, for Benartex, I was inspired to finally find a solution for this issue.
The Always collection is made up of beautiful soft creams, teals, and corals in a wide range of patterns, some of which are specifically wedding themed, while others are more open ended. What makes the collection extra special are the small pearlescent accents included in each pattern that add just a little touch of something special (and I always want a special fabric for a special occasion). When I saw this collection I knew it would be perfect to develop a pattern that could look like a traditional quilt design but would allow each guest to have their own fabric square to sign. The result is the Well Wishes quilt pattern.
It took some tweaking (okay a bit of tweaking) but eventually I was able to develop a pattern that met all the needs of the couple, the guests, and the quilter (yes, I am thinking of you too!). The quilt is broken down into four main components, three of which can be made in advance since they don’t use any of the signed blocks, which should hopefully give the quilter more time to work, and leave less work post wedding. Even better, the quilt has no top or bottom, so when the signature blocks are sewn in the writing can be going in any direction.
There is even an option for including photos printed on fabric in the quilt - think different pictures of the couple, or even photos from the wedding itself. Really, you can personalize this quilt in whatever you want, to make sure that it works for the couple. Alternatively this design would also be a great option for a baby shower, a milestone birthday, retirement, graduation or so many other things; sky’s the limit. You can find the Well Wishes pattern HERE.
I hope this inspired you to think about new ways to use quilts to create new and meaningful family heirlooms. If you would like more ideas for different ways to look at quilts and wedding fabric, head over to the Always Blog Hop hosted by Benartex.
