Anyone who has made a quilt knows that it is so much more than cutting and stitching fabric. Quilting is about weaving memories and stories into a cherished keepsake. This holiday season, I've had the opportunity to experiment with a recent project I made. My husband's cousin commissioned me to make a quilted tree skirt that he could gift to his wife for Christmas. Other than the requirement that it should be 60" in diameter and include red, green and white, I was free to do as I pleased.
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I have an Innova M28 longarm machine but I hadn't yet used some of the features available with Grand Format Embroidery (GFE). It was amazing! This tool allows embroidery to be done while the quilt is still on the longarm, and it's such a wonderful way to personalize a quilt and make it that much more special.
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This Christmas tree skirt was quilted with an edge-to-edge design. Before quilting, I simply 'masked' the diamond shapes so the edge-to-edge quilting would skip over the masked spaces. I then used the Draw and Path Apply tools to create the text and the embroidery stitches. There were six diamonds around the skirt so I was able to include names for the entire family (5 humans and a dog).
This got me thinking about all the ways you can personalize a quilt with embroidery. All of these ideas can be done by hand embroidery or with an embroidery machine. Or ask your longarmer if they are able to this as part of their longarming service.
Here are some different ways you can customize your quilt with some fabulous embroidery ideas!
#1 Dates and anniversaries:
Celebrate special moments by stitching in significant dates like a birthday, a wedding date, an anniversary, the date of a special memory, or the day you completed the quilt.
#2 Names and initials:
Add the names of your loved ones, the recipient of the quilt, or pet names. Whether it's a family heirloom or a gift for a friend, a quilt with personalized names becomes an instant keepsake.
#3 Quotes and sayings:
Inject a bit of personality into your quilt by stitching in your favourite quote, saying or mantra. These words can add an extra layer of meaning.
#4 Location:
Embroider the coordinates of a special place. It could be the location of your home, a memorable vacation spot or somewhere that simply has meaning to you or the recipient of the quilt.
#5 Secret or hidden message
Create a sense of mystery by incorporating a hidden message by stitching a message in a coordinating thread, in a subtle corner for the recipient to discover.
I'd love to hear if you have other ideas. Leave a comment with other creative ways to personalize gifted quilts with embroidery!
If you'd like to get your quilt longarmed with embroidery, please send me a note and I'd love to chat with you about the options. Book your quilt here or email me at jody@stitchworkstudio.com.