Our pastor’s wife recently retired from thirty-four years of teaching mathematics, and the ladies in the church quilting group put their heads and fabrics together to make a signature quilt for her. After learning that blues are her favorite color to decorate with, we pooled 2 1/2″ wide strips of blue prints and tone-on-tones from our stashes. We decided on a simple framed square design, and cut 4 1/2″ squares of very pale gray fabric for the centers of the blocks.
During one of our sew days, we sewed about 70 blocks and pressed the wax side of a 4″ piece of freezer paper on the wrong side of the gray squares. The freezer paper stabilizes the fabric as well-wishers sign the blocks. Several of Vanessa’s friends planned a surprise retirement party, and the blocks along with gel roller fabric pens were displayed there on a table for guests to sign.
After the party, the blocks were collected and brought on our quilt group retreat. I removed the freezer paper and trimmed them all to 8 1/4″ square; we arranged and rearranged them on a design wall until the shades and textures pleased us. Sewn together in an 8 x 8 grid, the size is perfect for snuggling on the sofa.
At the Raleigh Sewing and Quilting Expo I found the perfect backing fabric of physics formulas, from the “Science Fair” line by Robert Kaufman. I expanded the backing by including several bands of signature blocks.
Keeping with the math theme, I quilted the “One, Two, Three” pantograph by Dave Hudson with pale gray thread. We know Vanessa is going to love this quilt signed by her friends and colleagues.
