log cabin quilt: signed and dated

my job here is done.

the absolute most important step in finishing a quilt is signing and dating it. i've seen enough appraisals on antiques roadshow to know what a difference provenance makes. initially, i wanted the signature to be small and inconspicuous. just initials and a date.

after drawing out the pattern with tailor's chalk, i set about embroidering it with cotton pearl thread just slightly brighter than the background color, using the stem stitch.

wrong. all wrong. hate the thread, hate the stitch, hate the size, hate the color. it didn't convey any of the emotion of making this quilt. it just wouldn't do. rip it out and try again.

this time around i broke out a ruler and drew the parameters of what i wanted to fill. my initials are great for a variety of reasons, and it seemed logical to use them to their full potential. adding the "quilt", while not a conventional way of signing, really summed up my relationship with this project. with cobalt embroidery floss in a split stitch, there was no concern about subtlety. and now it's perfect.

7 months, 2 weeks and 2 days. mission accomplished.