Wedding quilt features love chapter Bible verses
Create a beautiful keepsake wedding quilt based around I Corinthians, Chapter 13
-- A familiar Bible verse on the subject of love

by Barbara Geer, Grand Slam Designs

One of the most well-known chapters in the Bible is I Corinthians, Chapter 13, commonly referred to as the Love Chapter. Although these verses are appropriate and apply to everyday living, they also are one of the most frequently used scripture passages at weddings.

This chapter became the inspiration for a wedding quilt that I designed and later offered as an embroidery design package. Each square of the quilt features a verse from the chapter with an appropriate symbol or image. The words were taken directly from the King James Version of the Bible.

Construction of the quilt is simple and can be adjusted to fit any size bed. These directions are intended to fit a queen-sized bed as a comforter, with ample coverage for the sides and foot. Each of the verses is embroidered on a quilt square and then stitched together with a contrasting fabric between them.

Before getting started stitching the designs for the quilt, first cut the squares large enough to fit your largest hoop. You will want to embroider all the designs before beginning construction. Once the embroidery is completed, you will cut the squares down to 14” x 14”.

(Note: When doing the final cutting after the squares have been embroidered, make sure you use a clean, straight sewing edge. This will be critical as you match up all the corners in the sewing process.)

The quilt consists of 30 squares, which are aligned five across and six down, with the scripture reading from left to right and top to bottom. To make sure the designs are in the right sequence, lay the quilt out in a large area. Once that’s done, the rows can be gathered and organized in preparation for applying the fabric dividers.

The choice of a contrasting fabric depends upon the embroidery colors used and/or the room in which the quilt will be displayed. Cut the fabric into three-inch strips, allowing for a half-inch seam on each side. The finished size of the strips between the squares is two inches. Starting in the upper left corner, stitch the strips to the left side of each square from the first row, right sides together. On the fifth square, also stitch a strip to the right side. Once that is completed, stitch those five squares together, to complete the first row.

Continue that same process with each of the remaining five rows. When the six rows are all stitched, press the seams toward the contrasting fabric. (Usually the contrasting fabric is darker than the embroidered squares, so the seams are less likely to show through if they are pressed that direction.) Then apply strips to the top of each row and the bottom of row six. Stitch all rows together, and the quilt top will be complete.

The rest of the quilt construction depends upon personal preference and time. The quilt pictured here is tied. That means that a back, large enough to cover the top and come around to make a border on the front is placed, followed by quilt batting, and finally the quilt top. The three layers are put together and tied from the center out, pushing toward the edges, making sure that the top and bottom are pulled tight. This is more easily done using a quilt frame, but also can be done if you are careful to work from the center out in the absence of a frame.

More seasoned quilters may want to hand quilt around the designs and in the ditches of the seams. Others with quilting machines might want to apply a quilt design of their choosing. Another option would be a continuous pattern quilt design in the strips of the quilt. There is no right or wrong way, but one thing is sure. No matter what the quilter chooses, the design is a beautiful reminder of both scripture and a momentous occasion.

The designs pictured here are large, but Grand Slam Designs also has the same passage divided into a group of smaller designs for home embroiderers with hoop limitations, each design fitting into a 5” x 7” sewing area. That quilt has 63 squares and is constructed in the same manner with seven rows across and nine rows down.

Several of the designs in the quilt package can be used separately. They make great afghan decorations, framed artwork, or can be sewn on other suitable substrates. The final square has just a dove carrying wedding rings tied to a ribbon. This square can be used to personalize the quilt with the happy couple’s names and wedding date.

This Wedding Quilt package of 30 designs can be purchased by visiting www.gsdretail.com. On the left navigation bar, scroll down to the bottom to “Packages.” Go to “Wedding Quilt.” Call 1-800-569-8138 for pricing. &

Barbara Geer, president, Grand Slam Designs, an embroidery stock design and contract digitizing operation, has been in the decorated apparel industry since 1990. She is a popular speaker at commercial decorated apparel and home embroidery events. She also is a frequent contributor to commercial and home embroidery publications such as EMB, Stitches and Printwear. You may contact Barbara at 1-800-569-8138 or 1-218-222-3501; e-mail barb@grandslamdesigns.com; or visit her Web site at www.gsdretail.com.

Reprinted from SQE Professional, March 2007