Reworking a quilt for the next generation

I have just had a telephone conversation with my sister about the cot quilt I made for one of her sons in 1977.  Now it is time for the quilt to be resurrected for his first child which is due in May.  I had almost forgotten it.  It was a very early effort and has one or two strange features.  Don't ask me why each block is satin stitched, for example.  I think a lot of us began with Laura Ashley squares because you could buy them ready cut.   Most of us taught ourselves in those days and it obviously shows as my sister says the binding is a bit peculiar!  However, the colours have lasted well so after a gentle wash it can be brought into the twenty-first century.

At the time, my sister and her family were living in Cairo where both this nephew and his younger brother were born.  Because of the climate I chose not to put any wadding in it.  There is absolutely no quilting on it but it does have a border and a backing.  The new baby will be living in Los Angeles so an unlined quilt seems a good idea for a Californian summer.  My sister is planning to add some quilting to the plain squares and to machine a quilting pattern on the border. Then she plans to sign the quilt with the initials and date of birth of father and son/daughter.  She has also suggested that I sign it (better late than never).  Since we live in different parts of the country I plan to do that on a small piece of fabric that I can post to her.  Now I am wondering the best way to do it.  These days I generally print the label on the computer using iron on transfer paper but I am not sure if this will wash.  I may be better to write on the label with a Pigma pen or even to stitch a label.

This baby is going to have lots of hand crafted presents as the family is full of people who do textiles of various sorts.  I have decided I am not making a quilt as I want my sister to take my present when they visit rather than having to deal with US customs.  I have just started on a foundation pieced wall hanging, using patterns from Margaret Wolfe's book: The Quilters Ark. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Quilters-Print-Demand-Margaret-Rolfe.  I am choosing patterns from countries where the family have lived although unfortunately there is not a pattern for a kiwi to represent the New Zealand root and I cannot find anything small enough on-line.  The baby's mother is half-French so I am thinking about an appropriate animal/bird for that side of the family, too.  I find foundation piecing slightly infuriating to do although once you are into the swing of it, it is reasonably quick.  All will be revealed in due course.   In the meantime here is a photo of a similar wall hanging I made last year.