autographs..who would you ask for..serious question,help needed

[Jeannine]

I have asked this question before with some great help from you all  a few years ago.

I have been working on a patchwork quilt of autographs for many years,I stopped for several years but have time again now.

I research addies, send two pieces of fabric,enclose a letter explaining what I am doing and why I would like that person to  autograph  my quilt, I request the person sign it and where I can I enclose a stamped addressed envelope.

When the fabric is returned I embroider over the signature under a magnifier lamp in black.The stitches are so tiny it is hard to see it is stitched.

I choose folks from all walks of life, usually people that have impressed me one way or another.

Now and again I get a refusal usually from someone who works for the person..eg.. a sorry refusal from the Queen Mothers lady in waiting which I expected but tried anyway.

Sometimes the letters come back not known at this address.

Sometimes I don't hear anything.

But more often than you might think I do get the patch back, signed and often with a letter or photo.

I am just starting to work on this again , hopefully I should finish it before I croak,and wondered if anyone had any ideas about who they would ask to sign their quilt.

It gets very interesting, eg I wrote to Victor Mature in 1992 telling him he was my teenage crush, I got the patch back signed but with a heart and and arrow through it, he had put his name at one end and mine at the other..silly I know but it really made me go all daft.

I have some very interesting ones  and want to boost them, not so much with singers or actors although I do have quite a few of them and I am always happy to receive ideas for more but I need ideas to enlarge the other categories  more,perhaps folks who have contributed to science or medicine or perhaps explorers , sport figures,etc .

Just glancing at my journal and picking a few well known names out , from all categories I have:

Roger Bannister,Peter Ustinov,Edmund Hilary,Harry Secombe,Bette Midler,Peter Cushing,Sophia Loren,Bob Hope,Norman Jewison,Neil Armstrong,Dr Christian Bernard,Dr Jonas Salk,Herman Wouk, Leon Uris, Prince Rainer,Sean Connery.........I won't bore you all with a long list, but am happy to give tell other names if asked.

I think I have just close to 200, but the pieces are small about 3"x4" so it needs a great many more to be able to finish it.

One more thing, I always enclose 2 pieces of fabric as it not always easy to write on fabric so one is a practise piece. I often get both pieces back signed so what to do with the extras..I have even had two pieces come back with two different signatures if for example I have sent it to someone who has a famouse spouse..Eydie Gorme, sent her husbands Stevie Lawrence back on the second piece.

I would really appreciate any help you can give me as I feel I am getting out of touch.All the patches I have are signed prior to 1992. I have been working on a new list for about 5 years.

Some I have been refused are Oprah Winfey, Greer Garson,Billy Graham.

Many are older celebs as some were very old when I started and several have now gone.

Hoping you can give me some up to date ideas or oldies I have not thought of, even film stars or singers that I may have overlooked  if they are fairly recent.

Thank you XX Jeannine

[Jeannine]

[springbok]

Professor Stephen W Hawking.

http://www.hawking.org.uk/

[Jeannine]

Bang on Bokkie, I did think of him and didn't put him on the list,, thank you so much for the reminder XX Jeannine

[grawrc]

Tim Berners-Lee and Steve Jobs. How about some gardeners?

[Jeannine]

Thanks Anne I di have Steve Jobs on nthe new list but I must have the Web manTim Berner -Lee.

Yes gardeners would be great

XX Jeannine

[dtw]

Davina McCall, she's a lovely person.
She does a heart on her autograph too.

[Sparkly]

James Martin just because he is so yummy!

[shirlton]

Alan Titchmarsh would beone of my choices and Virginia McKenna

[lewic]

What a great idea!

I'd ask Sarah Ferguson as I think she is great, much maligned in the media and possibly the only royal who you would get a personal reply from.

[galina]

Favourite Musicians? Bands?  Composers? Radio presenters?

Something like, 'I listen to your music or News broadcast etc whilst making this quilt.  Would you consider giving me an autograph?'

You include folks from all walks of life - what about asking diligent and caring doctors, nurses and other hospital staff you meet?

The weatherman or weatherlady on the box?  After all weather is important for gardening :)

[tricia]

How about the entrepreneur/dare devil Richard Branson?

Tricia

[1066]

what an amazing tale - I love it.
How about someone like Desmond Tutu?

[Digeroo]

Professor Stephen W Hawking

I thought he was unable to write. 

[Lottiman]

I would ask Bono lead singer of U2, a man who has acheived many things

[rosebud]

 How about that lovely man " Terry Waite"  or  " SIR Bob Geldoff,
I met him on holiday in Positano Italy, what a lovely man so friendly.

[small]

Stephen Sondheim.

[grannyjanny]

Nelson Mandela  & Tim please.

[Jeannine]

Sadly three letters have been unanswered to Mandela.

I realise Hawking cannot write in the trues sense but it is normal to him and I can put the autograph from paper to fabric in his case..there is a log that would go with the quilt with various notes, photos cards etc so it would be OK in his case.

Galina, it is for known folks so sadly the super nice other people cannot go on this one.

Thank you for your ideas , they are great. I need a few more sports folks.

I also need some more  "firsts"  I have Dr Christian Bernhard, first surgeon who did a heart transplant, that kind of thing.

Inventors?

Sometimes I have to think further back to find those.

I would like some peacemakers too.

I have just received a newer copy of the book with addies in it..there are so many people I don't know on it.

Thank you again

XX Jeannine

[Unwashed]

I would ask Bono lead singer of U2, a man who has acheived many things

Yeah, not everyone gets a dog biscuit named after them.

How about Andrew Wiles, or Aung San Suu Kyi, or Dennis Ritchie and Brian Kernighan (he's even a Canook), or Ellen MacArthur.

[Manouche]

David Bellamy for all his work re conservation and Michael Palin because he has grown into such a lovely mature man and still makes me laugh.
I'd also give Al Pacino and Robert De Niro a try because I loved them both in The Godfather.