Personal Quilt Journal
Bliss
nearly a year, I thought it would be nice to keep a little journal of each
project I've made. I've already given away several ("Mother Geese" and
"Spencer's Gone Fishin" to by 2 mo. granddaughter and 16 mo. grandson
in Oregon; plus a "Double Wedding Ring" framed wallhanging to my Dad
in Florida). Now I'm forgetting the details of these projects and wish I'd
kept some notes.
So... yesterday I got myself a little blank journal with lined pages to record
my quilting projects. Would like to have some sort of structure to the
info on each quilt - the question is: What details shall I note?
Been thinking I should include the following - but what do you all think?
Quilt Name:
Start Date:
Finish Date:
Purpose: (i.e. made for self, gift, etc.)
Quilt Dimensions:
Quilt Design (i.e. block name, technique e.g. watercolor, etc.)
Fabric: (colors and design)
Quilting: (i.e. machine vs. hand quilting vs. tied)
Significant life events while making it: (i.e. bought 2 1/2 acres RAW land
on Vashon Island for new home)
Misc. Comments (i.e. # blocks, pieces, special touches, problems, etc.)
Any other points to note? Do any of you keep a quilting journal?
Dyanne
(who had to read her Keepsake catalogue by candle light last
night cause the storm zapped her electricity)
Laurence Pearce
> So... yesterday I got myself a little blank journal with lined pages to
> record
> my quilting projects. Would like to have some sort of structure to the
> info on each quilt - the question is: What details shall I note?
>
> Been thinking I should include the following - but what do you all
> think?
>
> Quilt Name:
> Start Date:
> Finish Date:
> Purpose: (i.e. made for self, gift, etc.)
> Quilt Dimensions:
> Quilt Design (i.e. block name, technique e.g. watercolor, etc.)
> Fabric: (colors and design)
> Quilting: (i.e. machine vs. hand quilting vs. tied)
> Significant life events while making it: (i.e. bought 2 1/2 acres RAW
> land
> on Vashon
> Island for new home)
> Misc. Comments (i.e. # blocks, pieces, special touches, problems, etc.)
>
> Any other points to note? Do any of you keep a quilting journal?
>
> Dyanne
> (who had to read her Keepsake catalogue by candle light last
> night cause the storm zapped her electricity)
>
relatives could take one for you and send it) I regretted not doing this
for my first 2 quilts - which were done last year for an appeal for cot
quilts for an orphanage in Russia. Obviously I'll never get a photo now,
but at least I know they were gratefully received.
Caroline
Mary Beth & Ron Goodman
samples of blocks or piecing and photos including any I've taken over
the course of the project.
The "journal" I kept during a recent BIG TIME quilting project was
interesting to me. I tracked how much time I actually worked on the
project -- from buying to finishing. Everytime I sat down to work so it
shows marking the quilting, buying the extra fabric after I snipped an
edge by mistake etc etc. It was a heavily quilted piece so that was a
very interesting part of it all. I also noted other things that were
going on in my life, quilt guild meetings (and if I showed the project,
reactions to it etc), significant weather etc. Talked about my design
decisions too.
Wish I had it in me to do this each and every day. If anyone knows of
good diary/journal software, I'd be interested in knowing about it.
Mary Beth Goodman
Jennifer Spotila
> <snip>
>So... yesterday I got myself a little blank journal with lined pages to record
>my quilting projects. Would like to have some sort of structure to the
>info on each quilt - the question is: What details shall I note?
>Been thinking I should include the following - but what do you all think?
>Quilt Name:
>Start Date:
>Finish Date:
>Purpose: (i.e. made for self, gift, etc.)
>Quilt Dimensions:
>Quilt Design (i.e. block name, technique e.g. watercolor, etc.)
>Fabric: (colors and design)
>Quilting: (i.e. machine vs. hand quilting vs. tied)
>Significant life events while making it: (i.e. bought 2 1/2 acres RAW land
> on Vashon Island for new home)
>Misc. Comments (i.e. # blocks, pieces, special touches, problems, etc.)
Don't just make notes! Staple in little snippets of the fabric you used in
each project (I guess that is harder with projects you've given away). Also,
keep a photo of each project.
I've kept a photo album of my quilt and cross-stitch projects for several
years, but your journal idea is great! I have photos, but not the stories of
the projects.
Jennie
(whose cat thinks batting is the best sleeping surface on earth)
Nancy Walsh
>
>>Any other points to note? Do any of you keep a quilting journal?
>>
>>Dyanne
>>(who had to read her Keepsake catalogue by candle light last
>> night cause the storm zapped her electricity)
I don't really keep a quilt journal, although I did start a photo
album of quilts in the different stages. I keep a design journal.
In it goes all my ideas for quilts, weaving projects, specs, etc.
I do my calculations in it when trying to figure a repeat for
a border quilting design. I sketch out pictures of the finished
quilt etc. So from the very blossoming ideas of the quilt, I can
follow what process I went through. I don't try and keep it in
order, I just turn to the next page and put down whatever I'm
working on at the time. I take class notes in it, I sketch in
it when I'm trying to be creative. It's a catch all kind of
thing. It's fun to look back through and see how ideas have
developed. I think a journal would be too formal for my style,
but I am definately going to work on a quilt photo album, that will
contain a lot of what you mentioned in your post.
-Nancy
Steve and Terri
: >
: >>Any other points to note? Do any of you keep a quilting journal?
I've been thinking about this just this week -- I found a book at
the bookstore that is a combination quilter's workbook (with diagrams
of different blocks, and a lot of basic information) and diary.
I didn't really need all the basic information -- not because I
know everything there is to know yet! but because I already have
a lot of good reference information. But seeing the book made
me think about keeping a diary.
Already I keep all my notes from the quilt-making process. If I
draft a 12" block, I write down the measurements of each piece I
need for the block, and how many of what color to cut out. If I
make templates for a block, I put the pieces of the template into
an envelope with any notes I've made and store them with my other
quilting stuff. (I always draw a small picture of the block whether
I cut templates or just write down measurements, and color it in
with the approximate colors I'm using -- just so I can see it a little
better, and that goes with it all, too.) I always take a picture
of any finished needlework that goes to someone else (although sometimes
I forget to if I've made the article for me or someone in my house.)
But I think I might start keeping a journal of other things involved
in the process -- I found my great-grandmother's little notebook
recently that listed all the things she made, and for whom. For
her, it was business, too -- she got paid for making quilts. (I
also found an envelope with some templates in it.) While it was
too recent to help me date the quilts I ended up with (her other
notebooks were nowhere to be found) I thought it was wonderful
to read through.
Even if you're the only person who ever reads it, it's a wonderful
way to enjoy that quilt you made over again.
Terri
--
Steve and Terri Carl
ter...@neosoft.com
C Andress
Quilt =
80% cotton
+20% cat hair
_____
= 100% pure (purr) love
Gina
Bellevue, WA