something I have learned
 

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share something I have learned. When you start making a quilt, and are just doing your own thing, write down what your plans or ideas are. I have some quilts that I am working on, and I forgot what I was planning to do with the blocks. I now have to think through some ideas. Basically it is do I want sashing between the blocks or just between the rows. If I don't do sashing between the blocks, then I have about 28" to work with for borders, and do I want two borders or do I want to do more borders that are just smaller. The issue is I can't do a border from one of the block fabrics, because they were done with a block exchange group and I may not be able to match the fabric, so I am trying to decide what I want to do.

Anyway, that is one thing I will work on this year, is organizing my stuff and write down my ideas for the quilts so that when I put it away for a while, I know what I intended to do. Also, I tend to buy fabric without having a plan for it, just because I like it. This year, I will try to buy fabric only with a plan for it. I like to have a stash, but sometimes I don't have enough fabric for what I want to do.

I agree. I have referred back to my notes multiple times while working on a project.

I learned this lesson the hard way just last week. I had put one project aside until I finished Christmas projects. When I started on it again--and I had written brief notes about it--I was really confused as to what I was planning, etc. I learned to not leave brief notes ever again.

This is a good idea to make notes on projects, thanks.

I have thought about this and keep forgetting maybe I need a quilters journal.:)

Great idea to make notes on my projects. So many times I just plan something out of my brain and work from there, and forget in a couple of days what was decided.

I agree and know what your talking about. I made a tote to carry my quilting stuff and didn't write down any of the measurements as I worked. Since I took the basic concept from different ones I had seen online and mixed different elements together, I didn't really use a pattern. I had someone ask how I made it. Short of making a second I don't really know, I guessed my way through it.
So yes, it is a good idea to write all that stuff down as you go along. Makes for sharing later easier or just for finishing up easier. I need to work on writing down things to.

this is so true :) that's why a quilting journal is a great idea. i find that a loose-leaf binder with vinyl pockets/pages is best because you can keep scraps of the fabric or pics from a magazine with each project/idea

And make sure the notes aren't too cryptic. I have designed a few patterns and then gone back to use the same pattern a couple of years later and the notes don't make any sense. I know they made sense the first time around because I made the quilt.

Amen to that!

I've been using a quilt journal since 2004 (just a small spiral-bound notebook) and it's saved my sanity more than once. When I thought I'd lost a block in a carefully numbered set, it was the quilt journal that reminded me that the series ended at 14, not 15! (That was a terror -- I tore the sewing room apart before thinking to check the plan.) You only have to do the finicky math for how much background fabric is needed for a quilt once - jot it down and look it up when you go back to a project. And it's great for ideas that come to you in the middle of the night and wake you up; write 'em down and go back to sleep, they'll be there in the morning and you won't forget!