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Thanks for sharing ladies!! Fun to read about the different ways we each keep track of our quilts. It sounds like the digital has taken over for a lot of us. I do have all the photos saved on my laptop, but I still like to hold the album in my hand and look through it. (Likewise, I do read on my Kindle, but I still love to hold a book in my hands and turn real pages!!)
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I love that this thread came up!
I was HUGE into scrapbooking long, long ago, but that fell by the wayside when I discovered quilting in '01. At some point I realized I would never get back to those scrapbooks...now my vacations, pets, family pictures, all digital. However, there is one thing I still scrapbook physically: my quilts. They have a digital scrapbook, too, but I have kept up with their paper scrapbook pretty well--only about three quilts behind at the moment! Any time I need inspiration, I can walk over to the shelf and pull down one of those albums. I'm on the third one now. I've made over 75 quilts, and it's so much fun to watch my abilities change and grow as the pages turn! I include information about why I made that quilt, shots of the front, back, label, and details. I try to include a picture of the recipient if available, a plus if they're *with* the quilt. Here are a couple of pages from one of my quilt scrapbooks: http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g2...s/ccce1996.jpg http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g2...s/dfeff843.jpg Sometimes I get hold of a thank you note or photo later, so I'll put those in on a different page: http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g2...s/f62e30d1.jpg Talk about feel-good! I love looking back through my quilt albums. Plus, they give me a chance to use some of the piles and piles of scrapbooking "stuff" that's still sitting around my house! :D --Q |
I keep a spreadsheet online, with the number of the quilt, name, quilted or top, where sold (or present), date sold or given. I started out taking film pictures, then there was a large gap where I didn't take any, the last few years I have pics of every one with the digital camera.
I give a number to every quilt or top I make, ones I quilt for someone else, and ones I repair for someone else. My antique quilts get a separate spreadsheet. |
I started by putting pictures of things i had made- quilting, sewing, embroidery in an old 3 ring binder. A professional quilter (she's had patterns published) challenged me to keep a separate one for my quilts. So i got an 8x8 scrapbook and started. I usually put in just a copy of the label along with a picture of the quilt. I am on my second album now. In 2009 another quilter challenged me to name my quilts, so now I am doing that too. I like having them in a book so i can show them to people that ask me if I work or what I do. Lol. of course, most people have no idea how much work goes into even a simple quilt. I counted up how mwny quilts i worked on- not necessarily completed last year- and was amazed at how many i had started! Guess what i'm completing this year! LOL
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I keep a computer journal and a paper one. I have a picture of each quilt from start to end. I take pictures and put them in a paper journal just to look through once in a while in the evening. I can't imagine not having pictures and something written about the quilt. Some are given away and I want a record of the quilt.
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Not so far. I had a friend give me one but when it comes to decribing or naming or writing up an "intention" I am lost. I wish I could keep a sketch book too. I have one but its filled with to do lists. lol Never kept a diary either. I need to keep a book for the simple reason I forget about quilts I have made. I was going through my photos and looked at one thinking hmmm nice I wonder where I got that picture from and then realized it was a baby quilt I had made a few years back. LOL
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I photograph each quilt I make, with who I made it for, pattern etc. I then put all in a notebook sleeve. If the percipient sends a thank you note, that goes into the sleeve!!
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I didn't until I found the "Quilt Album" software. Then I went back and recreated an album. I love seeing how much I have grown in quilting. Unfortunately I have no grands, and my boys are too busy playing (racing and being outdoor guys) that the prospect of marriage isn't in the near future. So I can't see all those little faces with my quilts. Darn it!
:( I can print greeting cards with pictures of my quilts on them, and have used them, when I give a quilt as a gift. While the program is stored on my computer, I have printed off the pages and keep them in a binder, to page thru. There is something about having something tangible to touch, that I can't seem to get away from in this digital world! I have posted some things on my blog about the program if your interested and there is a coupon code for $10 off. www.moosestashquilting.blogspot.com |
I also keep a quilt journal. I include who/where the quilt pattern is from. (Book/magazine,etc.)
Any information to assist if I make the quilt again. Any changes I made to the pattern to make the quilt more personal. The date I started the quilt. I include the LAQ that quilted it, or if I quilted it. The finished size of the quilt. I include who received the quilt, and why, (birthday, Xmas,etc) On the back I include a pidture of the finished quilt. If its a quilt I designed I include my pattern. Sometimes I include pieces of the fabric. I just use a lined school notebook for my journal. |
I used to be religious about documenting my quilts (numerous pictures, a type-written page describing the size, pattern, intended receipient, etc) & lately I do good to take a picture of them. It makes me so mad, too! You'd think with computers & the like, it would be easier but I just can't seem to get it together enough anymore to do so.
Does anyone know if there's some sort of easy computer program you can get to document them? That might be what I need... |
I started making one ...with a small patch of each quilt square on a large card...then take a picture of it and put it on a jump drive
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I started a journal with the first quilt I made in 1998. I find it not only interesting to reminise about the quilts I've made but helpful at times. Like when I made a quilt for my daughter and she told me it wasn't very warm. I could look up in my journal and see what kind iof batting I used in her quilt and for the next quilt I made her I would use a different kind. Also, if I made a plaid quilt for my son, I would know to not use plaids in his next one.
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I may be late to the game with my comments ... but it seems people are talking about two separate things: a quilt journal and idea books. A quilt journal documents patterns and fabrics used in the quilt, its dimensions, costs, purpose, who had it/who has it now (provenance), who quilted it and how (hand/machine) etc., with photos (where possible), and in some cases it also documents a quilt that's been inherited, wherein the information is logged as it becomes available. An idea/inspiration book is a catch-all of illustrations, photos, doodlings, etc. for quilts we'd like to make or duplicate, in part or in whole, or "do a riff" on. (Guess which one is larger?????)
I have both electronic copies and hard copies of each, with one e-copy on my computer and another on a CD. The CD of my journal serves to augment my will in terms of who has what and who gets what. The documentation/journal of the quilts I inherited from my dad's family has their written appraisal embedded/included. Each quilt has a separate multiple-page PDF file (not easily editable). When a new quilt gets added to the journal, my daughters and sister get a revised CD. No need to mention here the heartbreak so many of us have experienced when a quilt of a loved one is taken by someone to whom it was not designated. Although my family doesn't work like that, I am taking no chances. |
I tend to take pictures with digital camera.
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I have a quilt journal with the pictures of the quilt and who has the quilt, name of the quilt and date made. When we go on a shop hop or quilting get together I can take it with me
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You bet I keep a quilt journal! Mine is a spiral journal book with a beautiful cover and each quilt has its own 2 pages (sometimes more). If it is a NW Indian design (or whatever) the picture that began the quilt is included. I try to have a picture of the quilt + a picture of the person for whom the quilt was made (preferably when they first see it). I don't use patterns (I'd rather spend my money on fabric!) so I read up on the internet how to sew things together, or figure it out, and write down what works as well as cutting sizes, etc. Sometimes I go to a quilt long done and adjust it for another person (most of my quilts are made specifically for an individual). Just wish it were more complete.
Often I go back and check out how some quilt went together and do it again, but with a totally different pattern. Sometimes I just look at the quilts and notes out of pure enjoyment. But the best part is the picture with the person who now owns the quilt. Now I have to get busy and get those last pictures put in :>) |
Originally Posted by w7sue
(Post 5402148)
I have been a scrapbooker since I got pregnant with my son almost 30 years ago. So ... when I started quilting it just seemed natural to keep one for that. I have pictures of almost all the quilts I have made since 1998 (when I started). Like you, I have pertinent information - size, batting, pattern name, book it came from, type of batting, who quilted, how much it cost to quilt, who it went to - usually a full quilt picture and some close-ups. It is great fun to go back and look at all the pretty quilts I have made.
I did the same with quilt shows that I went to - those got big very fast because of all the pictures. When I take those, I always take a picture of the label on the quilt, a full view and any close-ups. Now, I just keep those on my computer - sorted by each show, by year. I usually delete all the informational pictures once I have generated a word document with the information in it. I label all the pictures according to the quilt name given by the maker (2012 07 26 - Twister Quilt (1), 2012 07 26 - Twister Quilt (2) and so on). I have discovered that I don't have all the pictures of quilts I have made on my computer - I can only assume those must be in my negative boxes - I really need to purchase a decent negative/slide scanner and get those onto my computer - it probably would be a good idea to do the same with the kids pictures too - lol |
Originally Posted by KR
(Post 5402330)
I got behind on family scrapbooks back in the 70s and never picked them up again, so I knew a quilting scrapbook wouldn't work for me. Instead, I created a document file on the computer that has photos of each quilting project, size, date, who it was for, and any other pertinent information. I may print it out at some point but right now it's not taking up space on a shelf.
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I keep an album of quilts. Some of them are labeled as to who received it. Unfortunately some have been gifted before I remembered to take a picture of the finished quilt. Sometimes I like to photogragh the steps as I do my cakes. Before my memory completely escapes me, I should go back and do some journaling. It's fun to go back and look at the quilts I've made. I'm still in the stone ages of photography. I'm using the throw-away type camera. They get the job done, but I have to wait quite a while until they are developed. One can only make so many cakes and quilts.:D The Walgreen people must think I'm weird when they develop all those pictures of cakes and quilts. They kinda watch me out the side of their eyes when I'm checking the pictures and oohing and aahing.
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I keep one and I call it my portfolio. I even went back through pictures of my 3 girls as they grew up and took pictures of them in clothing I had made them for my portfolio. I also have a section for the church banners that I have made as well as the things I have smocked for my granddaughters and halloween costumes and pajamas that I have made for all the grandchildren. No one will see it but me, but it is very satisfying to look back on it all every once and a while.
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I too have my a blog online that serves as a journal of all my quilting adventures! Check it out you might get some new ideas.
http://californiaquilting.blogspot.com/ Janet |
I haven't met a single person who regretted starting a quilting journal - any kind of journal. They all regret not starting one earlier and I am one of them. I started mine in 2000, about 14 years after I started quilting. I've been bad about including gift quilts, but I'm going to be better about that now.
My journal was a simple blank book with a ring binder (so it can expand with the photos). I also use a blog and keep photos on line. If a tornado hits the house, at least I have the photos to remember by. It has room for about 110 quilts or so (2 pages per quilt), so only about half full. I include a photo of the front and a closeup to show the quilting. I used to do a photo of the back, but I really want more documentation of my improved quilting skills. I try to include info about any new or improved technique as well as size of quilt, type of fabric and who got the quilt. |
quilt workbook
My quilt journals are more workbooks: sketches to scale on graph paper, colorways, fabrics used and notes as I make it. I take digital photos, but have not yet printed those to add to the workbooks. good idea to do that, though.
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I do take pictures of each and every project I make. I have a folder in my documents on the computer, just for those pictures. That's about as organized as I can get, or find the time to do.
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I keep a Quilt Journal, Actually I have 2, one is different notes for different projects, what fabirc I used, size and where it went. The other journal is pictures with little notes by the pictures. When I quilt for my friend I take a pic to show what I did on it. I am hopeing also that someday when I am gone the kids and grandkids can look back and see all the quilts I made and my comments. I think its a good thing. I like to go back and look at all the pictures of what I have made. Its totally worth it. I suggest to all you newbies you should start one right away. It will be good to look back on your projects when you first start and when you have a few years under your belt.
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Ohhhhh. This is a great idea. I am working on my first ever quilt. I purchased those pre-stamped cross stitch blocks because I have always been a cross-stitcher and decided to combine that with a new hobby. Anyway, I have the blocks sewn together and a border around it (all hand-sewn) and I am about half done with the cross stitch part. I can see mistakes, but I am not going to beat myself up over them....just learn and move on. I can't wait to start a scrap book with this first quilt. Thanks for the idea and now I know why I joined this quilting forum!
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No, I haven't kept one, but have been thinking about starting one! I think it's a great idea!
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I love keeping a journal, I look back and alot of them i forgot I even done them. I also love keeping one to remember who all in the family I have one for. you wouldn't think you would forget but when you start giving them away it's easy to forget what quilt went where.
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No I have not but regret that. when ask how many quilts I have made I count to 200 or more and just shake my head. I started quilting in 1973 and did several for others. Sure wish I had kept a journal then
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I have pictures and write a little bit about who it is for and when. Since I have only been doing this for a lyear, it isn't very big. smile...fun to look at now and then.
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I have taken pictures of the two quilts I have finished so far, but it never occurred to me to do a journal. What a great idea! Thanks for sharing.
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You are all so good at keeping track it tears me up knowing how many quilts I gave away and donated to different causes and did not keep pictures of, but for the last 15 years I do take pictures, not very organized, but I have them, when I go to shows i take a picture of the program cover to include in y pictures before I ever walk into the venue so i have a record of where, and when I took the pictures
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No. I thought about it and just didnt get around to it. Heck, I even have a few quilts out there that I dont have pictures of. My external hard drive that I stored much of my digital stuff on, got fried.
I should be better about pictures. I should also finish up my UFOs. |
I have taken a digital photo of every quilt I have made, and if it went to family or friend, I write on the back the date and who it goes to. I have them all in a regular photo album from Wally World........a good way to get FREE photos is to go and join Shutterfly.com............you get free prints to start with, and then, every so often, they come along with an offer for 101 for free, you just pay shipping. This is also a good backup for your computer, so if the comp. dies (mine did that, once) at least, you have not lost all those photos. Join your spouse up too, and you will get twice as many free offers during the year.
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I have started a journal in a 12x12 album like many of you have--with all of the same information, but...since I also have entered handmade items (crochet, and knit) in the Country Fair for many yrs, I also have included pic, info etc on each of my knitted and crocheted items in the same book. I also keep a separate notebook with lined and graph paper for ideas and inspiration etc. If and idea hits me, I will jot it down and later work on the design. In this book I also keep a list of sites with free patterns or blocks that have really caught my eye.
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My blog is my journal. I've gone back and documented a number of my earlier quilts (pre-blog) but everything since 2009 is on my blog and all the information about making the quilt is there. Much easier for me to maintain than a binder (since I was always behind).
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1 Attachment(s)
My well intentioned album ... 8"x8" pages
The good news is that the quilt pics that I do have are sitting in the plastic pockets, sorted according to quilt. Also, the invoices for quilting are in those pages. So I have a start ... not much, but a start. And you've now spurned me on to at least get prints made of the rest! [ATTACH=CONFIG]352825[/ATTACH] |
Originally Posted by pyffer3
(Post 5406342)
Ohhhhh. This is a great idea. I am working on my first ever quilt. I purchased those pre-stamped cross stitch blocks because I have always been a cross-stitcher and decided to combine that with a new hobby. Anyway, I have the blocks sewn together and a border around it (all hand-sewn) and I am about half done with the cross stitch part. I can see mistakes, but I am not going to beat myself up over them....just learn and move on. I can't wait to start a scrap book with this first quilt. Thanks for the idea and now I know why I joined this quilting forum!
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I haven't started one yet either, but it sure would be good.
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I am like you I have not kept up for the past year. I do have my pictures on a usb and can take that to alco and print out for reasonable I also try to put snips of the fabric with the pictures. I am also hoping someday my grandchildren might want to look at it.
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