Do you use a Quilting Journal?
 

Do you have one? Did you make your own or is there one that you purchased that you like? My goal this year is to document the items I make or plan to make in an organized, systematic way.. Going to give it a try anyway. I have been very productive this year, for me--one of the silver linings of staying home. Happy New Year! Stay safe and be smart!
Mary Ann

Happy New Year to you!
I have a couple of quilt journals, really pretty, fresh clean pages just waiting for me to write. I have had them for over ten years and not a word in any of them. LOL I do take pictures of all my quilts and each year I have the pictures printed in a booklet.

I have one but I've never used it!! I would like to get in the habit but never seem to. Maybe I'll start today https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images...es/biggrin.png

Timely post! That sounds like a great idea for the new year!

Bought a nice one years ago at a quilt show. Never wrote in it but it's stuffed full of pictures of quilts I've made. Guess I should document them someday.

I do have a quilting journal, but perhaps it would be more accurate to call it a quilting workbook. Each project has its own section where I write down the date started, name of the pattern, type of batting, dimensions of the block, and sizes of the pieces. I draw out the units on graph paper, write down what type of batting I used, what kind of thread, and the width of the binding. It helps me to be able to refer back to this info as I work. I write down what went well and what I want to do differently next time.

Its a good time to start - Happy New Year!! Doing it on the computer where you can add pictures is nice!

I got one in the advent calendar box I bought from MSQC and I quite like it. I print a photo of each quilt and them make notes on how things went, what worked and what didn't, and what I'd like to try or do differently next time. I also include the name and creator of the pattern and fabric, if I can remember, in case I want to find/use it again. ! I'm not good at putting labels on my quilts, so this journal provides a record of each one.

In a way I have one. I use a Mead Cambridge Busness notebook. It's 9 1/2 x 5 3/8, 80 pages. I ordered a dozen direct from Mead when Office Max sold out to Office Depot. What I like about them is they are narrow ruled, have lines on the front of the page and a quad grid on the back of the page. I made a quilted cover and take it to meetings, draw out blocks, and plan for quilts. I like the yellow paper ones but I have had them printed on white paper too. I have them for several years back and it's handy to look up something I planned to do or to redo.

No, but I think that it's a good idea. I do have a Word doc that I open up about once a week and write down a goal, or two. It's kind of like a journal, but not at all pretty, nor is it something that I can hold in my hand and write in late at night. A real journal is a romantic notion to me and I like it.

I started using one last year as part of my New Year's quilting goals and I have to say, there's a sense of relief and accomplishment that followed.

I write every detail I can down, how much yardage, who the manufacturer of the fabric is, is it part of a collection, how much I paid for it. Thread is done the same way, if I use acrylic templates, I write that down, too. The kind of batting I'm going to use, what size backing I want to use, what size the quilt should be when I'm done, what size the block should be when I stitch it together. If it's a pattern I'm following and I make adjustments, they get written down.

Since I buy everything online, every receipt is printed off and put into the journal, too.

While I'm making the quilt, I post pictures on the person's Facebook page so they can see it as I make it. Once the quilt is done, I'll print those pictures off and then add it to the journal and close out that section.

Since I'm going to start free motion quilting my own projects, the patterns I use will be documented, whether or not its a stencil or a ruler and weight of the thread. I figure the more I write down, when I'm no longer on this Earth and my family takes possession of it, they can see what I've done and if need be, track down everything in the event something happens to one of their quilts and they can either restore it or have it re-made.

I use to write down finished quilts and whom I gave them to. Since I mainly donate quilts to foster kids now I don't write them down.

I won one years ago and do keep it in fits and starts. Picture of the quilt, dates, reason for making, design info, what I learned from making it, and who would inherit it (son or daughter--they both know about this). Try to update at least once a year.

I keep a running list in an excel file.....basically date and what. for example Jan 12, 2019 completed Building blocks quilt for Mom, or made Catchall Caddy for me. I always take pictures of all the sewing I do whether totes, hand bags, quilts, placemats, whatever. I keep the pictures in a computer file labeled Quilting/sewing projects and separated by year.
As for the details, well, if the ole memory doesn't kick in, and I don't remember It is OK.
This year however, I am going to try the Bullet Journal method of daily planning and hope to track a bit better. Also hope it helps me be more productive than I have been during this pandemic. Simply didn't do as much as I should/could have in 2020. But on the bright side, I have finally been able to watch a LOT of old movies and the TV shows that came on at 10pm back in the day when I worked! LOL

I have a simple log I made with Word. The columns simply list start and end dates, the project, where I worked on it (class or home) notes on progress and who it is for. I like it because I can check to see how long some things take...like t-shirt quilts. I also can see small projects or kits and decide to complete them. I do not include costs, although that might be an idea to add. Last week I found a box of cut pieces for a flannel Christmas quilt. It was not in my log! Not sure why or why not. At any rate, I would have put it together for a Christmas present if I had seen it. Oh well, I am now piecing it and deciding whether or not to quilt the inside squares. (I am learning to do ruler work and did 40 similar blocks for a flannel deck quilt). Logs are good for me because I can put whatever I wish into it. With this thread, I have a few columns I want to add. Thanks for starting it.

Toverly that sounds really good.

I haven't bought a commercial journal. Instead, I use a composition notebook I used in 2010 for life journaling. Its original purpose was to encourage my 2nd grade grandson to write daily that summer. He's now a 17 year old senior in high school and much more interested in gaming, studying WWII history, and math. So I paged past the life journaling and converted it to quilting. My friend K & I quilted all summer after I moved from a large city to a tiny town 180 miles north. I had to list the UFO tops we worked on. Her daughter had 22 tops stuffed in her closet! From her days in college about 20 years ago. We also got 2 more tops from her in the summer. We completed all of those, plus a few others from a friend and from my collection unpacked after I got here. Our total UFO number was 30 for last year. We still have a few others we've rolled into 2021. I taught K how to quilt & bind, which she loves. We make a good team as I like piecing the best. I also like quilting, but binding... not so much. She did make an art quilt requiring no piecing, which is too painstaking for her. I only listed a few details about each top, any nicknames we gave them, & who each completion went to. I put lines between some to indicate which month we finished each one. I did this late at night after being worn out from quilting all day. That helped me destress from sandwiching & sewing for 6-8 hours most days. my cats thought I had a full-time job!

I’ve thought about keeping one, but I’m not terribly disciplined. I take pictures of every quilt I quilt or make and often wish I’d written down the details of how I did something, or what batting I used, etc. But alas, I still have not started a quilt journal.

I keep a loose leaf notebook. i use regular notebook paper and write down the name of the quilt, batting used, any special techniques used, size, date finished, and where it is now or who now owns it. I also print a picture on 5 x 7 photo paper that I attach to the page. If it was a show quilt, then I also include info on the shows it was in, any awards it won, and its appraised value and selling price if it was sold.

Rob

Well my daughter gave me a book with a Simplicity pattern as a cover - empty notebook. Not sure what I would do with it and then one day, I thought to write in the month and what I just finished. And so it continued. The very coolest thing that came out of it was that when I purchased my sit down longarm, I could tell how many quilts I have quilted on it. That is good information in case I decide to upgrade my basic machine, I will be able to tell about how much my machine as been used. It was an eye opener as to how much I really use that machine! I also recorded who the quilt was going to. So bascially, its a sentence, maybe two and fun to go back and see what projects I made.

oh, I like the idea of recording the cost also--that way the person that inherits this quilt will have some respect for it.

I have a basic marble notebook. Am I perfect? No but I try to record ideas and thoughts for each quilt. Many times I work out math for sashing and sizes. I try to record date finished and when and to whom items are gifted.

I use a three ring binder. In the front is a list of all the projects that I would like to do. Then I put in coloured tabs for each project, Some I have gathered the fabric for, some are a long way away as I am a slow quilter. It is not pretty, it has scratchings of math to figure out sizes, or a comment of how many blocks were finished by what date, etc. I think I should rewrite it so it is neat and in some cases more understandable. I included clear pockets so there are pictures from magazines if I started with that, or a sketch of the quilting pattern. I have pictures in my husbands computer that I would like to print a copy of and put in the book and also copy the rest of the pictures into my new iPad and get them organized. You would think with us being in Covid Lockdown that I would have lots of time but the days just seem to melt away.

Happy New Year to all.

I have started 2 different ones and never got pat a few months. I would gift the quilt before taking a picture, so it really meant nothing to me. But I design most of my quilts - nothing special just drawing out what I want and counting the blocks, figuring out how wide the sashing would be, placing the embroidery blocks. When I was finished I didn't want to throw it out so I started putting the notes into a composition note book. (I don't like to use binders since the pages seem to tear unless I put them into the plastic sheets.) And spiral note books just catch on to anything and everything. So a little glue and tape in the composition book works for me. Some day I plan to make a cover for it. (The instructions are just waiting to be put to use.)

I don't have a quilting journal but I do write down anything I made. It is nice to look back and see what I have made. I do sewing other than quilting. I give a brief description. Just a line or two and I do take a picture and I can see that anything later.

I only keep an idea binder and a separate sewing stitch and technique information journal. This one also includes measurements of the people I often sew garments for. I don't have time to record all of my projects I finish. I have a few of them documented here on the board and that is the only journal (per se) that I have.
Further, I have a large plastic bin where I keep finished tops and backings all paired and ready to quilt.