The total number of hours/minutes it takes to complete a quilt is not useful information to me since I'm not being paid by the hour to make a quilt. I tracked that information for 49 years when I worked at my day job. I did it then because I was being paid for each hour.

The total hours/minutes that it would take me to finish a quilt could have taken me two weeks, two years, or longer. Since I only work on one quilt at a time, I like to say this quilt took me "five months" to complete. Comparing that quilt to one that took me "three months" to complete is the information that I tell people when they ask. Personally, I think this is what people want to know when they ask how long it took to make a particular quilt.

I recently made a fabric wallet that took me two weeks to finish. I hope that the next wallet goes together faster, but it may not because I'm customizing the pattern. A third wallet would only take a matter of days because I wouldn't have to figure anything else out. This is the kind of information that I find useful.

Tessagin....I wish I was like your neighbor!!!!

this is gorgeous!!

I am sorry, I forgot the reason why someone would have to track the time it took to make a quilt. I guess I am like the gals who don't work on one at a time and that is the reason it is near impossible to tell when it is finished. To me, unless I am under the gun to finish something, I don't rush the process. After all this is my creativity time and therefore, relaxing fun. It would seem to me tracking my time would stifle all of that.

But, if asked, I'd simply say, "Hours and hours". Because I am not very fast at any of the tasks it takes to finish one. That isn't my goal or the purpose of why I quilt.

I don't keep track of my time either. I am working on a version of Stair way to heaven. I put together a strip quilt and am going to use the 4 cat silhouette's on it. I am putting it on my machine to quilt. I can't wait till it's done.
I too work on different projects, due to boredom with just one.

I would need a forest of trees to keep a time log on all the quilts I have on the go at the moment but I do keep a record of time spend on large cross stitch projects. The cross stitich I am working on at the moment I started on the 1st January, 2000 worked on it for about 10 hours during that month then didn't touch it again until February 2012. The cross stitch has taken me 602 hours, the back stitch so far has taken me 8 3/4 hours.

I'm with you, popover. I have enough of that in my work life. When I'm in the sewing room, it's usually to escape all that.

When I made the first Single Irish Chain in a Day from the EB book, I did not keep a record of the hours/minutes. When I made the second Single Irish Chain in a Day, I did keep a record -- 21 hours. Now I know if it is possible for me to make another one for a gift, donation or for me. I can sew a plain skirt in 8 hours and a tailored jacket in 40 hours. If I need to do something, I like to know if it is possible in the time available.

I agree with all but now I am wondering?? If I were to be writing and tracking, would it keep me more on task? More productive? I am starting two baby gifts soon. Think I will track one and not the other. Just see. Both have deadlines :) but both are weeks away.
Thanks for getting me to thinking!!!

I take as long as I need and enjoy the journey. Having a place to leave my machine in place and fabric as neat or messy as I want helps. I don't measure this in time spent or number of items made but rather as level of enjoyment.