I have so many health issues that I've been spending weeks in the hospital at a time...it takes me at least 2 hours to make a block, on the machine! It takes about a year to make a whole quilt, if I push myself. Some days I'm allowed in my sewing room only 30 minutes. Other days, I can happily spend the day and get more done. I hand quilt and I am quite slow at it. I love making quilts and think any day I can quilt is a good day! Enjoying the process, that's what counts for me.

It takes me a quarter past forever but they are nice when they're done! My last one was 9 months start to finish. Just enjoy the process and take pride that you are moving towards an accomplishment.

I have a blue and yellow quilt I have been working on for about 5 years. I was quick to make the top but it then sat for 2years . I would see it and kept telling myself I needed to quilt it but couldn't decide what pattern I wanted to hand quilt in the solid color areas. Finally after two years I dreamed I was quilting it and the design it needed to be done in. Searched shops till I found the proper stencils and have been slowly quilting this one now for about a year. Figure in two more years I should have it done lol ;-)

We're supposed to finish them??? I didn't get that memo!! :D

Seriously, I take forever. I have a million other things in my life so I don't dedicate nearly as much time to sewing as others on the board. But even when I do sew, I am not speedy. I have to rush through the rest of my life - I sew at the pace I want and believe me, it's slow. Don't worry about how long it takes you; it's not a competition.

Focus on this: Do you enjoy the time spent creating a quilt? Is it satisfying a part of you that nothing else does? If so, nothing else matters. So take forever - no one is keeping score.

Butting in here, but I DO know that answer. WIP is work in process. I am fairly new also to this board, so am also learning the acronym for some phrases.

As far as how long does it take to complete a quilt. There is no perfect answer. We all have varying factors that affect how much time we can spend on a quilt. The skill levels and details of a quilt can vary so many ways, it is impossible to have a "correct" time to complete a quilt. Just the fact that you are dealing with such medical problems and are still quilting is so inspiring to all of us. Just work at your own pace, enjoy the process, and don't put the time stress on your schedule. This craft is supposed to relieve your stress and give you peace. If you do need help with something, these quilters on this blog are awesome. I have learned so much just reading their responses. Enjoy your quilting!

I started a Burgoyne Surrounded in September, and it took 2 1/2 months to piece it. It is now in the frame, I am hand quilting it, so it will be another 3 months :lol: :lol: So, it does take me awhile to make one. Of course I do have the other 6 projects going also. I have never made one of the easy ones yet, but am thinking real hard about it. :lol: :lol: :lol:

I'm so sorry about your health problems, I have MS too. I think it depends so much on whether you plan to do the quilting by hand, on your machine. if you work, or howe much time you can spend on it, and the intricacy of your design. Simple block design could just take like a week to piece the top, while an intricate design could take much longer. I believe there is no right answer on time - just enjoy doing it and take it at your own speed. Good luck with everything! :thumbup:

It takes me forever. Three months just isn't enough time. Heck, my quilt in a day took me at least three months. Quilt in a Day. SHE LIES. LIES I TELL YOU!!!

Are you talking about the quilt squares I made and embroidered
for my 6 year old son? The ones that he and his dad made sketches
of for it? The one with his tennis racquet, a Monarch butterfly like the
one he and his dad caught one day in the mountains? The one with
my son's protective Doberman Kurt's head? The one with all the squares
that I made with lots of love...and is still in the closet and just found
recently in a mad surge of de-cluttering?

My son is now 41 years old, my DH and his beloved Dad died 3 years ago,
and dear old Kurt many years before that,..but the memories live on in that
soon to be made lap quilt. Soon. One of these days.

It takes as long as it takes. Relax and enjoy the process.

I am a process person which means that I revel in the PROCESS of making the quilt (I should say quilt top) and I only have time in the evenings and weekends. Often, I am tired after work and don't have the juju to do sewing - other times I'd rather watch TV. What I am trying to say in my long-winded way is that some of my quilts take a LONG time - which explains my long list of UFOs. Others - particularly those with a firm deadline, I try to plan well and finish on time which for me means - 2 years late - lol.

If people want a quilt from me, they will wait until it wants to be sewn. I am not in any competition and I am proud of my work because I do the best I can.

I did recently join some swaps and that keeps me on my toes. Smaller projects on a timed schedule.

welcome to the group I don't think time is a issue as long as it gets done sooner or later. I have arthritis in my hands so in the winter I like to work on the smaller projects that way something gets finished. Small wall hangings are really fun and keep me busy but I can finish in a reasonable amount of time.

It can take as quick as you can achieve or as long as you want to drag it out. Please do not let your health issues get in the way of making a quilt. It is the joy of making it, and the joy in the face of one who receives it, or your own joy for having it.
I find that if I set aside a certain amount of time a day to work on one, it eventually gets finished. This is the only way I can work it into my schedule. I also finish one before starting another. Thanks be to God that I have sewing room where I can leave it out and close the door. Good Luck. Silvia

Oh my gosh I don't feel like such a loser. I really did because i thought all of you were mile a minute quilters I've only been quilting for a year and all I've done is one quilt,one table runner a one purse and only taken two classes I'M NORMAL :-D

I have to agree with sew-crafty that a quilt will take how ever long that you want the quilt done and how big. Usually the cutting and the quilting are the scoundrels, because they take so much time. I have arthritis really bad in my thumbs and that takes a little more time, soooo.
I found early on that I could get the quilt top together pretty quick if I needed to, but if I had to hand quilt or try to machine quilt it would take forever. I love them when I hand quilt, but I will never be able to get the tops quilted at the same pace unless I take them to a long-arm quilter. I had this stupid idea in the beginning that I couldn't claim that I had made the quilt if I didn't do everything from start to finish, but I've since gotten over that. I also took on a quilt to do for someone else and it became a job and not something I did for me. I've had enough stress in the last few years, that I don't need anymore, therefore, I'm not going to do that again. I will do quilts, but not under the stressful situation. Everyone has their own stress levels, just know your own and don't try and go against the grain and you'll be okay. LOL Beth

It takes me forever too no health issues but I sew by hand.

BTW We're in good company. Jinny Beyer says 2 yrs for a quilt. 1 yr to piece & 1 yr to quilt. AND then there's Elly Sienkiewicz who says her life is counted in blocks not quilts.

Speed & output are not necessarily a good thing. Enjoy the journey!

Don't feel bad about taking a long time to finish a quilt. It takes me a long time, even though I have to do everything on the sewing machine. You see, I have MS and arthritis. Both have affected my hands. It takes me a long time even on the sewing machine because just as I get everything lined up my hands start shaking, and my pieces usually wind up on the floor. I especially like to make string quilts and crumb quilts because there are fewer corners to match. I did complete a twin size crumb quilt set together in the"fun and done" method in about 3 months.

Ditto and ditto! Unless you're making a quilt:

.. for a baby who should get the quilt before it starts school;
.. for a small child who is not likely to remain small indefinitely;
.. for a very senior citizen who is not going to get any younger;
.. for a special person (e.g.: sickness; in combat or wounded military);
.. for a special occasion ...

making quilts should never become a chore to be finished within a specified time.

In case you haven't already guessed, I'm very slow to complete a quilt, but every aspect of it, the initial plan, the fabric selection, the day I start on it, etc., etc., is deeply satisfying.

Unfinished object.

FOREVER I am a hand quilter. My first quilt a queen size

white on white took ten years, but I made several machine

baby quilts during that time. There is no set time to make a

quilt just enjoy the process. Feel the cotton,bask in the colors

and relax with the needle, it's the best therpy in the world to

most of us.

I always have one being pieced, at least one either ready to be cut or is in the process of being cut (over a period of several days or longer), one being hand quilted and, currently, I have another that has some machine quilting done and the binding on but I'm going to do some hand quilting in each of its 100 blocks. I have a half-dozen or more completed tops stored away until .........??????????

I try not to make it a race! I love the process, the finding the patttern (never hard), finding the fabric and then starting. I have found quilting to be such a blessing, it allows me to focus on creating a gift and in return, I receive so much pleasure! It
is such a wonderful passion, I hope others find it as fulfilling as I do.

Nobody told me the "process". On my Field of Diamonds quilt, I just found all these beautiful blue materials that I just had to have, of course, and then looked for a pattern where I could use them all.

right now i have about9 works in process. some of the colors i am cutting for a flying geese sashing for a shop hop quilt are also going into a wall hanging for a friends quilting room...

i find i love the entire process much more when there is no deadline...but when the grandbabies came, i enjoyed getting their quilts done too...

nothing settles me like going up to my sewing room and "stoking" the fabric.

I guess its not how many quilts you have made.... its how many quilt tops you have made waiting to be quilted lol At last count I have three tops waiting and two in pieces waiting to be put togeather lol

Welcome to the board! :-) We all march to the beat of our own drummer. Yes, there are many prolific quilters on this board, but there are also just as many that have health issues, work, have a busy family and whatever else going on that might limit their time to quilt.

I was diagnosed with MS 17 years ago, and I have a few other auto immune diseases, too. Quilting is my therapy, but I've had to accept that with health issues and other interruptions that it's okay to get done whatever I get done in any day, week or month at a time.

Quilting keeps us moving and thinking, both good things to do to recover from strokes and if you might have MS. It is good for me to get up from my chair as often as I can to press, cut, etc.

I think it's important that you just keep plugging along and enjoy what you're working on. Many of us do work on some or many different projects at a time, and some only do one at a time. What's right, is what works for you, and you only. Try not to compare your 'normal' with others 'normal' - it's just not apples to apples.

Try not to let your health issues define you, but rather, try to make the most of your life by who you are and what you enjoy doing in life. Please, pat your self on the back for your success of working on your project when you can. You are not inadequate, you are doing what you can, when you can within the limitations that you have right now. Hang in there! Again, welcome.

I sew fast so I can get one done in a few days depending on the pattern and size.

I love the process. I have 1 quilt almost hand finished, one awaiting binding, 1 pieced except for the last strip, 1 in pieces being joined, 1 collecting blocks. I have 2 baby quilts to be cut and made. They are the next priority. I'm collecting flying geese to make a wall hanging for my living room.

I have 1 quilt needing more blocks-will be my next boomerang quilt. I am waiting on the Farm Theme swap to finish dgd quilt.

I have the material and pattern for dd wedding quilt, dniece quilt, bff quilt, and 5 with patterns in clear boxes for dh and I.

I make quilts for kids for downy for my therapy and enjoyment. I love the quickness of them and the happy fabrics.

Quilting keeps me going when i want to give up. My health problems are monumental, bilateral pulmonary embolisms not responding to therapy and cellulitis in the same situation. Chronic kidney disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, herniated discs, sciatica and fibromyalgia all contribute to long term pain and confusion. Quilting gets me out of bed and moving, with a known progression and eventual completion. The joy of giving is just the icing on the cake.

I enjoy every step of the journey, collecting the fabrics, stashing them, collecting patterns, and threads, dreaming and designing, cutting, sewing, quilting and giving. God has blessed me with this gift and the gift of this group.

God has blessed me too, I love seeing what talent women have. And it is fun to create like the Lord!

Don't be concerned about how long it takes. Just enjoy the process. If you enjoy quilting and if it's good for you, then it's worth however much time it takes. I've completed a baby quilt in 4 but taken as long as 35 years to complete a quilt because I had a lot of learning to do before I was ready to go back and reconstruct that very first quilt. During my working years it took me 18 months to 4 years to complete a queen sized quilt, a year for a twin quilt. I machine piece and hand quilt. Time isn't a factor but the love that goes into a quilt. If I were under a time line, I'd have difficulty because life can and frequently gets in the way so I start a quilt and when it's finished it is finished but I do keep working away on it until it is completed. I have 3 in the finishing stages.
1. just needs the tag which I'll work on when I finish email today and it'll be ready for show and tell at quilting tomorrow.
2. needs to have the border (already cut) pieced and attached and then I can attach to the quilt and get it quilted - I quilt as you go in panels. Then bind it off and it's done. Sind I plan to machine quilt the border with a fancy stitch, I figure it should be done in a 2 weeks or less and I started it last July but have also worked on other projects.
3. have a top ready to sandwich 59x59 throw. I may do some machine quilting on it and then do detail hand quilting to finish it off.
4. getting ideas in my mind and ready to start on a queen sized quilt.

Just relax, don't put pressure on yourself as it's not good for MS and enjoy the process.

Hugs
Patty

I can get out a 40X60 inch comfort quilt for nursing home use in about 8 hours.

Finished a Storm at Sea quilt top in January. I started it 2-1/2 years ago. It took me another month to cut the backing that's laying on my dryer. I need to wash it and iron -- since each piece is almost 10 feet long I'm not looking forward to ironing -- so look at the pile and say -- "Okay, is this the day to wash and iron a section?".

I have problems with my fingers with arthritis in both joints in several of my fingers. It's hard to pick things up and do some things; but, I still try hand work from time to time. The quilt from above is all machine done; but, I like to try all kinds of things.

Just enjoy doing what do you. Don't worry about the time.

Linda

When I go to guild meetings, I am in awe of the women who "whip" up a quilt or two (or three) since the last meeting. Simple quilts take me a few months - I push if it is for a gift. The last quilt that was more complicated took me 10 months - I finished it the night before it was to be entered in a quilt contest. My arthritis attacks unexpectedly, so at times I am unable to do much for weeks at a time. I have been working on a baby quilt top now for about a month and still have a way to go before I begin quilting. If I hand quilt it adds weeks and sometimes months to the time frame. Just work at your own pace. Quilting should be fun, when you feel stressed to hurry you are more apt to put it aside. Who cares how long it takes just enjoy yourself!

I also have health issues plus MS. I am learning to quilt. My goal is to enjoy the process and don't worry how long it takes. When I go to my sewing room everything else goes away. So just enjoy yourself ! Oh, I'll leave you in on a
secret---"There are no quilting police".

After many years of knitting, too many of them spent racing to meet a "deadlne", I no longer knit for any special occasion which means a deadline. (Some extremely rare exceptions, knit lace Christening layette to a deadline)

I carried this philosophy over when I began quilt making. I make quilts because I LIKE to make quilts. Do I give some away? You bet but it's bolt-from-the-blue gift for the recipient. Making anything to get done by a date certain takes all the joy out of the process for me--it becomes WORK of which I've had enough. IMHO

I am usually working on MY project quilt. Then, take a class on a new technique and spend time away from MY project. I get back to My project for a while, then someone needs me to help sew something. Later, another new class needs my time and I haven't finished the first class project or MY project yet.

And, another somebody, another new technique, a new incredible pattern idea I want to try out, etc. . .

I get something done, when I discover I have finished it. Usually, two or three things within a day or two of each other :-D

You know, life would be more organized if the classes were scheduled around MY finishing of the last class's project!

I tend to stop taking classes when I get two or three projects behind.

Quilting, ain't it grand?

Well, it takes me about 3 yrs to completely finish a quilt - these are queen size and hand quilted. this one I am working on now took me almost a year just to plan it - I make up the pattern and this one is a batik with cats machine embroidered in the center of the blocks. Hope it turns out ok. No health problems - thank the Lord - just a busy bee with other sewiing projects for birthday gifts ect. Time is of no essecense to make a masterpiece. Just lots of love. Good luck with yoru quilt - it will be beautiful!