Process question -- when do you think through your quilting plan?
 

Just curious how others work through the process of designing /making a quilt.

When do you start making plans or narrowing your ideas for how you will quilt? Is it something you keep in mind from the beginning? Do you have a general but flexible idea that may shift as you go along? Do you kind of forget up until the end, and then scramble around to figure out what will work?

I personally tend to the flexible plan subject to change, but I always have some concept going in -- it's a big part of how I choose to press the seams, construct the blocks, color choices even.

I usually have a vision of what I think it will look like. But it seldom works out that way unless I just take a pattern and adhere to it faithfully and then the colors are subject to change. I am getting better at letting the quilt tell me what it needs. I know, Whacko!

I usually have some type of basic plan for my quilting. The width of the borders requires a certain width in stencil so sometimes that ends up with the one that looks the best.

I'm guilty of waiting until the top is complete - then I lay it out and start thinking about it. Of course, I don't do fancy quilting, otherwise that would likely not be the best way to go about it!

I let it factor in to whether I'll make a particular pattern at all. If I can't quilt it on my own satisfactorily, then I just don't make it.
So basically if I can't straight line quilt it, I don't make it.

I usually have a plan for my quilting I have the Juki 2010 and its does just what you want it to I began quilting my quilt yesterday on my machine. remember I had a plan (right) I don't know what went wrong but the plan is gone and just quilting like crazy. ha ha even got in a few hand quilting in some blocks but I love it. just been quilting a bout two years and I am hooked when I sat down from housework I feel like I have to have a needle and thread lol not a smoke been quit two years now and feel so free GOD IS SO GOOD

Plan? What is this word, and what does it mean? :D

Heck, sometimes when I start a quilt I don't even know what I'm making. I just start putting stuff together and it sort of works itself out in the end. I make goals as I go along, but everything is subject to change.

SOME quilts are planned out in detail before I start, all the way from tip to toes. Those are usually quilts I'm making as gifts.

But often, maybe even half the time, I figure it out as I go. Especially if I'm using pre-cuts, for some reason those strike me as something already in progress anyway so I grab them and start getting creative.

Each seam leads to the next, and eventually it's a quilt! LOL

I just figure it out as I go along but sometimes me and my trusty seam ripper arejustlikethis. :-)

usually as i'm making it. the one on my bed has anchors, dolphins, ships wheels, sandcastles and roping all hand quilted.
I hate to admit it but most times I quilt in the ditch or do roping or flowers or feathers. I need to branch out a bit.

It all depends on the project. Some are so obvious to me that they arrive in my brain planned. Others evolve as I go, sometimes not til well after the top is finished.

Guess I'm flexible and adaptive.