Quilt Marking Tools question
 

I know about Alphabitties but does anyone know if they are sold in brick and mortar stores? Do any of you use another method to keep track of pieces and where they will go?

My house is small and I don't have a design wall. I've amazed myself over the years on just how many ways I can put two blocks together incorrectly just by picking them up from next to the sewing machine and turning them under the needle. With block markers I still have the rare issue of doing things wrong but it happens very infrequently now.

I just fold a piece of typing paper into roughly 1" squares, sometimes they are bigger or smaller depending on how many I need and what folds nicely. I safety pin with super tiny cheap pins from the dollar store which have to get replaced fairly often. I pin the markers into the top left quadrant of the blocks because that is what I'm used to, consistency is the big thing. I don't bother trying to keep them from project to project. Oh I thought that had potential but really, who wants to keep track of 90 tiny pieces of crumpled up paper?

I always Letter Across (A, B, C, D) and Number Down (1, 2, 3, 4). If I have a K9 block, I must use dog fabric!

It gets a little more complex with on-point layouts, I number the diagonal rows. I also keep an overall plan/diagram even if not much more than a grid drawn out that shows the layout. I've attached a recent layout to keep me on track and the project with the markers. Turns out that although I did put them together exactly as I had planned, I decided I hated it and had to take it apart again!

Edit: Couldn't find this picture, but I did find the thread I posted it in. The redone top and border treatment is over here,
https://www.quiltingboard.com/8341428-post46.html

Painters tape works pretty good for labeling blocks, etc.
The adhesive does not leave a residue and sticks pretty tight for as long as you want.

Also, I use the painters tape for my stash fabrics ... after pre-washing, I measure each piece, then label with the painters tape. That way I easily know the length without needing to unfold when stash shopping!

I use Post-It Flags, they are different colors- like post it’s and about 1/2” x 1 1/2” perfect for me to write on and the adhesive doesn’t leave any residue on my fabric

I use Post-It Flags, they are different colors- like post it’s and about 1/2” x 1 1/2” perfect for me to write on and the adhesive doesn’t leave any residue on my fabric

Normally I just use post-notes and mark them as Iceblossom does. Use a pin to hold them in place. I use quilt patterns so always have a copy of the pattern laying on the table as well for reference.

First let me say - it's not a quilt I made if there isn't a part that hasn't had to be taken apart and re-ewed.

But if I am just keeping track of rows then I stack them pieces knowing the will be sewn from left to right, and pin each row with the number of the row.

If it's a block that I am making then I make a sample, take a picture of it with my phone and I put the pieces in a box in the shape of the block.

I made a project wall but very rarely use it.

I have made a couple of Trip Around the World quilts and just cut out the whole thing after drawing what I wanted on graft paper. Same with my Irish Chain - in fact, I do that with all my quilts.

Iceblossom, this might help you to not have to redo your papers for each project. :-)
I did this recently and thought to myself "haven't I done this before instead of labels or sticky paper?" I grabbed a few scraps strip of fabric I trimmed off the end of blocks (they were approximately 1" x 4" or so) and used a Sharpie to write "column 1", "column 2", etc on them and simply pinned that to the first block of each row that I had stacked up after laying out the quilt. Not stiff like paper, and can be re-used forever. Of course you could do the same for each column, row, piece or strip or whatever. Make them once from scraps and you have them forever! I saved mine and will be adding to them as I make new quilts and need new "labels".

That's a good idea Lisa, I have a friend who does something similar and what I do when layout is more of an idea than an exact precision move, and that's to load everything onto a thread. You simply take a largish needle and a double length of thread, tie a knot and then put a little folded square of fabric (or paper) on the end and stack your laid out pieces on the thread. She did indeed have little 1, 2, 3, etc. tabs. Now she made her's while playing with a new embroidery machine and I am typically just using scraps.

It keeps them in order and prevents them from getting shifted around or flying across the room when you stumble over the dog or something. Among my vision issues is a lack of depth perception and unfortunately I drop things a lot, so I like the security of pins or some sort of way to secure the fabrics as well as the position.

I cant imagine trying to tag each piece of fabric in my stash. I have over 3000 yards of fabric! I have a mental picture that tell me what I have and what I need to pull to work on the next project. When I pull maybe 5 different pieces for a quilt I mark them in the sequence they will be used but that is about it. I do take my stash out every year and air the fabrics out and refold them. It does help to keep them fresh and healthy.

Several LQS here has the Alphabitties. I have a few packages but haven't used them yet. I find that marking my blocks get me more confused. I get my markings all mixed up. is it A to B or B to A? It happens a lot.

I ended up getting alphabet stickers and colored index cards at Dollar Tree and used my paper trimmer from my scrapbooking days to make pieces of index card the same size then added the stickers. They turned out really cute and much cheaper than alphabitties. Not sure how much I'll use them. Probably mainly on more difficult patterns (which I rarely do). Someone mentioned they would never tag all their fabric...well neither would I! Just on for occasional piecing.

I put one pin on the seam side of sub units. They are stacked RST in the same order to go through the machine.

You only need to pin one set and not all of them. The pin is a reminder that is the seam side.

We just learned a tip in class today. Keep a picture of the unit or block next to the machine for reference.

A lot of really great ideas! I usually use regular mailing labels and i can get about 4 to 6 blocks from one single label. So they dont stick forever, i just stick them on the leg of my jeans to get a little lint on the back before applying to my quilt blocks. I dont really like the idea of putting something sticky on my fabric, but sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do! I dont leave the labels on for an extended period of time because of the adhesive issue on fabric. Knowing that i dont want the labels on the blocks for very long also makes me get the piecing finished asap - so it forces me to finish piecing.

i really, really, really like the Painters tape idea! Next time i am out and about i will see what widths are available for rolls. Hoping for something more on the order of less than 2” wide - that would be perfect!

You all have such great ideas and really get me outta my box! 😊

Made my own
 

I used 2" long pins (corsage ones that have a pearl head look nice) or other pins, as long as they are extra long. I purchased alphabet beads and number beads. Using a drop of E600 glue, I glued the bead onto the pin. After that was dried, I glued a small seed bead on to help secure the larger bead. I used a small glass canning jar to hold the pins. On top of the canning jar, I made a pin cushion and glued it to the top of the jar. I made several and gave them to the other members of my small quilt group.

Oh I like your idea Zinda, I often see bags/kits of those alphabet beads at the thrift store. Sometimes the kits might even work for me to hold the finished product. I'm thinking of using the diaper sized safety pins with a little jewelry ring through the number/letter beads through the round spring of the safety pin.

Never would have thought of this without you, and right now I'm working with some hand dyed fabric and really appreciating the organizational aspects of a basting pin right now.

Love this idea. I've been using pieces of scrap paper and safety pins.