Record of quilts
 

This may have been discussed before but I missed it. I thought about making a book with photos & their information. Does anyone have a better way to have a record of all the quilts made?

That is what I used to do...until I somehow kept forgetting to take pictures before I gave the quilts away. I think it is a good way as long as you keep up with it.

I started one a while ago and came across it a couple of weeks ago. It was really nice to see all the quilts that I made a while ago. One was made for my neice who just left for college a couple of months ago.

I don't have any recommendations but find one place where you can write a lot. It takes you back to the time you spent working on it.

i've kept a 'quilt journal' for years (although not every project has been making it in...)
it is a 3-ring binder- I put in fabric swatches, notes about the quilt (who it's for, what pattern i used, anything special, what batting i used, size, dates, what ever i think is worth adding at the time) any notes about problems...what ever & pictures ---sometimes of the steps involved- sometimes just a finished product. sometimes a picture of it with a ribbon- or with the person it's for...some quilts have various pages- some only one page...it's nice sometimes to be able to look though it- sometimes i'm surprised- gosh i forgot all about that quilt! I think i have 3 binders to date-and probably need to pick up another one. I also have plastic sleeve (envelopes) in the binder- they were fairly inexpensive- picked up 100 clear sleeves at the office supply- i can slide things into the plastic sleeve that i don't want to punch holes into- they already have the 3-holes & fit the binders.

My brother and his wife gave me a software program where I can record the quilts I have made and include a lot of information such as date made, the name of the pattern, dimensions, type of quilting, etc. It also allows you to make greeting cards and other things using the pictures of your quilts. It comes with a CD which has an user guide for downloading and using the program. I just sent a card to my brother for his birthday. It is really neat. After the holiday rush, I will be adding my quilts to this neat album. www.quiltalbum.com

I have a spreadsheet where I record every quilt, its dimensions, which shows it's been in (just local non-judged shows), recipient if I've given it away, any other pertinent information. I also keep a folder with sub-folders for multiple pictures of each quilt. I'm totally digital and don't want to print out any of the information, but it's there if I want to refer back to it. (And yes, I do have regularly scheduled automatic backups.)

I used to keep an album, but the problem with that was friends and family who are not in my geographical area wanted to see the quilts, but couldn't. My husband suggested a blog, which turned out to be not just a great idea, but a lot of fun, also! Friends and family get to see not just the finished quilts, but the processes, design and fabric decisions I make and the reasoning behind them. The guys don't care that much, but the women on both sides of my family are very interested. I've also made a lot of friends through blogging that I wouldn't otherwise have ever known.

When I first decided a blog was a good idea, I had a friend in Michigan who was also interested in blogging about her quilts. She was hesitant to do it alone, so we joined forces. We've been blogging together for 4-5 years and have met twice - once in Paducah 2010 and once in Houston 2012. The great thing about our partnership is we started out at polar opposites; she was modern, I was traditional. But as our friendship has grown, so have our preferences and tastes. It's been a blast to grow with her.

I take pictures of all quilts I make and also all those that I quilt for other people and have put them in an album.

I'm jealous of all you guys who keep up with the journals. I bought one a few years ago, and have nothing in it. lol I am so disorganized!!! My aunt, on her 50th anniversary displayed her scrap book with pictures, fabric samples of her brides maids dresses (made by her, of course), and all the cards from her showers. I was impressed. I have started taking pictures of finished projects--probably the last 3-4--it's a start I guess.
Sue

Thanks for all the great ideas. Now we have to get busy and get it done!