tropit

No, but I think that it's a good idea. I do have a Word doc that I open up about once a week and write down a goal, or two. It's kind of like a journal, but not at all pretty, nor is it something that I can hold in my hand and write in late at night. A real journal is a romantic notion to me and I like it.

Railroadersbrat

I started using one last year as part of my New Year's quilting goals and I have to say, there's a sense of relief and accomplishment that followed.

I write every detail I can down, how much yardage, who the manufacturer of the fabric is, is it part of a collection, how much I paid for it. Thread is done the same way, if I use acrylic templates, I write that down, too. The kind of batting I'm going to use, what size backing I want to use, what size the quilt should be when I'm done, what size the block should be when I stitch it together. If it's a pattern I'm following and I make adjustments, they get written down.

Since I buy everything online, every receipt is printed off and put into the journal, too.

While I'm making the quilt, I post pictures on the person's Facebook page so they can see it as I make it. Once the quilt is done, I'll print those pictures off and then add it to the journal and close out that section.

Since I'm going to start free motion quilting my own projects, the patterns I use will be documented, whether or not its a stencil or a ruler and weight of the thread. I figure the more I write down, when I'm no longer on this Earth and my family takes possession of it, they can see what I've done and if need be, track down everything in the event something happens to one of their quilts and they can either restore it or have it re-made.

Jingle

I use to write down finished quilts and whom I gave them to. Since I mainly donate quilts to foster kids now I don't write them down.

quiltingshorttimer

I won one years ago and do keep it in fits and starts. Picture of the quilt, dates, reason for making, design info, what I learned from making it, and who would inherit it (son or daughter--they both know about this). Try to update at least once a year.

Murphy224

I keep a running list in an excel file.....basically date and what. for example Jan 12, 2019 completed Building blocks quilt for Mom, or made Catchall Caddy for me. I always take pictures of all the sewing I do whether totes, hand bags, quilts, placemats, whatever. I keep the pictures in a computer file labeled Quilting/sewing projects and separated by year.
As for the details, well, if the ole memory doesn't kick in, and I don't remember It is OK.
This year however, I am going to try the Bullet Journal method of daily planning and hope to track a bit better. Also hope it helps me be more productive than I have been during this pandemic. Simply didn't do as much as I should/could have in 2020. But on the bright side, I have finally been able to watch a LOT of old movies and the TV shows that came on at 10pm back in the day when I worked! LOL

pbraun

I have a simple log I made with Word. The columns simply list start and end dates, the project, where I worked on it (class or home) notes on progress and who it is for. I like it because I can check to see how long some things take...like t-shirt quilts. I also can see small projects or kits and decide to complete them. I do not include costs, although that might be an idea to add. Last week I found a box of cut pieces for a flannel Christmas quilt. It was not in my log! Not sure why or why not. At any rate, I would have put it together for a Christmas present if I had seen it. Oh well, I am now piecing it and deciding whether or not to quilt the inside squares. (I am learning to do ruler work and did 40 similar blocks for a flannel deck quilt). Logs are good for me because I can put whatever I wish into it. With this thread, I have a few columns I want to add. Thanks for starting it.

pbraun

Toverly that sounds really good.

Conchalea

I haven't bought a commercial journal. Instead, I use a composition notebook I used in 2010 for life journaling. Its original purpose was to encourage my 2nd grade grandson to write daily that summer. He's now a 17 year old senior in high school and much more interested in gaming, studying WWII history, and math. So I paged past the life journaling and converted it to quilting. My friend K & I quilted all summer after I moved from a large city to a tiny town 180 miles north. I had to list the UFO tops we worked on. Her daughter had 22 tops stuffed in her closet! From her days in college about 20 years ago. We also got 2 more tops from her in the summer. We completed all of those, plus a few others from a friend and from my collection unpacked after I got here. Our total UFO number was 30 for last year. We still have a few others we've rolled into 2021. I taught K how to quilt & bind, which she loves. We make a good team as I like piecing the best. I also like quilting, but binding... not so much. She did make an art quilt requiring no piecing, which is too painstaking for her. I only listed a few details about each top, any nicknames we gave them, & who each completion went to. I put lines between some to indicate which month we finished each one. I did this late at night after being worn out from quilting all day. That helped me destress from sandwiching & sewing for 6-8 hours most days. my cats thought I had a full-time job!

Kwiltr

I’ve thought about keeping one, but I’m not terribly disciplined. I take pictures of every quilt I quilt or make and often wish I’d written down the details of how I did something, or what batting I used, etc. But alas, I still have not started a quilt journal.

rryder

I keep a loose leaf notebook. i use regular notebook paper and write down the name of the quilt, batting used, any special techniques used, size, date finished, and where it is now or who now owns it. I also print a picture on 5 x 7 photo paper that I attach to the page. If it was a show quilt, then I also include info on the shows it was in, any awards it won, and its appraised value and selling price if it was sold.

Rob