Keeping Track

My first stab at quilting was enough to send me for quilt lessons. One of our local shops, Earthly Goods, offers a series of classes and calls it their "Degree" program. After taking them, I became a "grad" and a member of their grad club.

During these courses, emphasis was made on either keeping a journal as I quilted, or keeping some sort of records. This appeals to my nature, so I started. I had some photos of those earliest quilts, or could find the pattern and even a few leftover scraps for fabric samples. One of the instructors at Earthly Goods gave suggestions for record pages. I modified it and of course set it up in a nice arrangement as a template on my computer because even I cannot read my own handwriting! I include photos, a copy of the label, sometimes the pattern, and anything else that goes with the quilt, This is what my record page looks like:


If you cannot read the words, the sections have these titles ... (double-click too)
QUILT #
Quilt Name •
Finished Size • General Purpose •
Date Started • Date Finished •
Inspiration •
Top Construction •
Top Pieced by •
Notes •
Quilting Method •
Quilted by •
Notes •
Fabric Samples •
Batting •
Borders, Trims •
Shown •
Embellishments •
Owner / Location • Sold •

I put this page in a plastic page-protector sleeve on the left. On the right are the clippings, photos, etc. That means that the record page for the next quilt becomes a white background for the inserts of the previous one.

This all takes a bit of time, but is quite satisfying to go through and see the progress. Of course the goof-ups are in there too, but I often need to be humbled.

Here is a photo of the quilt that the page describes. It was from an instamatic camera so I had to scan it. Not too sure about the color! Also, many of the quilts done since then do not have the same details as this one. I don't keep track of the time now, but often make comments about the fun I had (or not) making the quilt.