Records
A. Types of Records
In addition to always putting a label on my quilts with my name, my home town and state, date, and the quilter’s name if applicable, I photograph everything I complete. I used to keep them in a small scrapbook with all the pertinent information regarding the piece. Now I’ve started taking a picture with my iPad and creating a folder for each year. Whenever I think I’m not being very productive, I can look back and see just how busy I’ve been.
Sharon Gregorczyk, Kyle, TX
I take photos of the quilts I make. With the photos attached in a diary, I write about the quilt: who it was made for and the reason I made it. If it is a particularly difficult quilt or has many pieces, I add things like how long it took, how many pieces, how many fabrics, etc. I also add if I learned a new technique in the process or used a special ruler or tool. This diary also serves as a reference tool.
Diane Meddley, Parrish, FL
I take a picture of the front of the quilt as well as the label, backing, and close ups of any special quilting patterns. I also snip small pieces of the fabrics I used and paste them into a type of collage that I keep with the pictures in a journal. I also write down the name of the quilt, who it was for, the date and where I made it. If I get a thank you note, I will also include that. If I had any epiphanies during the creation of the quilt, I journal that as well.
Linda Pace, McDonough, GA
I take photos of each project and keep them in a folder on my computer. I also have them backed up on a sky drive in case my computer ever crashes.
Candace Pekich, Walla Walla, WA
I take photos of each step of the process and, of course, the finished product. The labels contain information for future generations to know the history of my quilts.
Laura Gilmartin, Stafford, VA
I like the computer program Quilt Album for record keeping. I also print out the pages so that I have a physical copy that I can flick through.
Anne Couzens, Diggers Rest, Australia
Each quilt I make for a specific person has a mini journal to go with it. Contained in the journal are the details of how the quilt came to be: the inspiration I used for the quilt, brainstorming diagrams, patterns, fabric swatches, layouts, quilting patterns, and label details.
If any of the fabrics have a history, I’ll include that, too.
Sharon Siacci, Khandallah, New Zealand
I have saved the selvage edge from nearly every fabric I have ever used. I save the portion with the manufacturer, fabric line and the color dots. I have written the month and year of purchase with permanent marker on the more recent ones. I am putting these into a quilt that is entirely made of selvage edges. This will be another type of record, in addition to the photos I take of each quilt.
Susan Chandler, Solon Springs, WI
Depending on the quilt, I sometimes keep tiny swatches, the original pattern, sketches, and notes. I don’t do this for most of my quilts, just ones with very special purposes. I do keep a daily journal, so many times there are bits of information about the quilts in progress in there as well.
Nancy Swanwick, Fort Scott, KS
When I’m handquilting, I measure each piece of thread as I cut it and keep a running tab and tally it up when I’m finished. Of course it helps when I use a whole spool of thread because that’s already measured.
Carol Forestell, Robersonville, NC
I keep a log of fabric and notion purchases (with receipts), plus a photograph of each completed quilt with small swatches of fabrics used, along with the fabric manufacturer and collection name (if applicable). I also include notes about measurements and variations from the printed pattern.
Signa Ferguson, Pelham, AL
I have a longarm machine. Just recently I started keeping track of the quilts I quilt on it—the size, the panto (or design), the thread type and color, the bobbin thread (if different than what I used on the top), and the number of bobbins used. I wish I had started keeping these statistics sooner. It’s interesting to see what threads or pantos I use most often and also how often I use the machine.
Sue Hurley, Princeton, NJ
I take notes while I’m making the quilt. If I find something I’d like to try another time, or wish I’d done, I can go back and make notes about that as well.
I have a sewing journal that I’ve recently started. I take notes while I’m making the quilt. If I find something I’d like to try another time, or wish I’d done, I can go back and make notes about that as well.
Amy DeCesare, Delmont, PA
I like to note the date I started and finished a quilt. I like to document the fabrics I used in the quilt, along with swatches of the fabrics used. If I purchased the fabrics on a special outing with friends, I like to document that as well.
Melynda Cash, Forest, VA
I have an Excel Spreadsheet with tabs
♦ Quilts to be Started
♦ Quilts in Process
♦ Quilts Finished
Patricia Boyle, Bedford, TX
I use an Excel spreadsheet with columns for name, designer, type (pieced, etc.), date started and ended, who the quilt was given to, who did the long arm quilting, an embedded picture, and any comments.
Stephanie Leuthesser, San Ysidro, CA
I keep an Excel spreadsheet with the following columns: date completed, title, height in inches, width in inches, area (computed), calculated price (based on size and current average costs of materials), actual price for which I would sell the quilt or value if donated to charity (takes into account complexity of construction and quilting), basic description of pattern and quilting, final destination (who owns the quilt or to whom it was donated).
In addition I keep a photo record in iPhoto and post quilts currently available on our family website.
Sharon Mountford, Canoga Park, CA
For quilts that are gifts, I like to include a card that explains how I chose the fabrics or design for the quilt. I try to choose those to reflect the recipient’s style or personality. Sometimes these elements are subtle, so a card gives me the chance to point out the connections or the hidden meanings. If it’s special, many people save cards as a remembrance.
Amy DeCesare, Delmont, PA
If you are doing a sampler, keep a record of the name of each block, along with a picture of the block. I made a quilt with 140 6” blocks, with each block being a different pattern. I wrote the story behind the quilt and included this information in a photo album just about that one quilt. I later learned that this is important if you are having your quilt appraised—the more documentation you have, the better.
Linda Long, Bloomfield, IN
Your Next Dream Purchase, According to Our Survey
My dream is to have my own quilt shop in an old antique house at the beach.
Mary Wojtkiewicz, Santa Ana, CA
My husband and I publish an annual “Dahk and Jan Scrapbook” that we give to family and friends, and it includes the quilts I have made that year, along with who they were for. We also include any ribbons I may have gotten at our County Fair.
Jan Knox, Mosheim, TN
I put my finished quilts out on Facebook for my long distance friends and family to see my latest projects.
Barbara Theriault, Brooksville, FL
I have a blog and post about all the quilts I make and have made.
Janet Olmstead, Calgary, Alberta
I start with a graph paper drawing of the pattern, in color. If the quilt has different blocks, I draw a larger scale drawing of each block and attach a swatch of the different fabrics to the drawing where that fabric will be used. After the quilt is finished, I take a picture of the quilt and attach it to the graph paper. I date the drawings and log where we are living, since we have lived in 12 states. I have a notebook with dividers with pockets where I keep the pattern and fabric swatches and pictures. On the back of the quilt I make an embroidered label, saying who the quilt is for, my name as the quilt maker and the date. If the quilt is for a special occasion, I add that to the label.
Sheryl Waddington, Ellenwood, GA
Until recently, I’ve written a quilt journal. I put info in regarding giftee name, pattern, size, fabrics, and pictures. Since that is full, I recently purchased QuiltAlbum2 so I can keep the information on my computer. I’m gradually transferring all the older quilts from the journal to this program.
Joanne Scott, Peotone, IL
I have several methods of keeping records. I have a book I purchased in an art department of a craft store that has lines on one side and blank pages on the other. I write information about when I started/finished, who it was for, where the idea came from, etc., on the lined side. On the blank side there’s room for a 4 × 6” photo and small swatches of the actual fabrics used.
I keep photo records. I blog, but I also have a folder where I keep my finished projects (I also cross-stitch). At the beginning of a new year, I turn those photos into a small hard-bound book, like a yearbook, to keep on my shelves.
Terri Overton, San Tan Valley, AZ
I take photos in natural settings on the porch or in the yard. I store them on my computer. I also record them on a form which is submitted to my quilt guild for incentive awards.
Janet Bland, Smyrna, GA
My favorite way to pose a finished quilt is to roll it up and get a binding shot.
Amy DeCesare, Delmont, PA
When I have very special or expensive quilts, or quilts I plan to enter in shows, I take them to my local university where they will photograph them professionally at a fairly reasonable price.
Nancy Henry, Rochester, NH
I take many photos of a finished quilt: full shots of it hanging, lying on a bed if it is intended for the bed, close up shots of the blocks and fabrics, and close up shots of the quilting. If the recipient lives near me, I take a picture with them and the quilt, but if not, I request a photo from them. The photos are put in my quilt diary, along with the information on making the quilt.
Diane Meddley, Parrish, FL
I hang my quilt on the clothesline and take my shots in the morning sun. The photos get downloaded to the computer and stored there, with copies going into a display book.
Barbara Falkner, Wellard, WA
I take close ups and “art” shots. Mostly I try to get them hanging straight and get the color just right. Color means a lot to me, and I want people to have the same color experience looking at my photos that I have looking at my work in person.
Michelle Harrison, Morganton, GA
I try to take a full front and full back photo, close-ups of the block detail and the quilting detail, and a photo of the label. A copy gets put into the journal of those quilts that have one, and I keep a copy in my brag-book/photo album.
Sharon Siacci, Khandallah, New Zealand
I put it on the driveway with a clean drop cloth under it and climb a tall ladder for as flat a shot as possible.
I try to get a shot with the quilt hanging on a wall when possible; otherwise I put it on the driveway with a clean drop cloth under it and climb a tall ladder for as flat a shot as possible. I also take close-ups of the quilting. Then I store the photos in my quilt diary (a.k.a., Excel spreadsheet).
Stephanie Leuthesser, San Ysidro, CA
I take typical digital snapshots and sometime close ups if the quilting is especially grand. I upload them to my computer and then to a web based photo company that stores them. I order prints and keep them in an album (I am on album #4). The website for my photos offers a free share site. I have a share site for family photos and one for my quilts so my family and friends can be members and view my photos.
Annemarie (Nancy) Poorbaugh, Montgomery, AL
I usually take photos with my SLR (digital camera) and upload them to Flickr to share with my friends and family.
Amanda Kei Andrews, Vero Beach, FL
I once took a picture of a friend’s sampler quilt on display, and had note cards made with no borders, just the quilt, on the front. When I presented the notecards to her, she glanced at them and thanked me. When I suggested she take a closer look, she exclaimed, “That’s my quilt!”
Nancy Chase, Columbus, MT
My sister-in-law once took a photo of a stack of my quilts without my noticing and had the photo made into a mouse pad for my computer at work. What a great gift!
Lorraine Vignoli, Commack, NY
I have taken pictures of quilts I have inherited from my grandmother, with details of who made them, how to fold and store them, and washing instructions. My kids will know who made them and how to care for them.
Nancy Chase, Columbus, MT
I take digital photos and process them myself with a Canon Selphy photo printer. I love this little machine. I put my photos in special albums designated just for my quilt pics and write the info about each quilt off to the side.
Francis Stanley, Slidell, LA
If I win a ribbon for a quilt in a quilt show, I will attach a photo of the quilt to the ribbon.
Sharon Gregorczyk, Kyle, TX
I photograph every finished quilt I make and write a short story, journaling the inspiration behind the quilt and any challenges or joys I had in making the quilt. I also record finished size, and finished block size as well as the date started and the date completed.
Carol Martin, Honey Brook, PA
Since we have members of different skill levels in our group, pictures of quilts or techniques used to make a specific kind of quilt are a useful teaching tool.
My quilting club takes detailed photographs of all completed quilts brought to “show and tell.” These include close-up detailed shots and whole quilt shots. We share them online through Shutterfly and periodically print a book of work produced by our members, which is kept by our club historian. I store hard copies of the photographs of my quilts in my journal. We also have a blog that members use to share photographs. Since we have members of different skill levels in our group, pictures of quilts or techniques used to make a specific kind of quilt are a useful teaching tool.
Betsy Scott, Richmond, VA
I take 4 × 6 digital photos of many of my quilts and keep them in a photo album on my coffee table.
Shari Haines, Batavia, IL
Some special photos of my quilts are printed and framed for my sewing rooms.
Marcia Dionne, Laconia, NH
I have a digital photo frame that changes photos from my computer sitting in my living room. You see my family and my quilts!
Kristi Wilson, Irving, TX
C. Signing and Dating Quilts
I like to quilt my initials and the year into the quilts I quilt by hand.
Janet Olmstead, Calgary, Alberta
On my grandchildren’s quilts, I write “grandma” somewhere on the front of the quilt for them to find. I also sign and date my quilts on a label on the back.
Toni Heckler, Martinsburg, WV
I like to hand embroider my labels. I include my name and date, who and what occasion the quilt was made for, and usually an appropriate Bible verse.
Diane Bachman, Leola, PA
I use the lettering on my regular sewing machine and stitch important info onto a label for the quilt. The stitching does not wash out as some pen ink is likely to do.
Jennifer Padden, Austin, TX
I machine-make a label for a completed quilt. My sewing machine is able to do letters and numbers, so I make a label with date, name, and for whom the quilt is made. I put my name and address, phone number, and usually a little figure of some sort that goes with the theme of the quilt.
Patricia A. Ensey, Duluth, MN
Generally, I use a Frixion pen, embroider over it, then iron out the ink. I put my initials and the month and year, although if it is a significant presentation, I may put the recipient’s name, also.
Michelle Harrison, Morganton, GA
I use an Encre Pigment Textile Marker with purple ink, my favorite color, and sign my name and date somewhere near the edge of a quilt or runner. On a purse, I sign on a pocket.
Sherrie Mazzocchi, Annandale, NJ
I do a secret message and signature hidden in the quilt in permanent fabric pens. You have to hunt for them.
Sharon Beck, Twinsburg, OH
I create a fabric label with a Micron pen. I attach it to the lower right hand corner by a running stitch. My quilts are not finished until the label is on!
Eileen D. Wenger, Lancaster, PA
I use a piece of muslin as a label that I slipstitch to the back of a quilt. I use a thin line permanent marker and write in calligraphy the story of the quilt. This always includes my full name (including my maiden name—I’m adamant about this), my town, and the date. If the quilt has a special purpose, as most of them do, I include this in the label.
Nancy Swanwick, Fort Scott, KS
I make a label, usually with fabrics from the quilt, and then sign and date it with a Pigma Ink pen. I usually put my label in the back corner of my quilt before I bind the quilt so I can catch two sides of the label with the binding.
Twila Sikkink, Clear Lake, WI
I used to stress over the fact that I could never come up with clever titles for my works of art; hence no label on my finished quilts. However, I have since come to accept that naming a quilt is not nearly as important as signing and dating it. To that end, I keep it simple: my name, city/state and date. That much is easily achieved. I write it with Pigma pen on appropriate fabric and stitch it into the binding or incorporate it into the quilting design so it cannot be easily removed. Because in my old age I have become increasingly neurotic about getting credit for my workmanship, I will also write said information under the label directly on the quilt back. This keeps the dishonest people honest.
Nancee McCann, Wilmington, DE
My quilts have labels with the name, pattern, date, and, if made for another, their name and reason for the quilt. Several of my quilts have a pocket for the label with a special private note tucked inside.
Tamara Gross, Wichita, KS
I type several labels on Microsoft Word and print them out using the InkJet Printable Fabric. By putting two or three labels on one sheet and cutting them apart, I can justify buying the printable fabric.
Nora Manley, Athens, AL
I make labels on PrintShop and print them out onto fabric. Often I will use a photo of the person or an object in the quilt. I print the title, information about the pattern if it’s not original, and my name and the date, and print it on the fabric. Then I fuse it on and hand stitch around it.
Nancy Robertson, Scituate, MA
I purchase ready-made labels with my name on them. I add the year I finished the quilt to the label.
Anna Osborn, Omaha, NE
I like to use the Printmaster software and Printed Treasures fabric sheets to create my quilt labels. I like to individualize every label according to what kind of quilt it is or who it’s going to. This lets me do all sorts of creative things.
Occasionally, I make a fabric envelope that closes with a button and opens up to embroidered details.
Francis Stanley, Slidell, LA
Sometimes I just sign my quilts with a fabric pen, but mostly I cross-stitch “The best kind of sleep beneath Heaven above, is under a quilt handmade with love.” Occasionally, I make a fabric envelope that closes with a button and opens up to embroidered details.
Nancy Chase, Columbus, MT
I fuse and sew a label on every quilt I make. Occasionally I will use a Pigma pen and write on the back of the quilt. Every label I make for my quilts tells a story about the journey of the quilt and who and why someone got a quilt. There have been some labels that have answered questions about circumstances surrounding the quilt. It’s my way of preserving the quilt history of each quilt I make.
LaNan Eldridge, Paullina, IA
I always include my name, including my maiden name, and city. The date is always an interesting question. Did I start and finish in the same year? Do I put the start date, or the finish date if they are different? I recently finished my first quilt which had a 25-year span.
Olivia Kuebler, Kansas City, MO
I like to make the label to match the theme of the quilt; for example, if the quilt is an ocean scene, the label might be in the shape of a fish.
Sharon Gallegos, Midlothian, VA
I never sign or date my quilts. God knows what I have made and done for others.
Karen Benke, Medina, OH
I have quilts my grandmother made for me, and she never labeled them, which was typical of the era. I have decided to label her quilts with the quilt-maker information and any additional information I feel is important to my family or the future caretaker of these quilts.
Maryjo Kaszubinski, Celebration, FL
The women in the past made quilts for very practical reasons. Some recorded their work but most did not. Which are more “valuable”? In the present generation, we look for labeling of the past as being very important for historical reasons. But when I look at a tattered old quilt, my eyes see the woman sitting by a dim light, contemplating what had occurred that day, just quietly stitching away, just so happy to have a minute to herself or expressing the love she has for the recipient of this personal endeavor. Record the quilt with whatever is important to you at the time you make the quilt.
Stephanie Maslak, Syracuse, NY
I don’t sign and date my quilts. The quilt is not about me but about the recipient. I do, however, try to embroider on the back of each quilt “cancer sucks.”
Susan O’Keefe, Rochester, NY