by Terry Crawford

* This article featured in Quilter's Newsletter Magazine, December 2001 * Free QuiltSheetsTM How many times have you found a quilt that you made long ago and tried to remember what year you made it? Or you remember making a quilt for a baby shower, but can't remember who's baby you gave it to? Or maybe you've made a quilt that you absolutely loved, gave it to a very close friend that lives far away, and wished you could see it again? Or have you ever made a complicated quilt, only to forget exactly how you laid it out, can't remember the measurements of the block, or how it was pieced or exactly which fabric you used... and wished you could see the original again?

I've made several hundred different quilts and/or quilting projects since I began quilting in April, 1993. I rarely make something to keep for myself, and oddly enough, I give away about 99.9% of everything I make as gifts for very special people. So, I most usually don't have direct access to the gorgeous creations (beauty is, at times, in the eye of the beholder!) that I've quilted and/or designed. I bet most of you reading this are shaking your head in agreement, too, because you know exactly what I'm talking about!

I'm sure all quilters have, at one time or another, wished they had all of the information about a particular quilt (or project) available to review. A Quilt Diary is one of the best ways to preserve your quilting history and the sooner you start, the better. It's never too late to begin and I'd highly recommend documenting as many as you can remember to get started.

I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've referred to my Quilt Diary for information or to see the photograph of a finished quilt. And sometimes I just like to browse through it to see what I've been up to in my quilt life.

Keeping a Quilt Diary serves three purposes: 1) It's a great referral to go back to when information is needed about specific quilts/projects, 2) It is very satisfying to record accomplishments and be able to look at them at any time, and 3) It's important to document the history of quilts and even though quilts might have a label on them, there isn't enough room to put all the information you want to record.

Making a Quilt Diary is quite simple. Here's a list of easy-to-find items you need:

1. BINDER or NOTEBOOK

It is very important that you have a centralized place to store the information in your Quilt Diary and I've found that a binder or notebook is very effective in keeping things organized. If pages of a Quilt Diary are kept loose, it's easy to lose them.

Personally, I prefer 2-inch, 3-ring school notebooks. I usually buy a light-colored one so that I can personalize the cover with my, um, unique artwork (I can create wonders on a computer, but can't draw worth a hoot without one).

2. PAPER

You can use regular, looseleaf notebook paper and eliminate buying a hole-puncher or you can use copier (printer) paper and make your own Quilt Diary worksheets (or use my QuiltSheets®; offered freely below) using a word processor and a printer. I prefer the latter, of course.

What type of information should you put on your Quilt Diary worksheets? Different people can include different things, but there is some basic information that everyone should have in common. Here is the type of information I include in my Quilt Diary:

• Name of the quilt,
• Finished quilt size,
• Type of quilt,
• Name(s) of pattern(s),
• Notes on pattern(s) (Where was it found? Is it an original design?),
• Date started, date the quilt top is completed, date the finished quilt is completed,
• Type(s) of construction methods used,
• Quilt block sketches,
• Predominant colors used,
• Types of fabric used, along with where they were purchased, and perhaps fabric swatches,
• Type of batting used,
• Who/what occasion the quilt was made for,
• Awards won with this quilt,
• Personal Comments,
• A photograph or sketch area.

3. HOLE-PUNCHER

A hole-puncher is relatively inexpensive and essential if you use a binder. Either a single hole-puncher or a tri-hole-puncher can be purchased at any store that carries office supplies. TIP: If using the single hole-puncher, I find it very useful to place a regular sheet of loose-leaf notebook paper on top of a small stack. I then use the pre-punched holes on the top sheet as a guide to punch my own.

4. INK PEN or PENCIL

I prefer using an ink pen because pencil marks fade tremendously over time and becomes very difficult to read. I also prefer using either black or dark blue ink because these are the easiest colors to read. Remember, you may be reading your Quilt Diary when you're old and your eyes aren't quite what they were in your youth. :)

5. MARKING PENS

Personalizing your Quilt Diary with your own artwork is optional. At the very least, there's specific information that I would make sure was on the front cover of the notebook using permanent pens:

• Your Name
• Your Full Address
• Your Telephone Number
• Your E-mail Address (if you have one)
• The Date You Began The Diary or A Number Identifying The Quilt Diary (You'll probably end up with more than one!)

I sometimes take my Quilt Diary with me when I lecture and/or teach quilting classes and I always make sure there's enough information on it that someone could contact me should it be misplaced.

6. PHOTOGRAPHS

A camera is the best way to record your work! Any good camera will do: An instant camera (such as Polaroid), 35mm, a digital camera, or even one of the new-fangled throw-away cameras. TIP: When taking pictures with a non-digital camera, it's a good idea to purchase double the prints, one to use in the diary, the other to store for safekeeping.

If you don't have access to a camera and you're a fairly apt artist, you can sketch the final quilt instead of putting a picture. The *only* time I've ever sketched a rendition of my quilted project is when I gave away the quilted item without first taking a picture of it (shame on me!). As mentioned before, I can't draw worth a hoot, so this is a drastic-last-measure option for me.

If you can afford it, professional photographers will work with you, too. This is the route I'd take if I needed a high-quality photograph. But, for my quilt diary, I'm happy with my own pictures.

If using quilt software to design with, you can also print off a copy of the quilt design and add it to your Quilt Diary. I love to compare my finished quilt with my original design. Sometimes it's identical; at other times, I let my creativity take over and it's different than my original design. It's great to see where I start and then end up.

I keep promising myself that I'll fix up a special place to photograph my quilts, but so far, I haven't. I try to take most of my pictures outdoors, but occasionally the weather doesn't allow me to do so *or* sometimes my pictures are taken late at night (when I finish them). When I do this, I'm usually scrunched for time and going to give the quilted item away the next day (yes, I work right up to the deadline sometimes).

Personal Note: When I use actual photographs from a camera, I don't mind cropping (cutting) the photographs, because I always keep the negatives (and usually get double prints). I crop for several reasons: 1) To get rid of the excess background that detracts from the actual quilt, and 2) To optimize the space I have on my QuiltSheet. I crop pictures to make them as small as I can because I usually put multiple photographs on a QuiltSheet. I always take a picture of the front of the quilt, the back of the quilt, and a closeup shot to either capture an image of a certain block or quilting pattern.

7. STAPLER, GLUE, TAPE, TABS or PRINTER

I've tried all five methods of attaching a photo to QuiltSheets. There are advantages and disadvantages to each.

Stapling is fast and easy, but the staples leave ugly holes and should you want to use the photograph later to scan, the holes show. And, simply put, they're tacky! If you never remove the staples, however, you wouldn't have to worry about the holes showing. Sometimes it's hard to reach the middle of the page if you need to staple a picture there. Gently fold the paper back; just be careful not to leave a crease. TIPS: Scan before stapling and leave enough stapling room on the photograph when you crop it so that you don't staple the picture of the quilt.

I don't use glue because once it's attached, it's there for good. I sometimes need to remove a picture in order to either scan it or replace it with a better one. Glue also leaves a rippled effect on the other side of the sheet. There are some excellent new glues on the market that are supposed to be ideal for this type of project now, however, so you might want to experiment with this idea.

Tape is a good method IF you use two-sided tape or know how to fold one-sided tape over to make it adhere to both surfaces.

Photo tabs work very well and can be found in the scrapbooking section of your craft store. These are just the corners that stick to paper, then you can slide a photo into place.

My method of choice is to scan the photo, then print the photo directly onto the paper (QuiltSheet) with the proper software and a color printer. The only disadvantage to this is that the scanned images aren't as clear as the original photograph. Not even with a laser printer. Most of the time, I'm not concerned with it being a perfect image, though. As long as it looks good and I can see the details of the picture, I'm happy. This is the method I use the most now.

I certainly hope this has inspired you to start keeping a quilt diary. I encourage you to begin one, if you haven't already, as soon as you can. I include all of the information I've discussed in this article, plus I also include any rough drafts of patterns and layouts that I may have.

If you have suggestions or comments, please e-mail me. I'd love to hear from you. Happy Quilting!