It feels good to be back on schedule for the first Sunday of the month progress postings on my 365 Project - Buttons & Stitches. It's only been a week since my last post. Fires continue to burn in the North and the smoke this morning is quite heavy. The car has been unloaded and items put away, once again, but the RED Go Bag remains out and visible should we need to grab and go.

I found several purple buttons during my last search through my button jar. I thought they would be a good transition from the grape cluster in the greens.

365 PROJECT - Buttons & Stitches - DAY 217

I am linking up with Kathy for some Slow Sunday Stitching - join me and check out the projects that others are working on.

A reminder about my inspiration for 2018:

Last year, I followed Ashley Hackshaw AKA Lil Blue Boo with her One Year of Stitches and Buttons - Embroidery Hoop 365 Project and Sara Barnes - Brown Paper Bag's One Year of Stitches as Seen Through One's Embroidery Hoop projects.

DOCUMENTING YOUR QUILTS

I received a couple of photos from a dear, dear fiend - a comforter I made for her daughter 25 years ago! This was before the days I took up quilting but I knew that I wanted to make some sort of a special keepsake for "Christine".

This Teddy Bear panel had just the cutest graphics. And, I thought it best to stitch around the teddy bears to hold the batting in place. The pink gingham, seersucker fabric was a stash favorite and I loved using it on the binding, too.

I knew enough to label the comforter, and am surprised it stayed on all of these years.

I recall that several years later, Christine learned how to operate the washing machine because she wanted to be responsible for washing the comforter herself. There was even a snag or rip in the edge but it was never returned to me so that I could fix the spot.

It would be another 6 years until I focused on quilting. By that time, I had been watching videos, subscribing to magazines and checking out books at the Library.

Photos by Christine's mother

Adding a label to any quilt is important; including the date, occasion, recipient and your name and creative location.

So, in 1999 when I embarked on my quilting journey, I decided to keep a log of all the quilts I would make, and to keep a written document of the labels. I thought it would be fun to name each quilt and I decided to add my signature hot-pink french knot on the label. And, if I remembered, sew an extra block from the fabrics to one day make a quilt from all of those squares.

Since many of my quilts are offered as donations, I didn't write all of those down, My number system may be a bit amiss. And, who thought to take photos back in 1999? A few years later the internet was the place to share your projects and later still, I created this blog.

Here is a sampling from my notes:

Quilt #1:

"Blue & White"

This was a queen size quilt.

Squares were set in a checkerboard pattern.

~42 hours

Quilt #3:

"Olympic Spirit"

This red, white and blue log cabin, lap quilt was my first attempt at hand quilting - stitch in the ditch. I included a photo on the label of the recipients attending the Olympic Games.

~74 hours

Quilt #7:

"Zebra & Bugs"

This quilt was presented to a mentor for his 60th Birthday. He spent 10 years in Africa and he often shared stories of his life in Kenya. The fabrics were trimmed in black.

~72 hours

Quilt #9:

"Smile Quilt"

I created this quilt for a local artist's 50th Birthday. As a child she admits she never smiled. She brings so much joy to others, I searched for fabric with smiles. I added solid color blocks to this trip around the world quilt and did all of the hand quilting.

~over 100 hours

Quilt #11:

"Train Quilt"

from the label: The red 'train track" fabric is from a sun dress that AHW bought for his beautiful wife RMW many, many years ago. In preparing to cut the dress, it was washed several times and still had sand in all of the seams when they were opened. The heart on the label is an actual pocket from the dress; I sewed the opening closed, pressed it flat and felt it had to be included somewhere on the quilt. You can read more about Their Gift of Love, here.

~34.5 hours

Quilt #19:

"Seafoam Ruby"

This was a donation quilt for a local charity fund raiser. The high bidder kept it on a chair, in front of the fireplace in their master bedroom suite (and can be seen in the lower left corner).

Quilt #25":

"Sara's Purple Quilt"

In June 2000, I presented Cousin Sarah a purple colorwash lapquilt for her 85th Birthday. Several years later, she asked if I could make her a bigger quilt for her bed. With so much purple fabric left over from the first quilt, I combined a variety of fabrics in this large quilt. And, I also presented her with a purple dresser scarf.

Do you do anything special to document your Quilts?