LHQ - Scrapbook - Overview

Yesterday I decided to cheat a little on the UFO challenge - I know - didn't take me long to cheat, did it?? Oh, well - too bad.

I made some progress on the Stage 6 - B/W/R Red Cosmo Saturday night - so I felt like I could switch gears a little and work on the six that need the Story and Photo (Stage 1).

Friday afternoon (still 2010) I was able to lay the quilts out on the bed and take their pictures. (YAY!! - half way there!!) So I figured I could just keep on keeping on and get the scrapbook pages made and the stories written - and start writing my "LEFT-HANDED QUILTING - BACKWARDS" book - while I was at it. AND - get six of my quilts "DONE".

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QUESTION - When is a quilt considered "DONE"?

Most people consider their quilts "DONE" when they are quilted and bound.
Others say they need labels to be properly "DONE".
Some say the quilt is "DONE" when it is ready to send off to the long-arm quilter.

I take that one step further and say that my quilts are not "DONE" until I have documented the whole process in a scrapbook - with photos - the story - a fabric card - and a foundation paper pieced heart (for a memory quilt).

When I mentioned my scrapbook process to my sister-in-law in an email last year, she had some really good questions - and my answers were awesome! (Just checking to see if you are actually reading this.;)

Here is the conversation we had -

Do you just use adhesive to attach the index cards and photos without any cover sheets?
No - I haven't glued anything down to anything yet. I just slip the index cards and photos into the plastic sheet holder with some pretty paper behind them. I have some glue sticks - just haven't done that part yet - maybe in the summer when I have to sit in front of the fan all day - hehe.

I need to decide on what size book and pages to get.
I got a 12x12 scrapbook and filler pages. I figured it would be big enough to hold 8-1/2x11 pages if I had notes or something that size that I wanted to save. Besides - that size says "Scrapbook" to me. But size is a personal choice - use any size you want.

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MY WAY - (This Is How I Do It - 'cuz I'm special - hehe)

I got a 12x12 scrapbook and a pack of 12x12 paper with a bunch of different colors and patterns that I liked. I wanted a variety of colors so I could kinda match the paper color to the colors I used on the quilt - and the pack of matching paper and patterns seems to unify the whole thing.

I use two scrapbook pages and two colored sheets of paper for each quilt.

LEFT SIDE - On the left side I slip in a copy of the pattern and any notes I might have. I don't glue anything down - just slip it in the paper holder.

RIGHT SIDE - On the right side I put in a TITLE strip - sideways along the right side - kinda like an index tab - so I can flip through the book and find the quilt I'm looking for. I also add the STORY - the SCRAP CARD (details below) and the PHOTOS. I make the right side nice and pretty - that's the side you see first when you open the book - and put all the "extra" stuff on the left side. I just stuff it in - I'll deal with it all "someday" when I'm in a "scrapbooking" mood - for now, I just want it all in one place.

TITLES - I set up an Excel spreadsheet with just one column - centered - with a really big font - and bold. I print it out on regular copier paper and cut the strips apart with my handy-dandy paper cutter - leaving them all 8-1/2" (oops - make that) 11"  long - kinda makes it all look nice, neat, and uniform.

STORY - I attached a sample of the stories I wrote about A's Crazy Quilt and your Harmonic Convergence. I set them up in WORD - made them skinny - like a newspaper column and put as much info about the quilt as I can. If it gets too long - two pages - I just make the column wider to keep it to one page. It helps to keep notes as you go along - for dates and such. Then I print it out - cut it up - and stick it in the plastic holder.

SCRAP CARD - I take a 3x5 index card and flip it over to the blank side. I cut a scrap of each fabric I used in the quilt - about 1" wide and just over 3" long. I line them all up on the card and stitch them to the card about 1/2" from the top - the stitching winds up being on the red line on the back of the card. After it's stitched - I flip the card over and trim the fabric just past the edge of the card. Now I have a sample of the actual fabrics I used - to compare to the photos. I save the rest of the scraps for the "heart" and memory quilt.

JOURNAL COVER PAGE - I also attached a copy of the cover page I print out for each of my scrapbooks. I print mine on really pretty pink paper with roses on it - makes the scrapbooks look like a "matching set".

ID PAGE - I also attached a copy of the "ID PAGE" I use for each "Volume". It reminds me which ones I made where and when.

LABELS - I also attached samples of the labels I made for N's quilt - your quilt - and another one. Sometimes I have to set them up at the bottom of the page - on the left - or on the right - depending on where I want them to print on the fabric sheets. I make sure to leave about an inch around all sides when I cut them out. I sew border strips to the sides - press them open - and then sew strips to the top and bottom - using a 1/4" seam allowance - press it and square it up. Then I put it right side down on a piece of muslin - sew completely around the whole thing - clip the corners to reduce the bulk - make a small slit in the muslin - turn it inside out - press it real well - and voila! - a label already to sew to the quilt - and no raw edges to turn under!!

OK - that's all I can think of now. Let me know if you have any more questions. I love your questions - keep 'em coming.


P.S. Be sure to take pictures as you go along - once you finish the quilt and give it away it will be too late. And be sure to just enjoy the process.

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So that's what I wrote last year - the photos attached were taken yesterday. While I was doing the Story and Photos for the UFOs in Stage 1 - I also did the Story and Photos for the B/W/R Pillowcases. Since I still have to do the Label - Heart - Scrap Card for them - I will go into more detail when I post the progress on "Stage 2".

Stage 2. Need Label - Heart - Scrap Card - Story and Photos

• B/W/R Pillowcases

But for now - I can cross off SIX - COUNT 'EM - SIX of my UFOs for 2011. That makes my UFO List for 2011 - down to ONLY 58!!

Stage 1. Need Story and Photos

• Space - The New Frontier DONE 1/2/11
  
• Big & Bold DONE 1/2/11
  
• Serenity DONE 1/2/11
  
• Topsy Turvy - DONE 1/2/11
  
• Springtime - Mystery Quilt - DONE 1/2/11
  
• Christmas Lights DONE 1/2/11
  

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -