How to Keep Track of 150 Quilt Blocks, and Things We Actually Said

How do you keep track of 150 quilt blocks, six people and numerous deadlines? It took some creativity.

This is my original quilt sketch on a large piece of graph paper. I had to arrange and rearrange, count and recount, erase and re-erase.

I kept several spreadsheets saying who was making which blocks, and which blocks symbolized what. Jan Wilson was a walking encyclopedia of Nebraska history, and kept coming up with more ideas for the blocks. Eventually we had to say "good enough" and be satisfied that the quilt referred to Nebraska in distinct ways.

I kept a running list of things that went through my head as we progressed. Here are some of the best, and worst.

1. I don't remember agreeing to this.
2. I don't even like sampler quilts.
3. Mary Ellen Hopkins said, "All reds clash well."
4. You mean I don't get to keep this quilt???
5. I am so sick of this quilt.
6. We will never make the deadline.
7. I am terrified that nobody will buy a ticket.

If you'd like to help me prove #7 wrong, please buy a ticket for this quilt.

If you'd like to have this quilt at your Nebraska event, let's talk. Please email us using scarletsampler@gmail.com.