Plan to Quilt - A Quilty Planner Review

I have had a thing for office supplies since a very young age. I remember the feeling I got when opening a new box of 64 crayons, and it's the same feeling I get when opening a new pack of pens as an adult. I love pretty notepads, washi tape, colorful pens, and all things paper. I've started a small collection of quilty planners, so I'd thought I'd share them each with you over the next few weeks. I'll do a round up post at the end to share what I love (and don't!) about each one too!

First up is "Plan to Quilt" by Shannon Gillman Orr of Eva Blake's Makery. (You can read about two other quilty planner review posts HERE and HERE.)

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If you're new here, hello! I'm Laura! I design quilt patterns, and I'm a self-proclaimed deal hunter! Be sure to join the popular Quilting & Sewing Deals Facebook group where I post sales, deals, and coupon codes from all around the web!

What is the "Plan to Quilt"?

What it IS: An organizer to help track your quilty projects.

What it's NOT: A dated planner or calendar.

The first thing I noticed when I opened the shipping box was the quality of the planner. The covers are sturdy and do not bend. The cover is 8 1/2" x 10 1/4" - not oversized, but substantial enough to hold it's own on a bookshelf. (The coil makes it 9 1/4" wide in all.) The gold wire coil is strong and the planner is a thick 1". The paper is matte and a heavier weight than copy paper, making it perfect for using with markers, pens, and pencils. (These are my favorite!) I immediately knew this was meant to be a keepsake and not just a temporary notebook that would be recycled after a few months.

The planner starts with a Project Checklist. I love that there are boxes to check to show what step each project is on! Progress is progress, and visually seeing where I'm at is very motivating! The spacing of the lines are almost the same as college ruled notebook paper - efficient and easy to use.

The next pages feature a shopping list, broken down by each project. I love this! I could quickly grab the planner when I visit a local quilt shop and know exactly what I need.

The next pages are the meat and potatoes of the planner. There are five pages for each project. The colors of the page margins coordinate with the colors on the Project Checklist! The first of the five pages has spots to record the details of the project including the date started, quilt name, and pattern designer. There is a spot for fabric swatches, thread info, and the type of stitches used. (Pictured are Love & Kisses fabric from Island Batik and Aurifil thread.)

The second of the five pages is a blank page to tape or glue an envelope with the quilt's pattern. The planner is the perfect size for a standard pattern to fit! (Shown with my Exploding Heart pattern.)

The third page has a tiny graph paper grid (48 squares by 48 squares with darker lines around each 8 squares x 8 squares section), intended for sketching out the quilt block layout. This would be great to use as a coloring diagram to keep track of what colors go where or to make notes about which way to press seams after making a test block. This page also has a spot for figuring out how much binding you will need. And it has my favorite feature of all! A joy meter! You color in hearts to show how much you loved making the quilt! And maybe the most important spot - the finish date!

The fourth page is a full edge-to-edge dot grid that can be used for notes or drawings.

And the fifth page has a final lined notes section and a spot to tell the quilt's story. This is another favorite feature of mine! This transforms the planner into both a scrapbook and journal worthy of saving as a keepsake.

The rest of the planner is just those five pages repeated over and over. The back of the planner says there are 42 sets, but mine has 47! That would be at least a year's worth of projects for most people!

In summary, I love the quality and size of the planner. I like the page to record details about each quilt, and I really love the quantity of projects you can plan! My favorite features are the quilt story spot and the joy meter! Because it's undated, it's a great way to track long-term projects and keep an updated list of WIPs.

One thing that made me scratch my head was that the quilt plan pages include a spot to record who pieced the quilt. 99.9% of the time, this would be the person filling out the planner. This spot might be better if it asked for the quilter's name for those times I send my quilt to another longarmer. The spot for fabric swatches is also a bit small, but the full page of the dot grid would be a great place to add them instead.

Overall, I really like the planner! If you're looking for a beautiful way to organize, track, and record your quilty finishes, this is it!

You can purchase Plan to Quilt directly from Shannon on her website HERE. Use the code SLICEOFPI at checkout to get 10% off!! There is a mini version of it too! That one has 18 project plans and measures 5" x 6.5". You can see more about it HERE. The code works for all orders, and there's free shipping if your order is over $50!

You can learn more about the planner on Shannon's website too! Don't forget to use the code SLICEOFPI at checkout!

How do you organize your quilty projects? Do you have a planner? I admit, my quilty to-make list is only in my head, so I really NEED this! I do record every quilt's story here on the blog, and I have a spreadsheet where I record the date finished and who the recipient was. I'm excited to start filling in this planner and writing down my WIPS and quilty to-make list. I'm sure I'll be surprised at just how many are on the list! Ha!

**I received the Plan to Quilt for free in exchange for posting it on social media, but all opinions are my own. I do not receive any commission if you choose to purchase the Plan to Quilt planner.