11 Of The Best Quilt Planners to Design Your Work of Art (2024)

Do you have several quilt projects you would like to make but have no idea how to organize your thoughts and ideas?

Sometimes, that confusion or analysis paralysis can stop us from doing the quilting projects we want to make!

What if I were to tell you that there is a whole category of planners specifically made for quilters to help us organize, plan, and accomplish our quilting goals?

In this post, we will go over several options for quilt planners and discuss why they’re so important.

What Is a Quilt Planner?

I think it’s safe to say that most of us have used a planner before, so we know it helps us organize our days/weeks/months/years by adding our to-do lists, appointments, habit trackers, and other things we want to keep track of.

Now, think about what that could mean for a quilting planner.

The possibilities are endless with what you can track. Here are just a few ideas to spark inspiration for you.

How Do You Use a Quilting Planner?

The way that you use your quilting planner is entirely up to you and your planning style.

If you like to design your own quilts, you can use them to plan blocks, quilt sizes, layouts, fabric requirements, etc.

On the other hand, if you use quilt patterns designed by others, you could use a quilt planner to track your progress through the pattern, make fabric swatches to figure out your fabric selection, record how long it takes you to make the quilt, and even journal about any difficulties or new techniques you learned throughout the journey.

Each quilt planner has its own set of features and preset categories, so it’s essential to get the planner that fits YOUR needs best!

11 Quilt Planners to Design Your Work of Art

Now, let’s explore some fun quilting planners with fun features. We’ll discuss each planner’s key features and what makes them unique.

1. The Ultimate Quilting Project Planner

Here is a budget-friendly quilt planner, which you can use to track up to 50 quilt projects. The book includes a page with grid space to design a simple quilt pattern and a space to place a photo of the finished quilt so you can look back on your finished projects in the future.

It also includes a page for each project where you can track the fabric used, the date it was started and completed, an area to draw quilt blocks, and a handy notes section to jot down any notes you need to remember. The book measures 8” x 10”, making it easy to take notes while fabric shopping. All in all, this is a great quilting planner for a beginner quilter.

2. Quilter’s Project Planner: Everything You Need to Dream, Plan & Organize 12 Projects!

This is a fabulous quilt planner that helps you track everything you need to track for 12 quilt projects. This planner is one of the more in-depth books on this list and would be an excellent gift for any quilter. The book has 96 pages and measures 8 ¾” x 11”. Not only is it a great planner for making your quilts, but it’s also a wonderful keepsake that you can use to remember your favorite projects.

Some of the key features of this quilting planner include tracking for every step of the quilt-making process. You can tell quilters designed this planner because of the attention to detail for each step. There is a designated page for drawing up a quilt design and fabric swatches, which is helpful for those who design their quilts.

3. Organize Your Quilting Life

Here is another quilt planner that was designed by a fellow quilter. It has space to track 40 quilt projects and has 142 pages with reference pages, tips and tricks, and worksheets to help you use your fabric stash. It also includes extra pages for quilt block and pattern design.

For each project, you get two pages to track your progress, draw a mockup of the quilt, take notes, and write out the fabrics you used for future reference. Another fun and unique feature this planner includes is a “quilting goals” section, where you can write out some goals, such as learning how to free-motion quilt or make a specific quilt block.

4. Quilting Life Planner and Workbook

This spiralbound quilting planner and workbook is from Sherri McConnell of A Quilting Life, and it is a fantastic option for beginner and seasoned quilters. The book measures 8 ½” x 10 ½” and includes 112 pages. This is not only a quilt project planner but also a workbook that will help you organize everything in your sewing space.

Sherri teaches you how to organize your notions, fabrics, patterns, and everything in between. This is a unique quilt planner, and I’ve never seen one like it. With Sherri’s advice in this book, it will feel like she is right alongside you while you organize your quilting life.

5. Track Up To 50 Quilt Projects

Here is a quilt planner that will help you track fabric expenses, project progress, and the supplies you use. It also has a whole page where you can draw quilt blocks or the entire quilt if you want that visual aid while making your quilt.

This book has 108 pages, with two pages per project, plus some helpful reference pages in the back with information like measurement conversions and quilt sizes. It measures approximately 7 ½” x 9 ½”, making it easy to stick in your purse if you need to take it to a quilt retreat or shopping.

6. Write It Down: The Quilter’s Journal

This quilt planner is set up like a journal with prompts to help you track your quilting projects. The book measures 7 ½” x 9” and contains 200 pages. I would categorize this book as more of a memory-keeping tool than a planner.

There isn’t a place to draw up a quilt, but if you like to use quilt patterns, this would work for you. There are prompts to write what fabric you used when you started and completed the quilt, who you gave it to, and the story behind it, along with several other prompts that will make this book an absolute joy to look back on.

7. Quilt Projects Planner, Journal, and Logbook

This quilting planner combines a project planner and journal, so you can use this to plan your projects and use it like a scrapbook for memory keeping. Some of the essential pages included in this planner are a shopping list page, fabric swatches and info, and a page dedicated to the finished quilt where you can post a photo of the quilt and make any notes you want to remember.

This book measures 8 ½” x 11” and has 126 pages to track up to 15 quilt projects. There are also reference pages that you can use for fabric measurements, conversions, and bed sizes.

8. The Quilting Journal

This is another large 8 ½” x 11” quilt planner you can use for all your quilting projects. There is space to do fabric swatches, track how much yardage you need and use, progress, and so much more.

The book also includes grid pages where you can play around to create your quilt blocks or full quilt designs. This would be fun to create a sampler quilt with. The book includes 175 pages to use for your quilt planning needs.

9. The Quilting Journal by It’s Sew Emma

This spiralbound book is an excellent choice for anyone who wants a small but mighty quilt planner. It measures 5” x 8” and will fit easily in your purse or project bag. This quilting journal will help you organize your WIPs (works in progress), and you won’t have to be overwhelmed with remembering everything about each project.

There is space to track up to 50 quilt projects in this book. This is also an excellent option for anyone who likes to do blocks of the month quilts or who wants to create quilty wish lists for the year.

10. My Quilting Journal

Here is another great option for beginner and seasoned quilters. This planner will help you track the progress of your quilt projects, including what fabric, batting, and thread you use for each project. There’s also a unique page included that is meant for those who take quilting classes.

This small planner measures 6” x 8” and has 128 pages. This would be an excellent addition to any quilt guild or quilt retreat gift bag. The pages are easy to follow and will help you track all the necessary information you may want to reference later on.

11. Quilt Project History Journal & Scrapbook

Here is a large 8 ½” x 11” book that has 110 pages you can use to track your quilting projects. Not only can you track your projects, but this planner includes helpful reference pages for bed sizes, tips on calculated yardage, and an area for fabric swatches and recording yardage.

You can sketch out a mockup of your quilts, track your progress through each step, figure out what fabric and notions you might need, and track how long each project takes you to complete. This is another wonderful gift idea for quilters.

Are There Apps for Quilt Design?

Yes, several apps or software are specifically designed to help quilters create their own quilts. Whether you are a hobbyist or a professional quilt pattern designer, there is quilting software that will work for you and your needs.

Many of these apps have options where you can build a quilt design from scratch, or they will have premade layouts that you can fill with your blocks or blocks included in the software.

What Is the App That Turns a Picture into a Quilt Pattern?

The app that turns any picture into a quilt pattern is called “photoQuilt” by Quiltography. This is an Apple-only app that works on the iPhone or iPad. You simply upload a photo, and the software creates a pixel quilt pattern that you can print and use to make a one-of-a-kind quilt of your favorite person or pet.

This app is well worth the $4.99 price tag and is the only app of its kind. You can easily navigate and use this app even as a beginner quilter.

I hope this compilation of quilting planners inspires you to get one to help you track and organize your quilting projects. Knowing what you want to track before shopping for a quilt planner is good, so you don’t get overwhelmed with all the options.