Assignment 3: Start small….but not too small

I just returned home from celebrating a family wedding in beautiful Door County, Wisconsin.  The bride was beautiful, as was the setting:  the sunny shores of Lake Michigan…It is no surprise then, that my doodles have taken a rather nautical turn: sailboats, sunshine, fish….  I’m sure there is a quilt on the horizon.  Perhaps a turquoise and white quilt or maybe, red and white-always one of my favorites.  I need to do a bit more doodling (and noodling)..and maybe….with a little more practice…I’ll be able to quilt doodle an anchor and even a lighthouse…

What have you been doodling?  By now you should have collected your doodles in one place and perhaps added them to your notebook. (Read more about doodle notebooks here)   Have you noticed any themes?  Sometimes a consistent doodle can provide inspiration for a quilt.  So let’s get started….

Assignment 3: Pick a few of your favorite doodles and give them a whirl on your sewing machine.  Just make a quick quilt sandwich-preferably with a solid colored fabric- so that you can see the quilt lines, lower the feed dogs, and doodle.  Don’t be too fussy.  Just get the doodles on fabric.  Keep repeating motifs and see if you can find a logical way to connect them. This is just a practice piece so have fun with it!    I think it is best to keep these practices pieces small, but not too small.  Your fabric should be small enough for you to handle easily, but large enough that once you get on a roll-you won’t have to stop.  I like at least an 18 inch square.

Later this week, I’ll share some of the fun ways I use these little practice pieces…

So now, steal away a little time and a little fabric and doodle for 20 minutes… (oh, and start thinking of a color scheme for YOUR doodle quilt!)