Doodle Stitch Doodle

Faye’s Flower in Pen and Watercolor

Today’s Topic: Doodle Stitch Doodle

Welcome to Week 3  of our 2021 Quilt-a-Long,  Even Better Machine Quilting

This FREE multi-week tutorial is based on my books available in my Etsy shop:  LoriKennedyShop

Sign up for emails of the class HERE.

Join the private Quilting with LKQ Facebook Group HERE

Find the 2021 QAL links HERE

Find the 2020 (25 Week) QAL links HERE

Good Morning, Quilters!

Doodle. Quilt. Doodle.  It’s a great recipe for better machine quilting!

Keep a doodle notebook and doodle every day. When you find something you like…

Stitch it on a quilt sandwich.  See how it flows (or doesn’t flow) and then back to the sketchbook for refinements…

Doodle!

When you need an idea for your next quilt, page through your doodles!

Boogie Board Doodling
Many Ways to Doodle

There are many ways to doodle!  Read Paper, Digital and More HERE 

My first choice is always pen and paper.  I doodle on paper and envelopes and paper napkins…

Most of my doodles get tossed into the trash-because the most important part of doodling is creating muscle memory.

For convenience, I also use sketchbooks.  I have stacks of sketchbooks filled with doodles. Most of the pages are poor quality scribbles, but there are a few gems!

Handwriting Doodles

If you’re not sure what to doodle, try this handwriting exercise.

Cut out a rectangle from a piece of cardstock.

Place the open window in your sketchbook and fill it with cursive letters.

Cursive letters create wonderful textures!

 

Use a window cut out of heavy paper
Letters as Designs

As you work through the alphabet, try to imagine how you would use the letters as quilting.

Letters like C, S, W remind me of waves.

The letter V would be perfect for roof shingles!

Create Thumbnails of Possible Quilts

Combine the letters with other motifs to create whole cloth quilt ideas.

(Sailboat and Fish motifs are from FMMQ1-2-3 page 114-117)

 

 

Horizontal Quilting

Handwriting lends itself to quilting from left to right.

It’s more difficult to stitch letters for right to left.

In order to quilt the design without knotting, add a wavy line between the rows.

Quilt YOUR Design

Choose one of YOUR designs–or copy one of these–and quilt it.

Keep it small and simple if you like, or fill a fat quarter.

Once you’ve quilted for awhile-head back to your sketchbook and refine the idea.

More Homework
Make a Transparent Overlay

When you have a few minutes,  make a trnasparent overlay--we will use it a lot in the coming weeks!

And it’s a great place to doodle!

YOUR Progress

What about YOU?

Have you been doodling everyday?

What’s YOUR favorite method for doodling?

Do YOU have a favorite pen?

We’d LOVE to hear!

Yours,

LKennedoodle-do!

 

 

PS…All tutorials, images and information are the property of Lori Kennedy Quilts and are intended for personal use only.  Feel free to re-blog, pin or share with attribution to LKQ.  For all other purposes, please contact me at Lori@LoriKennedyQuilts.com.  Thank you!

Visit my Etsy shop: LoriKennedyShop for all of my books!  They are ALL bestsellers!

 

6 responses to “Doodle Stitch Doodle”

  1. I am doodling everyday and everywhere…on my grocery list…while I am talking on the phone and sometimes in the air!!
    I am also seeking advice about buying a sit down long arm
    Capri versus the Juki Miyabi. Any suggestions or comments?
    I am enjoying my domestic machine free motion…but I would like more space to move the fabric and stitch regulation sounds incredible

    1. I love my SweetSixteen sit down! 2014 model I believe. Hate the stitch regulator that came with it. Just cannot get the “sound” rhythm right using it as opposed to just moving at my own speed. So, would sell that part if I could. Just sits on the shelf. I did get side table extensions and overlay piece. Highly recommend. Carol

      1. Same here. Got my SW16 in 2015. Love it…don’t spend the $$ on the stitch regulator.

  3. I doodle on paper, but use a small white board too with a fine white board marker. I also use very large clear plastic “fabric” from JoAnn’s to actually practice on the quilt. Mark the edges with painters tape so you don’t doodle on your quilt. I use adding machine tape to actually draw a design on then place it on the quilt with small pins and quilt on the machine tape on my design. You need to use a 2.5 or 2.0 length to tear it off.

  4. Good morning, I would like to start my class, I just have a problem. 3 lessons were sent. I did not get lessons 1 and 2. Please send it

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