Good Morning, Quilters and Doodlers!
Every Thursday is doodle day! Get your pencils and paper ready, so when a busy weekend hits, you’ll still feel like you’re quilting!
I am currently working on a queen size Double Wedding Ring quilt.
(I will be showing lots of images of this quilt as I demonstrate how to design and stitch “The Big Quilt”.)
PLAN WHILE YOU PIECE
As you are piecing, think about how you want to design the free motion quilting.
This allows plenty of time for the ideas to percolate…
–and hopefully, by the time the last border is stitched in place, you’ll be excited about the quilting phase!
For the Double Wedding Ring Quilt
I plan to do minimal stitching on the rings and a fun design in the center of the rings.
I copied this shape–it is the odd shaped center from a Double Wedding Ring–
and then traced the shape onto several pages in my sketch pad…
Whenever I had free time, or a new idea, I doodled the possibilities.
I used the motif library: Free Motion Quilt tutorial Page and tried a variety of different ideas…
Some motifs work better than others…
I like Grid Pop in the center along with The Easiest Flower Ever.
I also like this version of The Easiest Flower Ever.
I never settle on one motif until I try a wide variety of options.
Here’s The Bow:
And the Fleur-de Lis
Once I settle on a few motifs, there’s still more planning to do…like stitch order and thread, etc…but there’s still plenty of time!
YOUR ASSIGNMENT
- Pick a quilt top you’d like to finish and start planning the quilting.
- Trace the shape of one of the blocks–or a part of a block. (Avoid thinking about THE WHOLE QUILT–let’s just bite off one small piece at a time—Think of it as “Divide and Conquer”–sound familiar???)
- Make several copies of the shape or trace them into your sketchbook.
- Search for a few motifs you think would work.
- Get doodling! Try as many combinations as possible…
- It is best to do this over several sessions–it’s surprising how one idea will lead to another especially when you give your subconscious creative brain time to work.
Have fun with this. If one block doesn’t inspire you right now, try a border or a sashing.
ONE MORE THING…
Several months ago, I started this process with the question “Can you teach someone to doodle?”…
We are now 15 lessons into this experiment and I’d love to hear how this is going for everyone. Have the Doodle Lessons helped? Should we continue? Which lessons have been the most useful? Any other comments/questions?
LOVE TO HEAR!
Lori
PS…All tutorials, images and information are the property of Lori Kennedy at The Inbox Jaunt and are intended for personal use only. Feel free to re-blog, pin or share with attribution to The Inbox Jaunt. For all other purposes, please contact me at lckennedy@hotmail.com. Thanks!
37 comments
Darnell
Thanks so much for “doodling tutorials”. I have learned so much about how to practice and plan my FMQ on various quilts. I look forward to these every week. Keep up the great work. It is so much appreciated.
tehachap
I hope you decided to go with the design that had the flower in the center. It was perfect!
Laurie Stewart
Lori, I love the doodling. Please never ever stop teaching new motifs. It has given me new insight into where to start in planning the quilting faze of my quilts. Love your Craftsy class. It is one that I will be watching again and again. Watch for your how to doodle posts and I’m almost at the end of quilting a pumpkin for the fall season. Hope to finish it today. Your lessons are giving me confidence to learn and practice. Thanks!
Barb E
I have always doodled a pattern that I like, which are all of your by the way. I have never done much more then learn how to do them without lifting my pencil. I love the idea you have just given about drawing out the area and figuring out the FMQ before you are anywhere ready to quilt. I have a quilt hanging on my wall that I have spent a year hand sewing and am totally stumped. Now you have given me a great idea and I am going to draw the pattern several times and try some doodling to get the look I want. Thanks.
Sue H
I am new to your blog but I absolutely LOVE it! I have enjoyed your column in AQS magazine for the past year or so and hope you continue to contribute. I am so grateful to have discovered you! Thank you so much.
To your questions on doodling, YES! It helps so very much. How can you put to cloth if you don’t try on paper. Besides the creative juices, it also gets the design flowing to fabric.
As a side-note, the quilt I’m currently quilting is using three of your AQS lessons!!! So far so good!
Gertrude
Lori, I haven’t been commenting lately … So much is happening but your blogs do inspire even if for a few months I can’t get behind the sewing machine or doodle as much as I would like. Ideas do keep percolating in my mind and just this morning in the shower I had an aha moment, an idea I hope to put into practice in another week. This aha moment was a result of your blog.
I love your doodling lessons, some work better for me than others but I keep at it. Doodling helped me wile away a couple hours when I had to listen to my husband and his colleague lecture in China. I could have been bored but I wasn’t at all! Thank you!
Lori Kennedy
I’m thrilled to hear you’ve found inspiration here! Sounds like you’re on quite and adventure!? Doodling is a great way to stay focused!
Anne Babb
Yes! I love your doodling lessons (and your Craftsy Class). Keep them coming. I don’t practice enough, but it helps so much. Easiest and favorite for me is grid pop. I’m in the process of making a king-size double wedding ring. Really needed these ideas. Thanks for the confidence-building!
Carole
Love the doodling suggestions! Thanks so much for sharing your ideas and posting such excellent photos!
janbevan
The doodling does really help work out patterns. The more you do the better and you are not intimidated by the machine and have the design in your head. Your tutorials have really been helpful and inspirational and I encourage my students to follow your blog.
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Thank you!
June Neigum
Yes, keep it up.. I do not doodle as much as I would like but my notebook is ready when I am. I have found that doodling a design before I try it out on a square helps a lot. I just finished a small lap quilt and doodled the square flower many times in different configurations. If it wasn’t for my doodling it would not have turned out as well I know.
Oh, Holly Ann what is Rosemaling?
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I’m glad to hear it!
Holly Ann
Oh, yes … keep the doodling series going. You are such an inspiration with, what seems to be, an infinite storehouse of possibilities.
For some reason, when I first saw your sketch for the negative space between the double rings, Rosemaling motifs jumped into my mind. I have some Swede in me and DH is half Norwegian although neither of us had any heritage passed down to us. However, my dad & I took a short Rosemaling class MANY years ago and I love the art … so far no painting for me, just looking & admiring. I wonder if our (scandiHOOOvian) tendencies can be adapted to FMQ?
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I’m sure they can! And doodling is the pathway!
Cheryl
I bought your class on Craftsy, and I love how you have incorporated what I have learned there! Fantastic!
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I love to hear that!
Ness
I forgot to mention that the doodling helps me to figure a few things out before I get myself in a pickle on the machine. I can see where I might work myself into a corner and just were I can escape. 🙂 It also helps me figure out a more decorative escape. LOL!. All those little swirls, curls and whoop de dos…just add charactor and yep…I meant to do that…heehee!
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Exactly! Make those areas of difficulty design opportunities!
Ness
Ok perfect timing. I have a Norway quilt, a Thimble Blossoms pattern that I’ve had done since March. It has percolated long enough and in the mean time I also finished a Double Irish Chain. Both a full Queen size and have two specific places I could design a fmq pattern but have been pondering just what I could come up with and what would actually get done. There has to be a happy medium in there for me. Thanks for breaking this down and giving me a starting place! 🙂
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How do you get so
Much done Ness? Do you sleep?
Samantha Tipton
I am getting ready to quilt a queen size Montana Cartwheel pattern quilt. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
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Draw it and then doodle for awhile! Save your most intricate FMQ for solids or near solid areas of your wuilt
Whiskers
More doodling, please.
Cheri Barker
Yes, you can and have taught some one to doodle. I do hope you will continue this series. Odd shapes and how to fill them in is a great idea. I’m still struggling with how to do a spiral and a good circle…just cant seem to get them. I end up with not enough space to get out of the curve, or a lumpy curve. I did find some “Graffiti” coloring books and am tracing those designs to get the flow down a bit better.
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Those coloring books can be a great source of inspiration!
Marti Morgan
I really think the learn to doodle lessons have helped. I haven’t followed along as much as I should, but I am doodling some great feathers, finally, and my squares are starting to look more like a decoration than a square. Please keep up the good job!
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Can’t wait to see the finished project!
gladquilts
Lori, you are an inspiration to quilters new and long timers. Doodling helps loosen up ideas that are in the back of my mind and helps me develop designs that I might not have tried otherwise. I keep a notebook near my resting chair and use it to try designs or shapes and to review ones I thought up on earlier breaks. It has helped me come up with even better designs for my customer’s quilts and my own. Keep put the good work. Thanks
Elaine in North Tx.
Please keep doing the doodling class, I love it and am learning so much.
Trish
I read your emails before I start my work day and then in the back of my head throughout the day – if I’m hold for any length of time, I doodle out designs and think about the quilt I am currently working on and how I want to quilt it. So yes, love the doodling – it really does help me. I don’t have a doodle sketch book yet, so maybe I need to get one of those. long with my love of quilting, I love journaling books so I’ll have to pull one out and leave it at my desk.
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It’s really helpful to let your subconscious do some of the work. And yes. Get a sketchbook. You’ll be glad you did several months from now when you need some inspiration
Bea
great idea — i have a fancy foxes quilt that i have sat on for weeks (afraid to mess it up quilting) that doodling might help
lavonne
WONDERFUL sketches. I have wanted to try a wedding ring but it was kind of old fashioned. these really would zip them up With the right fabric, quite modern
diana
I think yes, you can teach someone to doodle. I used to just doodle simple geometric shapes and you’ve moved me way beyond that. My favorite lesson was the one that evolved into hearts and then ferns and spirally ferns. Thanks!
Carol
Doodling absolute helps, Lori! You said, “If you can’t doodle it, you won’t be able to quilt it,” and it’s so true. It’s also a great confidence builder before you touch your precious quilt.
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