Today’s Topic: The $7 Better Quilting Challenge
Good Morning, Quilters!
Would YOU pay $7 to become a better quilter?
What if I told you that for just $7-and a money back guarantee-YOU could become a substantially better quilter? Would YOU join me in a 100 day challenge?
The Doodle Habit
For those of you who have followed Lori Kennedy Quilts or taken any of my classes, you know that I think doodling is one of the most important habits any free motion quilter can develop.
Doodling helps hand-eye coordination and muscle memory for quilting, but it does so much more!
Doodling also helps you:
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- determine the quilting path or the most efficient way to travel between motifs
- play with motif combinations
- choose the best scale or size of motif for your quilt
- become more creative
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The $7 Better Quilting Challenge
For the price of a ream of copy paper ($7) YOU can become a better quilter through doodling!
Here’s the challenge-over the next 100 days, fill a ream of paper with doodles. When inspiration strikes-try quilting your doodles.
That’s it! If YOU do that, I personally guarantee YOU will be a better quilter in 100 days.
That’s just 5 sheets per day–and if you miss a day–get on it! Just like laundry, if you miss a day, you have double-duty the next day!
Ground Rules
Fill the page or most of the page.
Don’t think too much–just make marks. Scribble if you must, but keep your pen moving!
Do not judge your doodles! This is the most important rule!
Initial and date every page.
Save EVERYTHING–even if you hate it! (We will sort later.)
Hints
Try a variety of pens, pencils to find your favorites
Don’t worry about creating continuous lines for all the doodles-we will learn more about that later.
Do not judge your doodles! (I know I’m repeating myself!)
Not sure what to doodle? Try one of these exercises: Best Doodle Lessons
Or type “doodle” in the search function here on LKQ. And of course, my Free Motion Quilting books are filled with motif ideas!!
Better Quilting Through Doodling
This challenge is extremely important in your development as a quilter whether you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced.
Extensive doodling like this will get the ideas flowing and keep them flowing. It will allow you to break free of judgement and move into creativity.
When you work quickly and regularly you will tap into the intuitive part of your brain.
Just get your pen moving and don’t worry that you are “wasting paper”! Think of it as a $7 investment in your quilting education. At the end of the 100 days of doodling, we will sort the pages–then and only then–will you be allowed to toss some of the pages.
When inspiration strikes (and it will sooner or later) quilt your doodles!
Please Share
Are YOU ready to become a better quilter?
Will YOU join me in this challenge?
Do YOU have a stack of quilt sandwiches at the ready for when inspiration strikes?
We’d LOVE to hear!
Your Doodle Diva,
Loodles Loori
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!
Check out my books on Etsy: LoriKennedyShop
91 comments
T. Schmidt
I love a challenge! I’m not a natural doodler but I am determined to learn to do free motion quilting on my machine, not a long arm machine. After a quilt is finished l want to be able to say I did it all myself.
Linda D
I’m in!!! Don’t see the sign up info.
Joan
Will give it a try!
Karen Fletcher
Ok, I will give it my best:, Fasting, exercise, and now doodling: No guarantees, but I would love to be better. Thank You
tonia conner
Got my paper and starting today. The nudge I needed.
Sharon
I am late to the game, but I am in. I have loved your quilting for a very long time. I have a longarm and did a lot for 5 years. Don’t know exactly why, I pieced quilts but lost my zest for long arming. You are getting me excited to go again and I am going to start doodling again. Your inspired me then and you are again. I love what you do! Thank you so much for coming back to inspire us!
NancyinSTL
This could be fun. As a young person, I doodled a lot in classes, meetings or waiting rooms. Your Lines and Spirals motif is one of my favorites, which I used on an Afrocentric Bricks and Cobblestones baby quilt. Thanks for sharing!
karenrainford
I’m in. This sounds like a HUGE amount of doodling, but I can already think of a dozen doodles that I want to do. I liked the doodling practice you gave us in our classes at the MN Quilt Show in St. Cloud last summer.
Anna Hollar
love to try
Linda Klein
Great idea! On vacation right now but when we get home, I will start. I need something to do with my hands in the evening (and I’ve got lots of paper at home). Supposed to rain here today, if we go shopping, I’ll pick up a kids doodle pad and some pencils and start here.
manuelbraun0
I’m in. I have started doodling since I started reading your blog and bought your book. I’m on my 3rd sketch book. I have improved. I’m hoping you will share your journey with your long arm.
Norma
I just found a new ream of paper so I am starting. I don’t naturally doodle. I never have. However, I know that when I doodle a design from one of Lori’s books I get better at quilting that design. So, I am going to try the challenge.
Pamela Meyers Arbour
I’ve read this post several times and I don’t see a start date or where to sign up. Did I miss anything?
Cathy
Absolutely Lori!
Cheri
Oh yes please!
On a long arm tho 😏
Bernadette Moran
Ian willing to take the challenge as well!
Marjolein Claessen
Thank you for this offer. A good start in this new year. Hartelijke groet uit België
Sandi
I’m in. Great idea, thank you.
Clare Beth Rutila
I’ll do this too! I’m a natural, almost unconscience doodle-er – any blank surface is fair game – my grocery lists are fancified. This though is a purposeful exercise … I wonder where it may take us.
I do have sandwiches at ready in a neat stack hidden under the sewing table. Tip: when full and no longer needed I cut some into circles for padding between dishes.
Deborah Johnson
I’m in for the challenge!!!! Also Lori would you have some ideal for a quilt with a lot of circles. I don’t want same design in all the circles. It is 33 different purples in the quilt with a lot of flowers. Any suggestions?
Debbie Johnson
I enjoyed the classes that I did get to take with you attending folk school.
Suzi Cohen-Pessah
I’m in! Great idea. Thank you Lori 💕
Maureen Teoh
What a great idea! I’m in! I have a trip planned but I can take paper and pen along !
Karen VR
I’ll do my best. I’m not the best at following through on things (trying to change) but quilting is something I really want to do. Really. I have a couple of your books and some from others too.
Chrysanthemom
Love to doodle…
lorraine Doyno Evans
I save legal size envelopes from the mail exactly for this purpose. I have a pile of them that I need to start doodling on!
English quilter
I have some newsprint pads so they should work and I’ll try to do my best to keep up and develop a good habit
tahoe34
What do I do to join??
Marlene J Davis
The main reason why fmq seems so hard to me is that I don’t draw and I can’t visualize a design to quilt! Maybe making myself doodle with help me with the problem–I hope so!
shedricmom
I’m in!
Rashmi Vij
I would love to join your challenge and improve my quilting on my domestic machine. I have your books and have learnt a lot.
Renate Parisek
I love the idea and the only way to improve my quilting is
* practice – practice – practice *
Thank you Lori 😍
Kat Campau
Thank you, Lori. This is a good idea.
Cathy L Cheney
I need this. Thank you
jantte billings
Yes I am in!
Rita Cravath
Great idea for these long winter days! I’m in!
Ann Tucker
Hmmmm. 100 days of mindless doodling. IM IN !!!!!!!!!!!!
nanwolf
Yes – I want to do this!
Lissa B
Okay, I’m not good at sticking with things like this, but I really want to improve my quilting so I’m going to challenge myself!
terri414cb
I’m raring to go! I just you started a little earlier! I’m doodling to practice for a quilt I’m ready to quilt. Unfortunately, there are places where I have to make short jumps and I could certainly use your expertise in jumping around a quilt! But it will help whenever the lesson is posted.
Lori Kennedy Quilts
What do you mean “short jumps”? Do you mean travel lines that aren’t part of the design?
Jennifer
Ok I’m in. I am more utilitarian than a doodler. Fix me.
Lori Kennedy Quilts
Nothing wrong with utilitarian! But let’s decorate your utilitarian efforts with doodles! LOL
Lori
I’m in. Great challenge. Thanks Lori
Meg Harmon
Sounds fun. I will have to think about it. I never doodle. I just sit down with a quilt, look at it and decide. I do use some sandwich things to practice a new design a bit but mostly I just go. I probably could develop new designs if I tried.
Lori Kennedy Quilts
You are way ahead of the game, Meg. But I do think doodling will make your quilting even better!
Joanne P. Lattrell
I’m in.
Stacey Bruce
Heck yeah! I’m in!🙂
Lori Kennedy Quilts
I LOVE a “heck yeah!!!”
Janet
I really need to do this. I’ve been away from quilting for quite some time.
Donna M
YES! (But I know I’ll have to cheat and skip days, leaving multiple days to accomplish at once) I don’t understand what “5 sheets of paper,” “$7” mean, and when the 100 days start. I see that I missed some recent blogposts during a bunch of calamities, so I guess I have to catch up.
Lori Kennedy Quilts
Hi Donna! I love that you started with a YES!
$7 is the price for a ream of copy paper–which is 500 sheets of paper.
When you doodle five sheets a day for 100 days-you will fill 500 sheets of paper with doodles.
And we start NOW! Raid your copy machine if you must!
Stacey Bruce
Lori said that a ream of paper is about seven dollars, and at five pages a day, the ream should last all year! I didn’t catch a starting time either, so looks like it’ll be today!🙂 Might be fun!
Lori Kennedy Quilts
The starting time is today! No time like the present! LOL
Linda P
Oh my goodness, this is phenomenal! I’ve been wanting to create my own pantographs for a while now. This sounds like exactly what I need.
Lori Kennedy Quilts
Definitely! Pantagraphs here we come!!!
loriwhitman
I so need something like this! I need to go shopping for paper
Pam
I’m in but don’t know if I can get it in every day but I’ll try!
Lori Kennedy Quilts
Sorry, Pam–like laundry, if you miss a day-you double duty the next!
Just kidding–do your best, that’s all we can ever do!
Susan Polack
I need the brain vacation! Sounds like fun!
Lynn
Great idea. I’m in
Comments are closed.