Working in sketchbooks with traditional art techniques

Over the last several months, I’ve been inspired and motivated by online opportunities to learn and practice making art—drawing, painting, collage, mixed media, printmaking, etc. Even though I have a minor in Art as part of my bachelor’s degree, I only skimmed the surface of working with traditional art techniques back in the day. Time to circle back.

Sketching and painting in the Junk Journal.

Junk Journals: a non-precious place to start

An easy, “non-precious” place to practice art techniques is in a Junk Journal. Making a few of these junk journals for participation in Junk Journal January and Junk Journal July, I have unused pages in these journals that can still be filled. The junk journals are easy to grab for a slow drawing session or a quick sketch. 

My collection of Junk Journals from 2023 and 2024.

Since Junk Journals are made from… well… “junk” (discarded papers, discontinued sales boards, things from the recycle bin), they are unintimidating. You can give anything a go and not be concerned about messing up.

Water color painting inspired by nature.

Sometimes the work is new (above). Sometimes the drawing or painting gets added to an existing composition (below).

Slow drawings added to a Junk Journal page.

Here is the inspiration from nature…

Inspiration from nature.

and here is the drawing/painting in the Junk Journal.

Drawing and painting from nature.

Sketchbooks

Several of my 100 Day Projects required a sketchbook. I am curating a healthy stack of them! When I need a new sketchbook, I buy three! The extras are used for my general art practice.

Drawing in the sketchbook.

The sketchbooks I buy are: 

• 9” x 12”
• 110 lb. (160 gsm) mixed media paper, so they accommodate multiple techniques—watercolor, ink, paint pens, and other mediums.
• spiral bound (but they have a perf line if I choose to tear out a page for another purpose).

And, I have two sketchbooks of watercolor paper for when I specifically do watercolor.

Nature journaling in a sketchbook.

Taking online classes—especially if you follow along in “real time”—doesn’t provide any time for hesitation. Gather your art supplies, grab a sketchbook, login, and draw/paint/sketch along with the instructor.

Watercolor exercise on watercolor paper.

Watercolor exercise on watercolor paper.

Filling in the gaps

I have used design principles and concepts from my undergrad art studies throughout my graphic arts and printing and publishing career—and of course in my quiltmaking—but now I’m enjoying filling in the gaps of those traditional art techniques that weren’t developed.

Online resources I’ve tapped for developing my practice have been:

• Slow Drawing with Amy Maricle at Mindful Art Studio
• Sketchbook Revival with Karen Abend
• Willa Workshops with Wendy Solganik
• Classes with Carla Sonheim and others
• Drawing sessions with Ruby Elliot [rubyetc]
• Workshops with Jennifer Wilken Penick 

I’m enjoying the learning and the processes.

Create Daily 2024 tracker: Q3 is complete

Three-quarters of 2024 have passed as we say “goodbye” to September. On October 1, I’ll begin filling in the last diagram of My Create Daily tracker.

Create Daily 2024 tracker, September 30.

During the last week of the month, the squares were colored with four different colors—each representing a different creative activity. While traveling, my take-along project is hand knitting.

I’ve also been active in a new sketchbook with exercises from the Sketchbook Revival online workshop. This page was nature journaling and contour drawings with Melinda Nakagawa.

Sketchbook page: Nature journaling and contour drawings.

On the weekend, I made a thread sampler stitch-out with Scanfil Organic Threads for one of my customers. It shows examples of free-motion quilting, hand quilting, hand embroidery, and machine decorative stitching with Scanfil’s 100% long staple organic cotton threads; 50wt and 30 wt.

Thread sampler detail: free-motion quilting, hand stitching, decorative machine stitching.

The sample was improvisationally pieced with American Made Brand [AMB] solids from Clothworks. The binding is from the 2.5” Edition collection by Art Gallery Fabrics.

Scanfil thread sampler, 8” x 10.5”.

And I rounded out the last day of September with slow stitch mending. It’s been a colorful and productive month. 

Welcome October!

Free-motion quilting at John C. Campbell Folk School is always magical!

Ten new quilting friends, a delightful studio assistant, and I put on the gloves... dropped the feed dogs... and spent a long weekend free-motion quilting at John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC. As they say at the Folk School, "It was magical!" 

"Intro to Free-motion Quilting" students, Donna Sue (left), Delores, and Adrienne
in the Quilting Studio at John C. Campbell Folk School.

A weekend class at the Folk School—as was my "Intro to Free-motion Quilting" workshop last weekend—starts immediately after dinner on Friday. We covered a lot of topics that first evening—quilting terminology, machine set-up, the purpose of the single-hole throat plate, threads, thread tension, basting, and several helpful quilting tools.

Drawing aerobics and the sketchbook

Saturday morning started with what I refer to as "drawing aerobics." If you can draw it, you can stitch it!

Working in the sketchbook.

Students practiced several continuous line designs in their sketchbooks before putting the needle and thread to the fabric.

Drawing background fills.

Continuous line drawings in the sketchbook.

Making informed choices... before quilting

Something to remember... (I tell my students) ...is that the "quilting stage" comes nearly at the end of the process. With that said, making decisions about and performing the steps prior to quilting—thread and batting choices, needles, basting—must be executed with intention and attention so when it's time for the quilting, you're set up for success.

One discussion related to this was about the fiber content of quilt battings that are on the market these days—cotton, poly, cotton/poly, bamboo, wool, silk, and various fiber blends. Quilted samples of different battings were passed around. Students could compare the "look and feel" of various battings and gain insight on how to choose a batting that would be appropriate for a quilt.

Cotton, poly, bamboo, wool, silk, or a blend?
Quilted samples using various battings with different fiber content.

Putting the pedal to the metal

After drawing continuous line designs as a warm-up, students were ready to put stitches into fabric. Several practice quilt sandwiches were basted, the feed dogs were dropped, and the quilting gloves went on. The sewing machines began humming in the quilting studio.

Free-motion quilting in the quilting studio

Free-motion quilting exercises.

Free-motion quilting gloves and a practice quilt sandwich.

Another FMQ [free-motion quilting] exercise was working with pre-printed panels. This is a placemat panel from Paintbrush Studio Fabrics.

Janice practicing her free-motion quilting on a pre-printed placemat.

Hand-Eye coordination and drawing with a buddy

With free-motion quilting, there are a lot of moving "body parts" that all have to work in unison—hands, eyes, brain, and feet. Here are results of a hand-eye drawing exercise I asked students to do with a buddy. (By the way, this is one of my favorite sketchbook exercises!)

Kathy and Susan.

Paige and Sandra.

Adrienne and Donna Sue.

Copious laughter ensued from this exercise!

Show and Tell, an idea-generator

I bring pieces of my work to most of my quilting workshops as an impetus for discussing thread choices, quilting design ideas and, of course, the story behind each quilt—which often plays into decisions for threads and quilting designs. 

Patricia (left), Sandra and Paige comparing sketchbook drawings with the final quilting. 

"Believe" is an example of machine trapunto, free-moiton background fills, and free-motion micro-stippling.

Example of machine trapunto, free-motion background fills, and stippling designs.

Inspiration sources

Another source for continuous line designs is from all the fabulous fabrics on the market. Another sketchbook exercise was using inspiration from Art Gallery Fabrics and M&S Textiles Australia fabrics. (The students loved this one!)

Students choosing fabrics for quilting design inspiration.

M&S Textiles aboriginal designs.

Can you see the relationship?

Drawings based on fabric prints.

The light bulb moments

At the end of a workshop, I like to ask students what their take-aways or free-motion awakenings they had in the class. This helps me as an instructor to plan my classes, and also to understand the topics that resonate most with students. The feedback from this workshop was:

• learning about thread tension.
• "go faster and go bigger" even when you think you're big enough.
• it's OK to go over a line more than once.
• "more machine and less hands" (let the machine do the work).
• any motif is possible.
• liked the fabric inspiration drawing exercise.
• discussion on thread—thread weights, fiber content, colors, mixing weights—was very helpful.
• liked the angel hair vs. lasagna analogy (relating to threads).
• when to change the needle.
• liked drawing the designs but also liked looking at quilt samples for ideas.
• the importance of the practice swatch.
• now has insights and sees how others do free-motion to help her think about her own approach.

The overwhelming consensus from the students was how important the drawing process is to free-motion quilting. (Yay!) Check out this blog post, "Why a sketchbook is a MUST for free-motion quilting" for more insight.

It was also important to remember ergonomics, taking time to stretch, and take care of our bodies when quilting. Anyone else do the "Fat Quarter Shuffle" dance when quilting? We saw it here first, at the Folk School!

Susan demonstrates the "Fat Quarter Shuffle." That's what it's all about!

Thank you!

I'd like to say "Thank You" to all the students who spent the weekend with me at the Folk School. Your attentiveness, curiosity, questions and open minds made this such an enjoyable weekend. I hope you continue to be inspired by all the possibilities and creativity of free-motion quilting. 

To my friend and business associate, Susan, thank you for being a great studio assistant, taking photos, and for your help with a few finicky sewing machines. You made my role as an instructor easy. I'm happy I could introduce the Folk School to you and hope you'll join me again.

View from the Farm House, the dorm where I stayed.

"The Folk School changes you"

I have two quilting classes scheduled at the John C. Campbell Folk School in 2025, Intro to Free-motion Quilting and Intro to Improvisational Quilts. Sign up, bring your sewing machine, a sense of adventure, and an open mind and enjoy a wonderful experience at this beautiful, picturesque, and nature-filled campus in Brasstown, North Carolina.

John C. Campbell Folk School sign near Keith House and the dining hall.

Why a sketchbook is a MUST for free-motion quilting

When I teach my Intro to Free-motion Quilting workshop, one of the items included on the Student Supply List is a sketchbook. Yes, a sketchbook!  It serves multiple purposes and many of the students at a recent class mentioned this was a valuable tool and an important take-away from the class.

Drawing free-motion quilting designs in a sketchbook.

Where to get a sketchbook?

I always advocate supporting and buying from your local quilt shop or online with any of the thousands of independent quilt shops across the country for purchasing your quiltmaking supplies. A sketchbook, however, is one of the very few items you get a "pass" on if you don't buy it at the local quilt shop. Check your local craft/hobby store or an online art supply store and get a sketchbook with 50 to 100 pages. 

Note: use the craft store's coupon to purchase the sketchbook, then apply the savings to buy more fabric at the quilt shop.

What kind of sketchbook? 

Get a sketchbook specified for drawing. The pages will be a soft white color. The paper will have a nice, smooth finish, and will easily take marks from dry drawing media—pencil, pen, gel pens, etc. Generally, the paper weight is from 65 lb/96 gsm to 80 lb/130 gsm and 90 lb/160 gsm for a sheet that is slightly heavier and more opaque. 

Jackie at Intro to Free-motion Quilting at John C. Campbell Folk School.

I prefer a spiral bound (wire bound) sketchbook so the sketchbook lies flat when drawing. The spiral keeps the pages bound together for future reference. However, many spiral bound sketchbooks also have a perforation on each page should a page need to be removed for some reason. 

A sketchbook page filled with free-motion motifs. 

What size sketchbook?

I recommend a sketchbook that is at least 14" x 17". Why? Because you'll find there are a LOT of quilt blocks that are 12" so a larger sheet of paper will accommodate this popular block size.

Karen (left) and Karen (right) at Intro to Free-motion Quilting
at John C. Campbell Folk School.

What goes in the sketchbook?

In class, my students start with simple drawing exercises—drawing basic free-motion quilting [FMQ] shapes.

Katy (left) and Wendy (right) at Intro to Free-motion Quilting
at John C. Campbell Folk School.

After drawing and quilting the basic shapes on practice quilt sandwiches, we work through designs that can be used as edge-to-edge, all-over quilting patterns, and background fillers. 

Diane (left) and Kathie (right) at Intro to Free-motion Quilting
at John C. Campbell Folk School.

Where do you find new FMQ designs?

In search of new ideas for free-motion quilting designs? Use the motifs and designs from your fabrics as a reference. In a recent workshop at the John C. Campbell Folk School, students received complimentary fat quarters from Art Gallery Fabrics as inspiration for developing motifs and continuous line patterns for their free-motion practice.

Dina at Intro to Free-motion Quilting at John C. Campbell Folk School.

Kathy at Intro to Free-motion Quilting at John C. Campbell Folk School.

Keep that sketchbook handy... and use it!

Use your sketchbook as an on-going FMQ reference book! It's a resource and tool for:

• learning shapes and paths for new (or new-to-you) designs
• auditioning different designs for quilt blocks, sashings, and borders
• creating new designs
• getting familiar with a design and its path before going to the sewing machine
• exercising muscle memory
• developing your repertoire of potential quilting patterns for current and future quilts.

And if you don't like a design, or you think you made a "mistake" in your sketchbook, you don't have to pick out any stitches!

Remember, your sketchbook is YOUR sketchbook. It doesn't have to be pretty. It doesn't have to be "perfect." You don't have to show it to anyone if you don't want to. It's a work-in-progress... a reference tool for your FMQ practice.