Designing with Paper - An Introductory Sketch

By Lynelle Slade

In part two of our 'how I design' series, Lynelle Slade tells us why she swears by coloured pencils, graph paper, sketchpads and photographs. Just follow the paper trail...

I love designing! For me it is a process of putting both head and heart down on paper. I love the sense of mystery too - as the sketch becomes a quilt. When I was studying interior design we had three years of classes in drawing and rendering, and it was compulsory to have a sketchbook in which to draw ideas. We would then develop the ideas and work through design problems for all the classes in our sketchbooks. Five years of studying means a lot of sketching, and you get used to taking it with you so that - wherever you are - you can jot down an idea.

When I started patchwork, I quickly picked up the habit again and carry an A5 sketchbook just about everywhere I go. The size fits easily in most of my handbags and even in the small sewing tote I take to work. The spiral of the book holds a 2B clutch pencil - they don't need sharpening and there's an eraser at the end - and I also take my calculator. Now, the calculator is essential. Even if you leave the sketchbook behind, the calculator goes everywhere. Mine has a metric-conversion so I can easily move between centimetres and inches, metres and yards, and so on.

For me, portability is one of the biggest factors. As I sit at a computer for much of the day, I don't even want to turn it on when I get home. I like to doodle in front of the television at night or during lunchtime at work - anywhere really. I tend to be inspired by fabric - I see the fabric, design the quilt and make it. I also design just for the fun of it, but these aren't the quilts I tend to make because they're the ones for which I'm searching for fabric.

I've been known to walk into a quilt store to buy binding fabric only to see a new range I just have to have. Then, with my sketchbook and calculator to hand, I can jot down some ideas, work out fabric quantities - and go home with a whole new quilt top. Or, perhaps there is an existing sketch that these fabrics would be perfect for.

So I buy that special whatever-it-is and it goes into a clear plastic tub, and then I start collecting other prints to go with it. I might gather them for a couple of months - or even a year. The idea of the quilt is taking shape and I get to a point when I know that it wants to be made. I lay out the fabrics in my sewing room and look at them. Then when I walk past the room, I pop in and look at them again. I spend a lot of time going over the quilt in my mind before I start to sketch. Sometimes I flick through books and magazines for inspiration. When you're looking in books for ideas, it's best to do just that - look. I try not to sketch designs directly from a book. Instead, I just get the feel of what someone is doing - and this is what appeals to me. I try to understand what it is about the design that I really like, and rather than sketching the block or the quilt, I endeavour to draw the idea behind it - but that's a whole other story.

Most of my quilts evolve very quickly once I start to draw and I believe that this is because I 'listen' to the fabric. Once I've settled on the design I start to calculate fabric quantities. This may change the final arrangement slightly as the main part of my designing comes long after I've bought the fabric. So how do I know how much to buy? Well, if it's a fabric that I really love and I think would go well in a quilt, or perhaps it's the background fabric for blocks, I buy one metre at the very least and if I don't yet know what I want it for - up to about three. For other main fabrics, it might be a metre or a metre and a half, but for all the other bits, I buy 20cm to 40cm pieces - usually 20cm! I find that because I tend to collect materials for a project over a long period of time, even though I have only 20cm pieces, I have lots of them in all the colours I'm going to use - and maybe one or two larger pieces too. Of course, once I've worked out the quantities, I may just take a quick trip to my local patchwork shop for any little extras I may need ... any excuse is a good one!

EXAMPLE 1

Okay, so it all sounds a bit 'out there', and maybe you say you can't draw - well, try this. Collect pictures of things you love or that inspire you, or stuff you think would make a good theme to make into a great quilt. This is a photo I took on holiday in Orange, New South Wales, a couple of years ago - I loved the colour and texture of the leaves. So, I stuck it in my sketchbook and drew a couple of block ideas. The first example is probably the most obvious - an Autumn Leaf block - while the second is just squares of colour.

You can add words that inspire you, poems, sayings - anything you like. I then start collecting fabrics, beautiful hand-dyes, fossil ferns and so on. They all go into the project tub until I reach a stage that I know I want to do something with it - then I lay them all out. As I mull it over in the next couple of days, I know that the Autumn Leaf isn't the way to go and I move more towards the abstract. So I then turn my attention to example 2 - a 10in square of colour made up of 2in squares. The block can be turned different ways and I decide I'll free-motion-quilt leaves all over it. For the second abstract idea in example 3, I draw a grid over a copy of the photo. Then to play around with this idea more I enlarge the photo on a colour copier. The larger grid represents a 12in block. I then cut 2in squares and lay them out, matching fabric colours to the grid. Again I lean towards quilting leaves all over it - I'll need to set up a design wall to make this one!

As I prefer 'simple', however, I go for example 2 and make a sample block. I quilt the sample to see if I am happy with the overall effect I'll get before proceeding to make a larger wall-hanging or quilt. As you can see, there has been very little drawing in the actual making process.

EXAMPLE 2

I started with the red toile and I knew I'd make a medallion quilt so I could use it as a border all the way around. Then I started collecting red and coffee-coloured prints. I found the floral and knew for sure it would be the centre, so I bought 50cm. The coffee-coloured wavy stripe was another fabric I knew I wanted as a border so I got xxxx. About halfway through the collecting process, I knew I would need to introduce another colour, and I chose black - a colour I'd never worked with before - because I was after a rich and sophisticated look. I then bought 20cm pieces of everything else. The photograph shows the final assortment.

So, before I designed the quilt, I knew I wanted (1) a red toile border, (2) a coffee-coloured border and (3) a floral centre. I also knew that the quilt would be based on increments of 2in. Next I checked out some books on medallion quilts. I drew the design in my sketchbook first and then transferred it to graph paper to ensure that the points worked out evenly. I then made sure I had enough of the essential prints before cutting the fabrics. The triangles pointing outwards and the progression of the floral in the corner squares give the quilt a sense of movement from the centre outwards. The coffee-coloured wavy print also enhances this.

	The things you need Sketchbook Clutch pencil Rubber Coloured pencils - get a good set! Once you've coloured in with expensive pencils, you'll never buy cheap ones again. Calculator Imperial graph paper Tracing film (optional)

The Cutting Edge

FABRIC SCISSORS
Not all fabric scissors are suitable for cutting cotton. Look for a sharpened knife-edge shear or a slightly serrated blade for more control. Test the scissors before you but simply taking along some scrap fabric and cut it all the way to the point. Think about how they feel in your hand - are they comfortable? Are they easy to open and close? Do your fingers fit easily through the handles? The fit of the scissors in your hand is a major consideration. Traditionally the handle size increases with the blade length but many companies now make scissors with small, medium and large handles.
As you cut - how much control do you have? Do they cut straight and do they slip? The tips of the blades are the weakest part of the scissors and a good test is using the tips to cut a piece of fabric. The cut should be clean and the tips shouldn't move apart. A smooth cutting action is a sign of quality. As you begin to cut there should be a slight increase in pressure, which should remain constant until the blades meet. A change in pressure could indicate a nick in one of the blades.

THREAD SCISSORS
These are perfect for quick snip jobs such as trimming threads or notches. They are shorter with more pointed tips and spring-loaded so they stay open.

CRAFT/UTILITY SCISSORS
These are the scissors with which you cut template plastic, sandpaper or fusible webbing. Choose thin-angled blades so that you can see clearly as you go.

PINKING SHEARS
Pinking or scalloped blade shears are used to finish the edge of the fabric and make it fray-resistant. They have a stiffer feel to them and often the first and last teeth don't cut.

Here are some tips to help prolong the life of your scissors:

• After each use, wipe the blades clean with a soft dry cloth to remove any fibres, dust or moisture.
• Apply a drop of oil to the head of the pivot screw occasionally, then work it in by opening and closing the blades. Wipe off any oil remaining and test the scissors on some scrap fabric to make sure there is none left on the blades.
• Use only shears for cutting fabric. If you have several pairs, rotate them and keep one pair especially for silky fabrics.
• Protect your scissors by returning them to their box or pouch when not in use. If they don't have one, wrap them in a soft cloth.
• Leaving a pair of scissors lying open on your bench causes tension where the blade edges meet. Always close them when you aren't using them.

Craft Journals

A memory album is a fabulous way to record all your patchwork and quilting masterpieces, especially those given to friends or family. A hardcover book with blank pages is best, with one or more pages allowed for each completed project.

Commercially produced journals are available through patchwork and quilting stores but alternatively you can make your own. This offers the considerable advantage of customising the structure and layout to your individual requirements.

Exhibiting Your Work

All Hung Up

Have you ever thought about entering a show. Your quilt doesn’t need to be the show stopper for it to be worthy of entering. Why not make this year the year you enter a quilt show?

If you’re not confident enough to enter the state show then  start out by entering a local show before jumping into the big time.