Take a moment to consider what topic you would like to focus on and gather up some verses. The Bible Quilt journal has a set of tabs on the Fruit of the Spirit, so often women will start with these topics as a way to learn the process of Bible Quilting. You can even use the included "love" bookmark to look up references for that topic. I demonstrate how to do the Heart template in this Introduction to Bible Quilting video if you're a visual and auditory learner!
It's always okay to practice a little.
I often tell women at workshops to skip the first page and turn to somewhere in the middle of their #biblequiltjournal to do their first page. This seems to take off a little bit of the pressure we put on ourselves to "get it right" the first time we're trying something new.
Orient the spiral at top whenever you're starting a page, so that you have the option of standing it upright and being able to read both sides.
I typically start in the upper left hand corner and begin writing a verse. Once that verse is done, I draw "stitch" lines around it and write another verse. You can use different colors of marker for each verse or within the verse.
Use the ruler included in your Bible Quilt journal to help you line up elements on your page or use it as a straight edge for even lines.
Hop over to this post on how I set up my STRENGTH page to see the sequence of a page developing.
Sometimes you might want to start with the title and some outlined stitching around it.
Stencils are a simple way to create a specific shape that you can just fill in with your title. This will set it apart from the rest of your page. (See the post on Mercy to see how this page turned out.)
Then start adding verses around the title, using your ruler to draw stitch lines between them.
You don't have to complete a full page at a time. I've always got multiple pages going on a variety of topics.
Work at your own pace and enjoy the process of harvesting verses as you encounter them!
If you'd like some ideas for inspiration or to see some other techniques, go over to the board "Sample Pages" and browse a bit. You can also watch this Intro to the ABC Bible Quilt Journal video for a brief overview of that version of the Bible Quilt. You can apply some of the same techniques in whichever journal you've got!
Need a boost of encouragement? Our BQ Encouragement Team can rally together with you and help get you headed in the right direction!
#gettingstarted #mercy #hearttemplate #biblequiltjournal #biblequiltingfriends #BQcommunity