Journaling Through the Word Bible Quilt® Project: Setting up
- Dianna
- 9 hours ago
- 4 min read
My previous post introducing this ambitious project of Bible Quilting though ALL of God's Word may have generated some ideas and stirred up additional questions.
I'll use this post to share more about the process of setting up my BQ journal, which may help guide your process too.
First of all, I've got a bright cover for the whole journal.
The download of the main cover is intended to be a two-sided printable with the Bible reading tracker printed on the inside cover.
You may print these as separate pages, depending on your preference.
Then we have covers for the subsections of the Old Testament and New Testament.
This provides us with the flexibility to focus on one portion of the Bible rather than tackle the whole project at once.
I'm actually setting up the subsections into two different disc-bound journals, so I have ultimate flexibility working on each of them. My plan is to eventually put them together. (We'll see how chunky it is at that point!)
For the mock-up version I was experimenting with, I colored part of the title area, washi taped around the perimeter, then laminated it before hole-punching. This makes it a little larger than the interior pages, which provides a protective element. If you plan to laminate your front cover, I'd recommend doing the same for a back cover. It will balance out your journal and protect the interior pages when you've got it laid out flat writing in it.
As you can see in these photos, I've chosen to use a disc-bound system for my journal. This allows me to add more templates and even blank pages for full passages of scripture writing.
I added washi tape at the top of each interior page to reinforce it before punching it. If you've got an array of washi tape, you can color code the categories (e.g. history, prophets, epistles, etc.)
However, you have the option of putting these pages in a 3-ring binder. I've provided some spine labels if you prefer this method.
This can be a great way to get started organizing your materials. You've always got the option to get it bound differently at any point in the future.
Here's a video overview walking you through the steps of putting the New Testament portion together. You can, of course, use the same process for the Old Testament.
Journaling Through the Word Bible Quilt® Project: Setting Up the New Testament
Tip: For templates and interior pages of my BQ journals, I prefer to print on 67-lb vellum bristol paper. I use heavier card stock for cover pages.
You may have noticed that I've got manufactured Books of the Bible tabs attached to my template pages. I decided it was easier for us to snag some pre-printed tabs that would be colorful and durable rather than try to generate my own.
Before journaling on any particular book of the Bible, it may be helpful to take some notes summarizing the Old and New Testament sections first. The more we learn about how each of these books connect to tell the whole story of Jesus, the stronger our foundation will be.
Overview of the Old Testament video by the Bible Project
Overview of the New Testament video by the Bible Project
As mentioned previously, The Bible Project is an amazing resource, providing video overviews of each book of the Bible. In fact, I've utilized their posters as a visual summary on the back side of each book's template.
I'm also using the flip cards for the Books of the Bible to jot down specific details.
You may choose to use these to organize facts and themes you want to explore further.
Keep in mind, you can do this project at your own pace and in whatever order works best for you.
Maybe you'll pair some of this with your daily Bible reading plan, adding some notes and verses to get pages started. Next time around you can add more, gradually filling up your pages.
If your pastor is focused on a particular book of the Bible, you may choose to begin with it so you're streamlining your efforts. This need for flexibility is why I didn't design this project as a bound journal. Mix and match however it's the most meaningful for you during your current season.
Coming up I'll be sharing my pages on Genesis, then following that up with a corresponding post of a summary page on a character in Genesis. I hope by showing you how I cross-reference between my BQ journals and incorporate available BQ templates that you'll feel empowered to tackle this project in your own way.
Pop into our monthly BQ Zoom Chats to discuss ideas about this exciting project!
Replay of BQ Zoom Chat in Dec (we began discussing this project)
Happy Planner punch for disc-bound journal
Additional templates that may help your overall prep for this project: