We started with the Heart Chain Template and a few creative supplies. Although we each had a different collection of supplies, we used the same techniques.
I encouraged fellow Bible Quilters to go on a "treasure hunt" through their craft stash and valentine decorations to find things they could use in their project. I heard from some of them that they discovered cardstock and stamps they haven't used in over a decade. Me, too! If you once were a scrapbooker, you've got stuff that can EASILY be used in #biblequilting, too!
Tip: To help you focus on the page at hand and streamline the process, select a color family of the supplies you'll be using for your project. That way you'll have the markers, colored pencils, washi tape, etc. readily accessible.
I think we had the most fun moving all of our decorative hearts around trying to choose the sequence of color and pattern we liked best.
Seeing different supplies other Bible Quilters had generated ideas for all kinds of quilt patterns to try with this page.
Bonus: Since we cut out extra hearts to figure out our sequence, now we have those extras to use on a freestyle page!
After we resumed from a brief Zoom intermission, we focused on putting verses on our hearts. Then we drew a grid to make our quilted background squares.
It was a lovely evening of fellowship and creativity. During this time of social distancing, it was so refreshing to make these heart connections as we all try to stay tethered in the Word.
Everyone got a great start on their pages & some even got all the way finished!
We talked about how it's okay to take a break from a project if we're not quite sure what the next layer is. We may decide to leave it simple. We can always add more embellishments and color during a later creative burst.
Using a combination of hand lettering, stamping, and stickers creates visual interest while using the same stitching and color palette develops a uniform look that ties it all together.
We also talked about some fun ways to display our BQ pages in our homes during the Valentine's season before we attach it permanently to our journals. (more in replay)
If you missed the Craft Night due to scheduling or other commitments, here's a process video that will walk you through how I did my initial page. You can use it as a guide to create your own page...or even better, gather up some family/friends to do it along with you.
This would be a meaningful valentine's activity to do with your kiddos or grandkids!
The sample video shows page 12 of my Monthly Bible Quilt Journal, although you could apply the same techniques using the February page of the 2021 BQ Calendar, or the single page printable from the online shop.
Supplies I used:
scissors
glue stick
ruler
4-6 pages of decorative scrapbook paper
markers/pens
colored pencils
stickers (hearts, valentine-y colors)
washi tape
stamps & ink pads
Tip: If you choose heavily patterned papers, you can type/write out your verses on a white or solid colored paper then glue it onto your decorative paper.
Enjoy the process! Please post YOUR quilted pages in the Comments below, in the BQJ Facebook group. We'd love to see how yours turned out!
Replay of SHOW-and-SHARE.