Every Color in The Box!

What is the easiest way to draw out your BQ? What if I mess up? How do I get these unwanted lines not to bleed through light colors, especially after sealing it? Stop the madness and confusion with these simple steps.....

I always use colored pencils and mark my pattern lines lightly so if I have to erase, it is easy to do. Regular pencils are harder to erase and I find in my old age, hard to see. So I have found colored pencils the answer and I can see the lines through the Frog Tape.

I have found there many more benefits also. If you have followed some of my videos on how to make drawing out your BQ's, I give some great techniques. The number one is how to avoid drawing off the grid. I find that is confuses me and then I have all these unwanted lines to erase. The Barn Quilt Addiction books give a step by step illustration too.

If you do feel more comfortable in drawing the grid, there is nothing wrong with this. I would avoid using a red colored pencil or an orange because these two colors are the hardest to erase if you have to and tend to bleed through the paint, even if the line does not show after painting. For what ever reason, if you apply a sealer - you may be cussing. I have had lines bleed through that are not there before. Just wanted to kick the cat that I don't have as a result.

But today's inspiration blog subject is this nightmare pattern I am drawing off at the moment. It would be easier as a 4x4, but no, it has to be a 5x5 (two pieces) and the math has kicked my butt. I mean whopped it. I have drawn, I have erased, I have drawn, I have erased, I have re-primed and started over. I know drawing patterns off is my favorite step and this one will not get the best of me.

Each time I make a correction or try a different mark or line in another placement, I change colors of the pencil I am using, I can then erase the one that didn't work out. This is a huge help and has saved a lot of confusion. If I was using the same color or a standard pencil then I would have scrapped this pattern at 3:00am this past morning.

Instead, I walked away, had a another Crown & Coke, chatted with an x boyfriend from 35 years ago who found me on FB (Blog for a whole 'nother day) and put the difficulty of this pattern out of mind. The x - not so much....lol

Anyway - point of this is try colored pencils when drawing out your patterns. It will help you to avoid bleed through and you can see what was the mistake and what is now the right line to follow. And like your x' boyfriends, sometimes mistakes are fun to look back on!

Carry on the addiction,

Talara

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