How I draw in Word

How I draw in Word, a photo by badskirt - amy on Flickr.

I am often asked what I mean when I say that I draft me designs using MS Word. I literally mean that I open MS Word and use it's graphics tools to hatch my patchwork plans. On the left you see the basic concept which I first drew in Word then saved out a JPG for Annabel. On the right you can see how I started to break down the submarine into it's components for piecing. This numbering and piecing isn't an exact guide, but it gives me a direction to go in as I start working with fabric.

When it comes to actual piecing, I often deviate a little from the plan. I substitute fabrics. I add a weird swish here and there. Things change, but I have a game plan which helps.

While I know Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, Gimp and quite a few 3D graphics packages. They are overkill for the patchwork that I'm doing. I usually just turn to Word because it's already open on my machine. The concept is similar to the tutorial I did for Visualizing your Quilts without Cutting ages ago except the designs are more intricate.

I choose Word over paper and pencil because it's an easier tool for me. I can "sketch" with a computer faster than I can draw. I generally get the design from my head to digital format, an area that I fail at when using a pencil. Because it's digital, it also means I can print multiple copies which is useful when foundation piecing and for recovering from mistakes. *grin*

I do get this question quite a bit. When there's an email address attached, I try to reply. For those of your fretting that you don't have the right tools for creating designs, take a look around your machine. Sometimes simple is best!