DESIGN BY DICE
Add a bit of creative play into your day using Design by Dice!
Rolling the dice is a fun way to randomize design options, nudge you out of your comfort zone, and explore new design possibilities.
LEARN MORE:
Join me and/or book me for a program where I share my love of Design by Dice:
Fun & Games in Quilting Lecture/Trunk Show: It's game on for this playful twist on quilting! Join me as I share my nine favorite ways to incorporate fun and games into my quilting including rolling the dice to explore new design possibilities, playing card inspiration, and of course everything is awesome when Lego bricks are involved! I'll share insights into the games I play and their fun results. I hope to inspire you to develop a game plan for adding some creative play into your day!
Design by Dice Mini Workshop: Add a playful twist of inspiration to your quilt designs through the use of dice! I'll introduce how I use dice to challenge myself and explore new design combinations in terms of color schemes, elements of art, design principles, block orientation, and quilting motifs. Then it will be your turn to roll the dice and play with these concepts through several hands-on exercises!
More Design by Dice fun is incorporated into these workshops: Magnificent Mandalas, Free Styling & Spiraling, and Mark Making Magic. You can learn more here.
For More Design by Dice Fun:
Keep reading below as I share more about several 100 Day Projects and other multi-day creative projects which involved rolling the dice to explore new materials, sources of inspiration, and techniques.
Download any of the Game Plans below and see what the dice inspire you to create. You are welcome to adapt for your own creative interests and I’d love to see what you are inspired to create. Email me via the contact form and/or tag me on social media @melbeachquilts
Listen to the Pushing Your Creativity/Episode 19 of the Quilting Arts Podcast.
Watch me roll the dice with Alex Anderson on Show 2808 on The Quilt Show.
Watch Lyric Kinard’s Covichat where I share more about how Covid inspired me to start rolling the dice.
Read two of my articles about rolling the dice for daily design inspiration:
“Creative Reset: Creating Daily with Dice” in the Covid Issue 15 of Curated Quilts.
“Roll the Dice: Up Your Game and Take a Chance” in Quilting Arts magazine, Spring 2021.
All 619 ATCs made during 100 Day Project of Making and Mailing ATCs
100 Days of Making and Mailing ATCs
February - MAY 2024
Roll 2 dice to determine a source of fodder and medium/technique for creating one or more Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) to mail in exchange with other artists around the world. A total of 619 ATCs were created with 575 of them going out into the world as part of exchanges and thank yous!
Set Up/Goals Blog Post
Celebratory Blog Post Part 1 - Making ATCs
Celebratory Blog Post Part 2 - Mailing/Exchanging ATCs
100 Days of Dice Designs
April - July 2020
Roll 3 dice to determine a color scheme, element of art, and design principle to explore in a 7” raw edge fused composition.
Set Up/Goals Blog Post:
Celebratory Wrap Up and Reflections Blog Post
100 Days of Dice Doodles
July - October 2020
Roll 1 die to determine a source of inspiration for free-motion quilting a 4” square.
1=Photo
2=Music
3=Text
4=Events
5=Memories
6=Artist’s Choice
Set Up/Goals Blog Post
Celebratory Wrap Up and Reflections Blog Post
100 Days of Mark Making
January - May 2021
Roll 2 dice to determine the medium and shape for mark making on one or more 10” squares of prepared for dye fabric. A new color was explored every 2 weeks.
Set Up/Goals Blog Post
Celebratory Wrap Up and Reflections Blog Post
100 Days of Dice Compositions
June - September 2021
Roll two dice to determine a focus color and design guide from Deborah Boschert’s Art Quilt Collage book.
30 Days of Hearts + GIving
November 1-30, 2021
Roll a die to determine materials for embellishing one or more quilted heARTs to be sent out into the world.
Set Up/Goals Blog Post
Celebratory Wrap Up Blog Post
Download Mel’s Game Plan
Download a Blank Game Plan to fill in with your favorite embellishment techniques/materials
The I Found a Quilted Heart Project website includes information about how to participate, printable tags, and a list of places to sow your hearts.
100 Days of Hand-Carved Stamps
February - May 2022
Roll a pair of dice to determine the starting shape and source of design inspiration for creating one or more hand-carved stamps each day.
100 Days of I Spy Dice Designs
February - June 2023
Combine mixed media materials and hand-lettering to create a 2-page spread in a mini board book. Roll a pair of dice to determine which design element to look for and photograph for design inspiration and diffefrent sources of fodder/materials to incorporate into my composition.
Set Up/Goals Blog Post
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book 4
Book 5
Book 6
Book 7
Book 8
Book 9
Book 10
Celebratory Wrap Up: Fodder, Tools, Techniques, and Organization
Celebratory Wrap Up: Design Inspiration
Download Mel’s Game Plan and Play Along!