String & Story

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Introduction to the Procreate App

Procreate is a digital drawing app for artists and designers. While unconventional, I have found that it also works well for choosing colors for my quilts & drawing my quilting plans. Join me for a tutorial on Procreate basic features!

(This post is not sponsored. However, it may contain affiliate links)

Auditioning colors and making a quilting plan are both key steps before putting needle to fabric in order to reduce overwhelm and anxiety while quilting. While these processes can be as simple as drawing on graph paper, sometimes it’s nice to take things up a notch. If you have an iPad and Apple pencil (or similar tablet and stylus), using an app like Procreate will allow you to audition colors or draw you quilting plans digitally. Working digital makes both processes

  1. More portable— allowing you to keep all your color choices and plans handy on a device

  2. More eco-friendly— reducing paper and ink used

  3. More flexible— digital plans make it easier than ever to change your plan and compare different color and motif options

Learn more about or download Procreate HERE.

Let’s take a look at how the Procreate app works:

Video

Note Bene

Just a few reminders from the video:

  • You can use Procreate to choose fabric colors and to plan your FMQ designs

  • I demonstrated how to draw lines to make sections of the quilt “fillable.” You could also simply color in the sections of your quilt just like you would if you were picking colors on paper

  • My favorite “pen” is the Inking Fine Tip, but if that’s too difficult to see as you work, the Technical Pen is a good option too

  • Remember to make new “layers” within the app to be able to mix and match motifs later

Final Thoughts

I’ve never recommended that Rockstars go out and make the large purchase of a tablet and stylus in order to make quilting plans. However, if you already have these tools handy, Procreate is an amazing app to make several valuable steps in the quilting process more portable, eco-friendly, and flexible

Additional Resources

You may find these other resources from my website useful as well (click the highlighted text to visit the post or page):