Jan 1st: Pattern Play
It's a new year and a new chance to explore your creativity - make some patterns!
January: PATTERN PLAY
Happy New Year! Let’s play with marks and shapes to make patterns!
The world is full of patterns—geometric, organic, man-made, straight, swirly, spotty. They are the connections you see in a tiled floor, the network of thread that makes a fabric, the concentric rings that a tree forms year upon year. When I first started quilting I found geometric shapes and potential quilt designs everywhere I looked. Patterns are the same, once you stop and take a look around, they are everywhere.
This month, we’re playing with patterns. A theme that celebrates repetition, rhythm, and the satisfaction of making marks. Whether it’s a block print design stamped onto paper, a hand-drawn grid coming alive with colour and line, or a simple motif that you can repeat meditatively, lets observe, experiment, and create some patterns.
How to Think About Patterns & Mark-Making.
At its heart, this theme is about playing with shapes and colours as much as it’s about creating a finished product. You could use this theme to experiment with ideas and methods that can then be applied to other projects.
But to begin with….
Start Noticing Patterns.
Carry a small notebook (or your phone but I highly recommend leaving screens behind whenever you can) and capture the patterns around you:Start looking at things like tiles, brickwork, fences, roofs, skyscraper façades, and pathways.
Look at patterns that appear in the natural world—veins in leaves, the curve of waves, snail shell spirals, tree rings in the firewood, boulders at the beach.
How does repetition and pattern show up in your routines, your steps, your thoughts, your food?




Choose a Way to Play.
Patterns can be made with almost anything and we’ll dive into some methods for mark-making over the next few weeks. But for now think about using:
Ink and stamps for block printing.
Pens and paper for hand-drawn grids or freeform marks.
Collage with cut-out shapes that overlap and repeat.
Found objects that leave a mark—string, leaves, fabric scraps, fruit and veges.



Homemade stamps from left: using poppy capsules, potato stamps and a range of vegetables.
Embrace Imperfection.
The beauty of pattern lies in how we interact with it. A perfect grid, a slightly off-kilter print, the handmade touch—it all belongs here. This month, let go of perfection and let your mind wander and your patterns evolve.
Som Tips to Get You Started:
Make a Simple Mark.
Choose one shape or symbol—a line, a circle, a dot—and repeat it across a page. You can play with the size of the shape or the colour as you go.Observe & Collect.
Photograph or sketch five patterns you see today. Where did you find them? What were your drawn to seeing? I once spent a year at Architecture School (as a young and naive 17 year old) but I still love looking at, and being inspired by, built forms and façades.Rhythm in Nature.
Draw or print patterns inspired by what you see outdoors: leaves, flowers, tree bark, clouds. Simplify shapes and play with scale.Think about Your Purpose.
Do you want to create patterns on paper, on fabric, on a 3D object? Sometimes what you are mark making on will dictate how you make those marks and in what medium. For example, you might want to create your own fabric for a garment, or it might be a series of art prints playing with colour and overlapping shapes. Or it could be as simple as some homemade wrapping paper. This is a great place to start and to play!
Get Curious and Play!
For the next 31 days, think of this as a workshop in curiosity. Let pattern play be a starting point for exploration and discovery. There is no final product needed—it can be just a series of experiments that you have fun with. I think we sometimes put too much pressure on having to produce perfection. Instead, let’s practice, let’s play, and let’s pursue creativity.
Happy making,
Esta
Seek to Make is an exploration of creativity and making. Each month, I share a monthly theme around making, showcase inspiring makers, share tips, tools and encouragement. Together let's get curious and immerse ourselves in the art of making!