draw,draw,draw! I mark my spine with chalk but like to avoid stitching that spine--it gets too thread heavy. I'm like Feline in that i can't go up one side and down the other but always have to start at the bottom. In a feather class I took with Myrna Fricken she said to always be sure to have the "stem" of each feather pointing down, make the feather, and then go back to the same downward direction. In a class with Jamie Wallen he said to get them to curve to stick in a smaller feather to have the next one curve back onto--there's the curve. For starters think of the feathers being a paisley shape. Good luck!