Stampin' Up has announced that the next Paper Pumpkin will be Beyond the Horizon. Check out how the designs were created for the kit.
Two Ways to Purchase
There is less than ten days to lock in on free Sale-A-Bration product.
You may also make any other purchases of Stampin Up products while you are on the Stampin' Up website. If you purchase Stampin Up product (including Paper Pumpkin subscriptions) using my host code during February 2022, you are eligible for a special thank you gift from me, plus purchasing bonuses from Stampin Up.
Being a quilter, I really love the look of stitched lines around a shape. It could be one of the heart shapes from today's tutorial. Or a square, rectangle or even oval shape for stamping a sentiment. Learn my process for adding those stitched lines to your shapes with an exclusive tutorial for those purchasing with Host Code W7FGRTYW. You must use the host code when checking out with Stampin' Up to be eligible for the bonus.
Safari Celebration Kit
Safari Celebration was the kit for February. I just received it in the mail today. Here is a quick video on the projects designed by Stampin' Up.
Here are a couple alternative cards I created from the Safari Celebration kit. I was excited to be able to create an "adult friendly" card from the kit.
Instructions:
Instructions:
Ice Dance Foundation Block using EQ8
My all-time favorite Olympic sport is Ice Dancing. I love the intricacies of the step sequences and how in sync the partners must be at all times. I was mesmerized to see Zachary Donohue and Madison Hubbell perform in the rhythm dance portion of the team event. And then Madison Chock and Evan Bates in the free dance.
I took up figure skating in my mid-40s and am a member of a social ice dance club -- so I can appreciate how hard this sport is. Even the patterned dances I am working on are a challenge to stay on time and in sync with a partner. Full disclosure -- there are no twizzles, lifts or throws in social ice dance. But there are a lot of three turns and mohawks. I drafted two figure skating blocks using Electric Quilt 8. The first is an ice dance couple. And then, I found that by eliminating the guy, I was able to create a female figure skater block as well. Feel free to trace my blocks to create your own figure skating foundation patterns.
My video tutorial will share with you how to draft the ice dance block. You will note that the biggest challenge in creating your own foundations is figuring out efficient sectioning. My blocks frequently go through a fair number of iterations, until I find something I am satisfied with.
Tech Know Quilters Showcase
Each month I challenge those in Tech Know Quilters to apply what they learned during the last month. They can share a project from a lesson or an original design applying the concepts they have been learning in Tech Know Quilters.
Tech Know Quilters is a membership program focused on mastery of Electric Quilt 8. We have members at all stages of their Electric Quilt journey. If you would like to join this amazing group of quilters, you can sign up for the wait list here. Here are some favorite projects created from classes taken in December.
I love quilting and enjoy spending a great deal of time every day creating virtual quilts using Electric Quilt. However, I decided I needed to spend a little bit of time away from quilting to explore expressing my creativity in a new medium.
So, this last year I have taken up card making. I am finding that card making allows me to play with different colors and textures. Some of the same things I love about quilting. I have become hooked on Stampin Up and have watched a ton of You Tube videos where demonstrators share various techniques to create works of art in their cards. I've purchased a fair number of stamps and the entire collection of current ink pads (because who wants to be missing a crucial color in the midst of card design). I was so excited when I discovered that Stampin Up offers kits -- which they call Paper Pumpkin. What is Paper Pumpkin?
Paper Pumpkin is a monthly kit that includes all the supplies necessary to create a series of cards around a different theme each month.
Just like in quilting I found it easy to feel overwhelmed by some of the projects I found on YouTube. Paper Pumpkin solved that overwhelm, because everything you need for your project is included in your monthly art box. All you have to do is open it up and get started. You’ll be able to make cards, treat bags, and so much more from this monthly subscription. It even includes the envelopes for mailing your cards. Among the items in each Paper Pumpkin monthly craft kit is a set of reusable rubber stamps. So after you’re done creating your monthly craft, you’ll have a valuable stamp to add to your collection. You even get a free clear stamping block with your first craft box. Plus, you get a different color small ink pad every month as well. January 2022 Kit - Kisses and Hugs
The January kit was Kisses and Hugs. The Kisses & Hugs Paper Pumpkin Kit contained trifold heart-shaped cards. The printed gold foil designs added a timeless touch to these cards that you could use year-round as this kit isn’t bound to just Valentine’s Day—it works for all love occasions like anniversaries, weddings, birthdays, or those “just because” days.
I made one of each of the cards following the instructions in the kit. (There were enough supplies to make 5 of each.)
These were beautiful, but I really wanted to see what else I could design with the remaining supplies from the kit.
To add to the kit, I decided to draft a series of hearts in Electric Quilt 8. And then transferred the designs to Cricut Design Space to save time cutting everything out. My free video this week will take you through the process of drafting a group of hearts using Electric Quilt 8 along with the transfer process. Bonus -- there are two options for transferring the designs.
No Electronic Cutting System: If you don't have an electronic cutting system (Cricut, Silhouette, or Brother Scan and Cut), you could still print out your hearts created in Electric Quilt on cardstock. Just color everything white in Electric Quilt 8 before printing. And you will want to turn on outline patches. Then use your favorite paper snips to cut the designs (never use those fabric scissors for this). :)
Inkscape
The extra piece of software I used for creating the SVGs is Inkscape. Inkscape is a professional vector graphics editor for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. It's free and open source.
Inkscape can seem overwhelming to use when you open it for the first time. However you only need to use a couple of tools within Inkscape -- so this really is a piece of cake. You can download Inkscape here. Inkscape will allow you to create an SVG file which may be used in any electronic cutting system (Cricut Design Space, Silhouette Studio, or Brother Canvas Workspace). So what is an SVG file? An SVG file is a graphics file that uses a two-dimensional vector graphic format. Unlike raster formats such as JPG, GIF, and PNG, an SVG image remains crisp and clear at any resolution or size. My Paper Pumpkin Alternative Cards
The first two alternatives primarily used supplies from the kit. The only items added were card stock and ribbon.
The remaining cards used some pieces from the kit -- but I added some of the Electric Quilt designed hearts (cut out in a variety of cardstock). I also had some fun with both heat embossing (the sentiments) and dry embossing (the added texture to the paper). Notice that I even cut some of the EQ hearts from some of the card stock in the kit.
I still have a lot of extra supplies from the January kit. I will be doing some additional playing this week before mailing off my Valentine day cards.
Paper Pumpkin
If you would like to start card making, I suggest starting with Paper Pumpkin. You don't need to think through a huge list of supply options to figure out what you need first. Everything you need to get started will be in your box. Subscribe by the 10th of any month to receive that month's kit. The first box will even include a mounting block that will work with all the stamps.
Stampin' Up offers both monthly subscriptions and prepaid subscriptions. In both situations, you can pick the months you want to participate. It is super easy to opt out of a month that doesn't interest you. Stampin' Up prices for Paper Pumpkin will be going up on March 1st. As a result the prepaid subscription is a great value. Essentially you are pre-buying a number of boxes at the current price. Then you can decide which months to apply them to. Click on the links below to purchase any prepaid subscription. The prepaid subscriptions are non-renewing unless you elect to renew.
You may also make any other purchases of Stampin Up products while you are on the Stampin' Up website. If you purchase Stampin Up product using my host code during February 2022, you are eligible for a special thank you gift from me, plus purchasing bonuses from Stampin Up.
Kari's Thank You Gift
Being a quilter, I really love the look of stitched lines around a shape. It could be one of the heart shapes from today's tutorial. Or a square, rectangle or even oval shape for stamping a sentiment. Learn my process for adding those stitched lines to your shapes with an exclusive tutorial for those purchasing with Host Code W7FGRTYW. You must use the host code when checking out with Stampin' Up to be eligible for the bonus.
Tutorial will be sent to you the first week in March. Bonuses from Stampin' Up
My first card from this set was a "fun fold". It folds up to 5-1/2 x 4-1/4 (standard card size). The bottom section folds down, which means the card can stand up for display purposes. The bird was colored with alcohol markers. The personal sentiment goes on the back. Inspiration was a tutorial by Cindy Brumbaugh.
'Stampin' Up Check Out Process
This quick video will walk you through the check out process. Make sure to enter the host cost W7FGRTYW when checking out. This will ensure you are eligible for the free Inkscape tutorial on adding stitching lines. This will also explain how to add your Sale-a-bration rewards to your order.
Please feel free to send me an email with any questions on your Stampin' Up order. I can be reached at [email protected]
If you use Electric Quilt to design either the hearts (or another image) for cardmaking, I would love to see your designs or cards. Feel free to post in the Learning EQ Facebook group using this link.
Last week I shared with you how I drafted a couple of heart blocks using Easy Draw within Electric Quilt 8. The single heart block finished at a size of 6" x 6". Then I shared a fun way to turn it into a Shadow Heart block with a size of 9" x 9".
If you missed that tutorial, click here to catch up. This tutorial also provided information on piecing both of the blocks. Here are the blocks.
This week I decided to incorporate the two blocks into a custom set quilt. A custom set quilt layout in Electric Quilt 8 gives you the most flexibility in placement of your blocks and is my go to quilt layout for working with blocks that are different sizes.
Since Valentine's day is quickly approaching, I decided to create a table runner. This could also be used as a wall quilt. However you could apply the concepts from the video and create any size quilt you want.
The instructions for cutting and piecing the blocks were provided here. However when piecing the blocks for this setting, you will want to split the small block in half and the shadow block in thirds. Note that one of the 3-1/2" background squares will not be needed for each of the shadow blocks.
Finish the quilt as follows:
It is the season for hearts. One of the loveliest ways to share our love is through a quilt full of hearts.
The blocks I will be sharing with your today could be done in five fabrics. Or the pieces could be easily cut from charm squares. Who doesn't have an extra collection or two of those five inch squares that are ready to be incorporated in a quilt.
In the video tutorial, I will be sharing a new technique on quickly creating the double (shadow) block. This uses one of the Serendipity options in EQ8.
Tips for Constructing the Blocks
The finished size of the single heart block is 6 inches finished (6-1/2" x 6-1/2" with seam allowances). The size of the double heart block is 9 inches finished (9-1/2" x 9-1/2" with seam allowances).
Regardless of whether you are doing the single or the double heart block, the small squares have a finished size of 1-1/2" (cut size of 2"). Piecing Half Square Triangles
Electric Quilt will suggest cutting the squares for the half square triangles 2-3/8" x 2-3/8". This is the size you can use if you are an accurate piecer and don't want to deal with the trim down. For the rest of us, I find it super useful to use the over-sized piecing, trim down technique.
My preferred approach is to sew the triangles with 2-1/2" squares, which are trimmed down to a 2" finished size. I personally love to use the Tucker Trimmer 1 for my trim downs.
Piecing the Single Heart BlockPiecing the Shadow Double Block
Next week I plan to share a layout for these blocks. But feel free to experiment with layouts of your own in the interim. Share your blocks and quilts in the Learning EQ Facebook group.
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Kari SchellElectric Quilt Expert and Educator and Pattern Designer. Categories
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