I love heart quilts and this is the best time of the year to share them with you. I had three different ideas to chose from today. The one that won out was a design I did back in the EQ5 days. It appears to be something I submitted to a local quilt shop. But looking at my notes, it wasn't the one they decided to use.
Let's just say that the Electric Quilt fabric options were not as wonderful at that time. Or maybe I just struggled with fabric selection. Anybody still have any of these fabrics in your stash?
The first step to reworking this project was to find a more current fabric collection. In October 2022, the Free Fabric of the Month from Electric Quilt was Leather and Lace and Amazing Grace designed by Cathe Holden for Moda.
It has an amazing collection of pinks, reds, blues and tans. Perfect for a heart quilt. Click on the picture below to access the download from Electric Quilt. There are downloads both for Mac and PC. After going through the installation process you will be able to access the fabrics within Electric Quilt.
The only other blocks in the quilt are two of the default blocks -- a half square triangle and a quarter square triangle block.
Watch the video to see how these blocks come together for a fun heart quilt.
Here is the quilt from the video.
I look forward to seeing what you do with this quilt. It might be fun to use these three blocks for an original quilt. Play a bit and see what you come up with. Feel free to share you designs in the Learning EQ Facebook group.
EQ8 Foundation Patterns Stand Alone Class
Would you like to take this class? I've decided to offer it as a stand alone class available during February 2023. The class is considered an Advanced Beginner class -- which means you have some experience in working in EasyDraw and have created some basic quilt layouts.
Foundation Piecing/Paper Piecing Definition – A design that can be pieced by sewing on the lines of a foundation (typically paper). My favorite blocks for foundation piecing:
We will cover all of these in the Foundation Patterns class.
Current Tech Know Quilter members, please contact me if your wish to take this as an add-on class in February. The class currently exists in TKQ and there are added discounts for current TKQ members.
In February, I love to make a new heart quilt -- or update one I've previously created. During a bitter cold spell, a think a heart quilt warms both my heart and the planned recipient of the quilt.
Watch the full video.
Using the Foundation blocks from the EQ8 library, is a great way to personalize your quilt. But what if you would like to create your own foundations for a truly one-of-a-kind quilt?
I have a special opportunity for those who wish to take their foundation drafting skills to the next level. Special Opportunity to Take Foundation Patterns Class
Would you like to take this class? I've decided to offer it as a stand alone class available for purchase during February 2023. The class is considered an Advanced Beginner class -- which means you have some experience in working in EasyDraw and have created some basic quilt layouts.
Foundation Piecing/Paper Piecing Definition – A design that can be pieced by sewing on the lines of a foundation (typically paper).
My favorite blocks for foundation piecing:
We will cover all of these in the Foundation Patterns class.
Current Tech Know Quilter members, please contact me if your wish to take this as an add-on class in February. The class currently exists in TKQ and there are added discounts for current TKQ members.
Tech Know Quilters Showcase
Tree Skirt Challenge Showcase
Within Tech Know Quilters Masters, there is an opportunity for those who have completed twelve or more months of Tech Know Quilters to join this more advanced program where we focus on support for those applying their EQ8 skills to their own projects.
Each month, TKQ Masters members are encouraged to create an original design around a specific topic. During December, Tech Know Quilter Masters members were encouraged to design a tree skirt. Some shared their EQ designs while others share actual tree quilts they made. Overlapping Double Hearts Electric Quilt 8 Tutorial
After seeing some pictures on Pinterest with overlayed double hearts, I realized that this was something I could easily do using Electric Quilt 8. And the beauty of using Electric Quilt, it that we can select the size we want and use the design in a quilt -- or even in a card.
In the free video tutorial, I will share the complete process for drafting these overlapping double hearts -- it is much easier than it looks. This is a great project for those that are new to working in the applique worktable. I cover working with shapes, including editing and resizing.
Here is the picture of the design - colored with fabric. Definitely much prettier than above.
Cutting Out the Overlapping Heart Designs in Cricut Design Space
Many of you are aware that I love to use Inkscape for converting my EQ designs into an SVG format. I have also heard from a number of you who do not want to deal with the complexity of Inkscape. If that is you, this tutorial will show you how to go directly from your EQ design to Cricut Design Space.
Note that the key for success with this method is to color with colors (instead of fabrics).
I know that my Cricut Maker can be used to cut both fabrics and cardstock. The process is the same for both. The only different is the type of material selected for cutting.
Here are the three cards I did using the overlapping hearts. I cut out 3 copies of the red overlay and three different sets of the inner hearts -- one with silver foil, one with a black foil, and a third some designer series paper (which had a bit of silver foil in it).
The other material used was from my current collection of Stampin Up product.
Next week, I plan to present a quilty option using the same applique motif block -- so stay tuned.
What would you do with the overlapping hearts block? Set the block in a quilt of your own choosing and share in the Learning EQ Facebook group. I always enjoy seeing your work.
Last week I shared with you how to find some blocks in the Electric Quilt block library and turn them into snowflake blocks. If you missed the video tutorial, you can check it out here.
This week I will share a custom set layout in an Electric Quilt 8 video tutorial. Although Custom Set can seem intimidating, with my step by step video instructions, it will be easy to put together this Custom Set quilt design.
If you would like to redraft this quilt, here are a few photos taken during the video that will be useful.
Are you ready to get creative? If you have a set of blocks you have drafted, here is an opportunity to showcase them in your own quilt. And try a new fabric collection to inspire yourself to piece a few of them. (Like me, you may be ready to be done with winter and snow.)
I would love to see your designs. Feel free to hop over the the Learning EQ Facebook group and share.
There is a lot of snow in Minnesota this year, so I thought it was time to design a snow quilt.
This one is a lot of fun as all my blocks come from the Electric Quilt 8 Block Library. I decided not to get too fussy -- so there will be a lot of 8 pointed snowflakes rather than the traditional 6 pointed ones. 8 pointed snowflakes are typically much easier to piece. This is a great tutorial for new Electric Quilt 8 owners (or those that have been away for a while) as we will explore grabbing fabrics and blocks from the Electric Quilt libraries. There is so much to choose from.
Here is my challenge for you. Find approximately 15 snowflake blocks in the library. Or if you are up to it draft your own blocks. Color them and save them to your Project Sketchbook.
Remember that in Electric Quilt, saving is a two step process. Make sure to name your project. If you haven't named it, it will say unnamed at the top. Then select add to sketchbook for each block. Super simple -- once you know the two steps.
Share your favorite colored snowflake and let us know if it was from the library or one you designed yourself. Or maybe it is a hybrid.
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Kari SchellElectric Quilt Expert and Educator and Pattern Designer. Categories
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