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One of my favorite Facebook pages to follow is Julie Silber Quilts. Julie Silber is a collector and reseller of antique quilts, and she shares the most beautiful photos of her collection.
I always find myself inspired by her posts — admiring the artistry of the antique quilts and then challenging myself to re-create some of the designs in Electric Quilt 8 (EQ8).
Exploring the Frame Options in EQ8
Within EQ8’s Serendipity feature, there’s a “Frame” tool that allows you to wrap blocks with a variety of pre-made borders. It’s a great way to add flair and dimension to your design.
I’ll admit — I don’t use this feature very often. While the built-in frames can be inspiring, their proportions don’t always lend themselves well to standard ruler sizes. Still, I decided to explore what was already available to see if any of the 130 frame options could come close to the look I was after.
There were quite a few on-point styles, but most extended the corners all the way to the edges or used traditional border shapes. Pretty — but not quite what I had in mind.
Designing My Own Frame Block
So, I took matters into my own hands and decided to design my own frame block. Creating it from scratch gave me control over every detail — and ensured the design would be piecing-friendly.
Here’s the frame I drafted and my initial quilt layout using it:
In this week’s video tutorial, I’ll show you step-by-step how to draft your own frame block and use it in a quilt layout.
Making the Math Work
When designing, I always set my block size and snap grid to make drafting easier.
For this project, I set the block at 21” x 21” with snaps every ½ inch (42 x 42 grid). Because of the overlapping edges, I ended up with an odd-sized block. Once the block was drafted, I printed a rotary cutting chart to see the sizes of the pieces I need for piecing the block. The ones highlighted in yellow were a bit awkward for rotary cutting.
In this version, the center block ended up with a finished size of 11-3/8" — not the easiest size for incorporating a pieced block.
So, I pulled out my trusty “Quilter’s Math” (or as some of my students like to call it, “Kari’s Math”) to adjust the dimensions. 
Quilters Math Worksheet for Resizing Block
After resizing the block to 22¼” x 22¼”, I reprinted the rotary cutting chart to check the results.
The difference was clear — the strip sizes now align beautifully with standard cutting increments, and best of all, the center square finishes at 12" x 12" (12½" including seam allowances). Perfect for dropping in a new block center!
What's Next
Now that I have the perfect frame, I’m excited to design a block for the center — and I’ll share that process in next week’s post.
In the meantime, I’d love for you to try drafting your own frame block in EQ8! What kind of center would you design to go inside? Share your creations in the Learning EQ Facebook group — I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
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A few months ago, I challenged my Tech Know Quilter Masters members to design their own Zig Zag Quilt. In this post, I’m excited to share some of their amazing creations — along with the story behind my own Zig Zag design.
I am frequently inspired by antique quilts and used the layout employed in an antique quilt for my Zig Zag Quilt. Inspiration: Antique Roots with a Modern Twist
Zig Zag Quilt Design using EQ8
My Zig Zag Quilt design includes three distinct zig zag elements:
#1 - Zig Zag Layout
#2 - Zig Zag Block
#3 - Zig Zag Border
For the border, I turned again to the EQ Library and found inspiration in Border Blocks → Triangular → Zig Zag Border Block 2.
However, I wasn’t thrilled with the available corner options, so I designed my own corner block to complete the look and maintain a smooth flow of the zig zag lines.
Finishing the Quilt
Watch the video below to see my complete design process step-by-step.
And here’s the finished quilt!
Zig Zag Quilt Design by Kari Schell using EQ8
Zig Zag Quilts by Tech Know Quilter Masters Members
For our recent Zig Zag Quilt Challenge, I invited Tech Know Quilter Masters members to design their own versions. The creativity that emerged was absolutely inspiring!
Each quilt interprets the zig zag theme in a unique way — some playful, some elegant, all beautifully original.
Fran Heisey My block was inspired by a graphic from Shutterstock that I found on Pinterest. I thought it could be easily drafted as 2 blocks - wrong. It kept me busy for quite a while. My experience was similar to Nancy's, but just the reverse; I started in EasyDraw and finally had success in PolyDraw. Once it was drafted, I couldn't resist playing. The daisy quilt uses a simplified version that I drafted to help figure out how to do the final block.
Ready to Design Your Own Zig Zag Quilt?
Whether you’re inspired by antique layouts or modern geometry, Zig Zag designs are a wonderful way to experiment with movement and rhythm in your quilts.
If you’d like to learn how to create layouts like this in Electric Quilt 8, explore my classes or join the Tech Know Quilter community to continue growing your design skills. Send me a note to learn more.
Back in 2021, I shared my Spooky Stars quilt block and quilt — a fun design that’s perfect for the Halloween season!
If you missed it, you can catch the full tutorial here.
Below are a few photos showing two different colorations of the block and quilt. It’s always amazing how a simple fabric change can completely transform the look and feel of a design!
A New Twist: Spider Web Quilting Design
This year, I decided to share a quilting design that could be used with this quilt (or a variation of it). It would also be fun to try on any Halloween or fall-themed quilt you’ve created!
In this week’s Electric Quilt 8 video tutorial, I’ll start by showing you how to turn a Kaleidoscope block from the EQ library into a spider web–inspired pieced block. Next, we’ll use this block to create an appliqué motif that can be set on Layer 3 of a quilt in Electric Quilt 8 — and then apply it to a quilt of your choice. For the video, I used the Harvest Stars version of my quilt.
Here’s my finished Spider Web quilting design:
Spider Web Stencil by Kari Schell
Quilting the Spider Web Design
This is one of those designs that’s super forgiving when stitching out — whether you’re using a longarm or a domestic quilting machine.
Don’t worry about making every curve perfect — simply sew a gentle arc from one straight line to the next. This design works beautifully for a Halloween quilt, a fall harvest quilt, or really any quilt that could use a touch of soft, flowing movement. I applied the Spider Web stencil to the Harvest Stars quilt, setting it at 16" x 16". 
Harvest Stars Quilt with Spider Web Quilting
That size left a few open spaces in the corners, so I found a spider block in the EQ library, modified it into a quilting design, and added it to the quilt.
(Instructions for creating the spider block are not included in this week’s video.)
Just for fun, I also tried the Spider Web stencil on a different pieced block — and loved how it changed the look!
Spider Web Quilting on Alternate Quilt Block
Your Turn
Where would you apply this stencil? Share your ideas (or even your own versions) in the Learning EQ Facebook Group Post — I’d love to see how you use this design!
This project is quick to draft and would be just as fun to piece. In this video tutorial, you’ll learn how to:
Here are the blocks from the video.
The finished quilt measures 21" x 21" — just right for a cozy fall table topper.
Little Acorns Quilt created by Kari Schell using EQ8
And because I couldn’t stop at just one project, I also created two coordinating placemats! Each measures 18" x 13".
I’d love to see your take on this design! Share your acorn quilt or placemats in the Learning EQ Facebook group.
Stars Leaves and Pumpkins EQ8 Tutorial
If you missed my previous video — Sawtooth Star Quilt Without a Sawtooth Star Block— you’ll want to start there, since the blocks and quilt from that tutorial form the foundation for this new project.
In this week’s video, you’ll learn how to:
Here are the new pumpkin and leaf blocks created in the video. Aren’t they fun? They add the perfect touch of fall to any EQ8 design.
Stars Leaves and Pumpkins Designed in EQ8 by Kari Schell
Share Your Version!
Will you use my pumpkin and leaf blocks — or design your own? I’d love to see what you create! Share your finished quilt in the Learning EQ Facebook Group so we can celebrate your creativity together.
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