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I've been looking at a lot of graphic designs and one that intrigued me was a word composed of some flowers and leaves. I spent some time playing in Electric Quilt, to see if I could replicate the concept with some simple shapes. (Let's face it, I don't have enough time or patience to replicate the inspirational photo.)
In my free EQ8 tutorial, I will show you how to create the shapes, and then place then in a block to create your own WordArt. We also cover using Wreathmaker (as I found it helpful in drawing the "O").
I didn't cover drafting the quilt layout. However, if you would like to replicate my project, create a Horizontal layout with 1 x 1 blocks. The block size was 14 x 5. There are two borders. The first is a .5 inch long horizontal and the second a 1 inch long horizontal.
​Here is my quilt. The fabric in the border is part of the free fabric download from EQ for February 2020 (Mackinac Island by Moda.
After designing the Love WordArt quilt, I started thinking about using other words. This could be a fun gift for a child, friend or family member. Here is "quilter" spelled out using the same concept.
What word will you put in your WordArt quilt? Feel free to post your Word Art on the Learning EQ Facebook group.
Be My Valentine
Create a quick table quilt measuring 40" x 16" to celebrate Valentine's Day. Or this would also make a great shower or wedding gift for that special someone.
This project is a lot simpler than it looks. I used over-sized units that are cut down with the use of rulers from Deb Tucker's Studio 180 Design. I've also provided alternate instructions if you wish to do the project without her rulers. Click here to purchase Be My Valentine. On sale for $5 (regularly $8).
The design I am sharing today, was one I recently found in an old file from EQ4. That was the first version of EQ I owned. Functionality (and fabric options) were much more limited in those days. But EasyDraw and many of the quilt layouts we enjoy today were available for designing in the early years of Electric Quilt.
I did a bit of research and I could not find the block in the EQ library or in any of the free projects on their website. So it is possibly an original design. Or it could be something inspired by a quilt in a magazine (as the design was created before Pinterest became our go to source for inspiration). I hope you enjoy. Pieced On Point Heart Block
The block is conducive to either rotary cutting or foundation piecing. So in addition to being fast to draft, it would also be easy to piece.
On the Block Worktable, create a new block with the style EasyDraw.
In the Precision Toolbar, set the block width and height at 6". Set the snaps every quarter inch (multiply the size of 6 times 4) -- so 24 x 24. ​Make sure to turn on Snap to Grid.
Select the Color tab and color the block.
I used an updated default fabric collection (a benefit of the EQ Members Club offered by Electric Quilt).
Here are the rotary cutting instructions for the pieced on point heart block. Notice that there are instructions for every patch. So no templates or manual calculations will be required.
Feel free to use these instructions if you would like to piece the heart block (6" finished size). Pieced On Point Heart Quilt
Adding Quilting Designs
Watch the video to see the full process.
I recently resurrected an old project that was created in Electric Quilt 4. In an attempt to find the inspiration for that project, I ended up opening a number of my old projects. Although I never found the quilt I was looking for, I did discover the quilt I am sharing with you today.
The quilt has blocks on Layer 1 and Layer 2. And two different heart blocks. I was actually pretty impressed that I was able to do it in EQ4. However the EQ4 fabric options weren't very pretty (i.e. they were ugly in those days). And I did see a few flaws in my design. So I decided to redo the project in EQ8. This ended up being a quilt that I made from my EQ4 design-- because I thought that was what I was suppose to do with my EQ designs. Fabrics
Heart Blocks
While EQ does have a heart under Shapes in the Applique toolkit, I don't actually love the shape of the heart.
Rather that editing that heart, I decided to pick a heart block from the EQ library that better reflected the style of heart I wanted in my quilt. In the video, I cover finding and editing the block from the library and creating two different heart blocks that were used in the quilt. The blocks will be set in an on point quilt, so don't worry about adjusting the fabric rotation on the block worktable. Hearts Quilt
The 2nd heart block was placed on Layer 1 with a single click in each of the block spaces.
The remainder of the quilt was colored (with the exception of the four squares and sashing in the center). Not coloring the blocks under another block, will improve the fabric yardage calculations. The 1st heart block will need to be dragged onto Layer 2 and the size set with the adjust tool. There are no predefined spaces on Layer 2 -- so we get to decide both size and placement of any blocks.
Check out the full tutorial in the video.
Create your own heart quilt in Electric Quilt. If you would like to challenge yourself, consider using a different applique element in the blocks.
I would love to see your design. I've set up a separate post in the Learning EQ Group where you can share your designs. (Or even your favorite heart quilt). Hearts Quilt Construction
What is Sashiko?
Sashiko is a Japanese hand sewing technique that involves stitching patterns of running stitches to reinforce or decorate cloth and clothing.
The word "sashiko" literally translates to "little stabs". Four or six thin strands of 100% cotton thread are twisted together tightly to create a single strand of Sashiko thread. Sashiko thread is non-divisible, meaning that it is meant to be used as a single strand and not divided down or pulled apart like embroidery floss. Sashiko and Electric Quilt
Because of the geometric nature of these designs, they are very conducive to drawing inEasyDraw and PolyDraw.
​However if the plan is to use the designs for traditional Sashiko, the EasyDraw/PolyDraw tools really don’t work well due to the double stitch lines created with adjoining patches. ​So I found that the best way to create Sashiko designs is as an applique motif. ​I will be sharing how in this tutorial. Sierpinski Triangle
Rather than remembering my High School Geometry, I typically use an online Equilateral Triangle calculator to figure out my measurements for my blocks and quilt.
Here is a link to my favorite. ​
Here were the measurements I used in my blocks and quilts. The only thing you need from the calculator is edge length (width) and height (height).
​Just ignore the rest! Drafting the Sierpinski Triangle Quilting Motif
Drafting an Equilateral Triangle in EasyDraw
Draw a basic Equilateral Triangle in EasyDraw and color. Of course if you didn't want the two outside triangles, you could draft this this same triangle in PolyDraw instead.
Drafting Stitching for the Outside Triangles
Drafting the Sierpinski Quilt![]()
Place the EasyDraw Equilateral triangle block on Layer 1.
With the Adjust tool change the size to 64 x 55.5 and center horizontally and vertically. ​Color the border.
Watch the full video tutorial.
Here is the final quilt.
If you would like to get creative, consider creating a different stencil for the Sierpinski triangles. I look forward to seeing what you come up with.
Hint: In exporting your image, make sure to have on Outline patches and Outline blocks. Otherwise you will not see the stitching on Layer 2. Tech Know Quilter Masters members recently completed a class on Sashiko Quilts. Their challenge for the month was to design a Family Crest (Kamon) quilt. I am pretty pumped to share their designs with you. For my EQ tutorial, I decided to walk you through my design process as I created a personal Family Crest quilt. There is no video as I wasn't sure how many of you would want to draft a "Schell Kamon Quilt", but there are plenty of ideas and I do share the EQ tools I used in creating my design. Scroll down for the complete tutorial. Tech Know Quilters Masters Challenge - Japanese Crest (Kamon) ChallengeThis particular challenge was definitely advanced. Not only did they need to locate or draw their own Japanese Crest, they had to figure out how to incorporate their design in a quilt. Some got as far as identifying a crest. Others designed an entire quilt. I am super excited to share their creativity with you. Fran Heisey My name appears to have neither a crest nor any particular meaning, so I decided to use a crane as my inspiration. We have sandhill cranes on the farm and once even a whooping crane, that now spends his summers in the neighborhood. This image was found on Pinterest. The crest became stitching on my quilt. Tech Know Quilters Masters Program Tech Know Quilters Masters Program is open to an current (or former) Tech Know Quilter member that has completed at least 12 months of Tech Know Quilter classes. Send me a note if you would like to learn more. Designing a Kamon (Japanese Crest) QuiltKamon, or family crests, are thought to have come into use around the tenth century among the Japanese aristocracy. Several thousand different crests are known to exist. These stylized motifs are characterized by a strength of design that makes each a striking piece of graphic art. Kamon Symbols and the Five Major Crests The main categories for the symbols used in kamon are animals, plants, nature, buildings and vehicles, and receptacles and patterns.
Designing the "Schell" Crest
Using Wreathmaker I combined three of my crest motifs. Hint: Play with the slider bars under cluster spacing and resize cluster until you have a design you like. Complementary DesignsI then began thinking about what else I could include in my quilt. I decided to see what else I could find with the "shell" concept. Seashell WreathA search of "shell" in the EQ library, yield some quilting stencils that contained seashells. They were part of a Quiltmaker Design Add-On Collection that I had purchased a long time ago. Stencils are typically put on layer 3 and are used for quilting designs.
Seashell Border BlockClamshell BackgroundJapanese ScriptI found a site that allowed me to enter a name and it gave me the Japanese name along with the name written in Japanese script. You can convert your name to Japanese here. Schell translated to Sukeru. Sukeru means to be transparent, to show through. I did a screen shot of the symbols and traced them in EQ as an applique motif. Using the Bezier curve, I traced the center of each symbol. And then applied the brush stroke to finish the patches. Schell Koman Quilt Design
Here is my final Schell Koman quilt. I hope you enjoyed hearing about the design process and this will encourage you to venture into your own original quilt design. I would love to see what you come up with. Please feel free to share pictures in the Learning EQ Facebook group. When Diana Carter saw the picture of my block, she decided to draft it herself and created her own quilt.
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Kari SchellElectric Quilt Expert and Educator and Pattern Designer. Categories
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