Design a fall applique wreath in Electric Quilt 8, convert your design into an SVG file, and use an electronic cutting machine to cut your fabric patches.

In this three-part tutorial, I'll walk you through the entire process:

• Part 1: Create a fall wreath using EQ8.

• Part 2: Convert your EQ8 design into an SVG file using Inkscape.

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• Part 3: Import the SVG file into Cricut Design Space and prepare the shapes for cutting.

If you own a Cricut, Silhouette, or Brother ScanNCut, this technique may open up some exciting possibilities for your applique projects.

Have you heard of Inkscape?

Inkscape is a free, open-source vector graphics program used to create and edit illustrations, logos, and other vector images. I'm certainly not an Inkscape expert, but I've discovered a particularly useful application for quilters: converting designs created in EQ8 into SVG files.

SVG stands for Scalable Vector Graphics. This file format preserves vector shapes, making it useful for transferring applique designs into compatible electronic cutting software.

Once your EQ8 design has been converted to SVG, you can import the shapes into your cutting software and use your electronic cutting machine to cut your fabric patches.

No more tracing every shape and cutting each one out with scissors!

​Let's get started.

The first step is designing the wreath.

In this video, I'll show you how to combine leaf motifs from the EQ8 library into a single block. You'll see how rotating and resizing the individual elements allows you to arrange them into a wreath design.

​The fun part is experimenting with the placement of the leaves until the design comes together.

Once I finished the wreath, I knew I didn't want to cut out all those applique shapes by hand. I wanted to use my electronic cutting machine instead.

However, I ran into two challenges.

First, the finished block measures 20 inches by 20 inches. If I printed it on standard letter-size paper, EQ8 would tile the design across multiple pages.

Second, the applique shapes overlap. That means I couldn't simply rely on my cutting machine's tracing feature to identify each individual patch from a printed image.

I needed a way to preserve the entire design as a single file.

After some experimenting, I found a solution: print the EQ8 block to a PDF using a custom paper size of 24 inches by 24 inches.

No, I don't own a printer that can print a 24-inch square page! The goal isn't to print the design on a giant sheet of paper. Instead, creating a larger PDF page allows me to bring the complete design into Inkscape without splitting it across multiple pages.

In the video, I demonstrate how to use the free CutePDF Writer on a Windows computer and configure a custom page size using the PostScript Custom Page Size option.

The specific steps for creating a custom paper size differ between Windows and Mac computers, so I've included Mac instructions below.

Let's move on to Inkscape!

Now that we have a PDF containing the complete wreath design, we're ready to convert it into an SVG file.

This is where Inkscape comes in.

Inkscape is a free vector graphics editor available for both Windows and Mac. Although I use only a small portion of its capabilities, it has become a valuable tool in my quilting workflow.

For this project, I'll use it to open the PDF from EQ8 and prepare the design for export as an SVG file.

Why is this useful?

SVG files can be imported into compatible electronic cutting software, including Cricut Design Space, Silhouette Studio, and Brother CanvasWorkspace for supported workflows. This allows you to transfer your EQ8 applique shapes into your cutting software rather than tracing and cutting every patch by hand.

​You can download Inkscape from the official Inkscape website.

In the video, I'll demonstrate how to open the EQ8 PDF in Inkscape, work with the imported design, and save it in SVG format.

Because the original design was exported on a single, larger page, I can work with the complete wreath rather than having to piece together several tiled pages.

I'll also show you how I prepare the design for use with an electronic cutting machine.

​You are welcome to use my PDF file to import into Inkscape, even if you haven't created the wreath yourself.

We're almost ready to cut fabric!

In the final video, I'll show you how to import the SVG file into Cricut Design Space and prepare the design for cutting.

Note that SVG import and cutting capabilities can vary by software version and machine.  For Brother users, for example, the relevant software is typically CanvasWorkspace. 

One important detail: check the size of the imported design before cutting.

When importing an SVG, verify that the grouped design matches the intended dimensions from Inkscape.

For this project, the original wreath block measures 20 by 20 inches. The SVG may include additional page space, depending on how the file was prepared, so use the intended design dimensions rather than automatically assuming the imported page is the correct size.

Once the size is correct, you can review the individual shapes and prepare them for cutting.

​If you've assigned colors to the shapes in Inkscape, those colors may help you organize your design in Cricut Design Space. You may still need to adjust the groups, material settings, or cutting operations to suit your project.

And that's it! You've taken a design from EQ8, converted it into an SVG file, and prepared it for use with an electronic cutting machine.

I love finding new ways to use Electric Quilt 8 in my quilting projects. Being able to turn an EQ8 applique design into a file for an electronic cutting machine gives me another option for bringing those designs to life.

And the technique isn't limited to fall leaves. You can explore the same general workflow with other applique designs you create in EQ8.

​I hope this tutorial inspires you to experiment with your own designs and discover new ways to combine EQ8 with the tools in your sewing room.

Do you remember coloring as a child?

There was something wonderfully relaxing about taking a simple line drawing and experimenting with different colors to see what emerged.

A few months ago, I rediscovered an idea that brought back that same sense of play—but with a quilting twist.

Back in the early 1990s, I purchased a book called Kaleidoscope Pictures by Brenda Groelz. The book used kaleidoscope graph paper, colored pencils, and a little imagination to create a series of pictorial quilts.

​Brenda's book included templates and instructions for turning the designs into quilts.

As I looked through the designs again, I started wondering:

Could we use Electric Quilt 8 to recreate this process and design our own kaleidoscope pictures?

The answer is yes!

You can use the coloring tools in EQ8 to experiment with different designs and color combinations. Or, if you prefer the tactile experience of colored pencils, you can print your own kaleidoscope coloring pages and design them by hand.

​In this tutorial, I'll show you how I created a kaleidoscope block in EQ8, turned it into a coloring page, and then used EQ8's coloring tools to develop a new quilt design.

My favorite way to create the kaleidoscope block is with the PolyDraw toolkit.

One of the grids available in PolyDraw is the Kaleidoscope grid. This gives us the framework we need to create the block.

Rather than calculating angles or trying to construct the block from scratch, simply follow the grid lines using the PolyLine tool to draw the patches.

There are only two basic patches in this block:

• The Kaleidoscope Wedge
• The Corner Piece

​Once those two patches are drawn, you can clone, rotate, and position them to complete the remaining sections of the block.

Once the block is complete, move to the Quilt Worktable and set up a horizontal quilt.

You can choose the number and size of your blocks based on the design you want to create.

For the quilt in my video, I used a 9 × 9 layout.

On the Design tab, I placed the kaleidoscope block on the quilt and colored the block white.

​And just like that, I had a coloring page!

If you enjoy coloring by hand, this is a great place to stop.

Print several copies of your quilt and pull out your colored pencils. Try different color combinations. Experiment with repeating colors. See what happens when you make one section light and another section dark.

There is no right or wrong answer.

​You're simply playing with color and pattern.

While I didn't include all of my coloring experiments in the video, I had a couple of additional ideas that emerged while I was playing.

This is one of the things I enjoy about designing in EQ8.
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You can try an idea, change a color, move a block, or start an entirely different coloring—and you haven't cut a single piece of fabric!

When you create a coloring you like, select Add to Sketchbook.

This saves the colored block designs in your Project Sketchbook.

There is one little EQ8 detail to be aware of.

I have my maximum number of blocks set to 10. That means that if I save several different kaleidoscope colorings, they can appear stacked on top of each other in the Project Sketchbook.

In the video, I'll show you how to separate that stack so that each individual coloring is visible.

Once the colorings are separated, the Eye Dropper tool makes it easy to find a particular coloring and place it back into the quilt.

​From there, I could repeat my favorite designs to create the center of the quilt.

At this point, I had a kaleidoscope design for the center of the quilt.

But why stop there?

I decided to carry the kaleidoscope idea into the borders.

EQ8's Border Style Blocks provide a great way to do this.

Set the number of blocks to correspond with the number of horizontal and vertical sections in your quilt.

Then use the coloring tools to experiment with the border design.

​You can coordinate the border with the center—or create something completely different.

And here is the full video tutorial where I walk through the process from drawing the kaleidoscope block through coloring and assembling the quilt.

This idea actually started with a challenge I gave my Tech Know Quilter Masters members in September.

I asked them to create their own kaleidoscope designs.

And they did not disappoint!

The members took the basic kaleidoscope concept in directions I hadn't even considered. Some played with traditional-looking geometric designs, while others used the kaleidoscope structure to create much more pictorial and unexpected designs.

​Here are just a few of the designs they shared in our Facebook group.

Seeing all of these different interpretations reminded me of what I love about a design challenge.

We can start with exactly the same tools and the same basic block—and end up with completely different quilts.

You don't need a fabric stash to get started.

You don't even need to open your sewing machine.

Choose a favorite fabric collection—or grab a set of colored pencils—and start playing.

Create a kaleidoscope coloring page in EQ8.

Try different colors.

Try different arrangements.

Try repeating a small design.

​And most importantly, give yourself permission to play.

You may be surprised at what you discover.

​If you create your own kaleidoscope design, I'd love to see it! Feel free to share a picture in the Learning EQ Facebook group.

Have you purchased Electric Quilt 8 with big dreams of designing your own quilts—only to feel overwhelmed once you opened the program?

You’re not alone.

Many quilters discover that EQ8 is packed with powerful tools, but without guidance, it can feel like more frustration than fun.

That’s exactly why I created the Tech Know Quilters Academy.

In this 10 minute video, I’ll share how the Academy can help you move from stuck and uncertain to confident and creative—designing quilts that are truly your own.

​Watch the video  to see how you can finally unlock the full potential of EQ8.

Ready to turn EQ8 from a source of frustration into your favorite quilting tool? 

Enrollment for the Tech Know Quilters Academy is now open—but only for a limited time.

In just six months, you’ll gain the confidence to design your own blocks, appliqué motifs, and quilts that reflect your unique vision.

​Plus, when you join the inaugural class, you’ll receive exclusive bonuses to support your journey.

Enrollment closes on Tuesday, September 29.

Do you have an AccuQuilt die—or perhaps a collection of dies—that you love using for appliqué?

What if you could use those same shapes to design an entire quilt in Electric Quilt 8?

Even better, Electric Quilt includes a collection of AccuQuilt block libraries that you can download for free.

The downloads are available through DoYouEQ.com:
Free AccuQuilt Downloads from DoYouEQ

When I first downloaded the AccuQuilt collection, however, I found myself wondering:

How do I actually use these designs to create a quilt?

​There is one important concept to understand before you begin.

One of the things I love about Electric Quilt is the ability to resize virtually anything.

Want to make a block larger? No problem.

Want to make it smaller? EQ8 can do that, too.

For most quilt designs, this is a huge advantage.

But when you are designing for an AccuQuilt die, you need to pay attention to size.

The physical die determines the size of the shape you can cut.

So if you resize an appliqué shape in EQ8, you may end up with a beautiful design on your computer screen—but one that doesn't match the shape produced by your die.

If your goal is to design a quilt that you can actually construct using your AccuQuilt dies, maintaining the correct size is critical.

And that is where my approach comes in.

The AccuQuilt designs as downloaded into EQ8 are based on the way the dies themselves are packaged.

That makes sense from AccuQuilt's perspective, but it isn't necessarily the most convenient format for designing an entire quilt.

In the video, I'll show you how I work with these downloads in EQ8.

I'll demonstrate how to:

• Download and locate the free AccuQuilt block libraries in EQ8
• Work with the designs included in the library
• Separate the individual shapes into useful appliqué motifs
• Adjust the block size so the shapes are easier to work with
• Maintain the correct size of each appliqué element
• Create additional details, such as veins in leaves
• Use the finished appliqué motifs in an EQ8 quilt design

​The goal is to turn what initially looks like a collection of die information into usable appliqué motifs that you can incorporate into your own quilt designs.

For this tutorial, I'm working with the GO! Fall Medley collection.

GO! Fall Medley from AccuQuilt

​This collection is perfect for a fall quilt—and it gave me an opportunity to demonstrate an important part of the process.

After working with the downloaded designs, I created several individual appliqué motif blocks that I could use in my EQ8 quilt.

​Here are some of the motifs I created:

Notice that the individual shapes are now much easier to work with as design elements.
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And because I have maintained their proper size, I can use them in my quilt knowing that they will correspond to the shapes produced by my AccuQuilt dies.

Once you have your appliqué motifs ready to use, the real fun begins.
You can start with a very simple quilt design.

For my example, I created a quilt using:

• One simple block
• Two borders
• A fall-themed fabric collection
• AccuQuilt appliqué motifs

I downloaded a free fabric collection from Do You EQ and  added the fabrics to my Sketchbook.  I think Scrap Basket Besties by Kim Diehl for Henry Glass Fabrics is a perfect Fall collection for this die set.

Then I colored my quilt.

Finally, I moved the AccuQuilt appliqué motifs onto Layer 2 and rotated them to create my design.

There is one important rule to remember here:

Don't resize the appliqué motifs once you have created them at the correct die size.

If you resize them, they will no longer match the shapes you can cut with your AccuQuilt dies.

Instead, change the placement, rotation, or arrangement of the motifs to create your design.

​And with a little experimenting, you can turn a simple quilt into something that is uniquely yours.

One of the things I enjoy most about Electric Quilt is that it allows you to move beyond simply making a quilt from a pattern.

You can take the tools you already have—your fabric, your favorite blocks, your appliqué dies—and use EQ8 to explore what else you could create with them.

​And once you understand how to bring your AccuQuilt shapes into EQ8 at the correct size, you have another tool for creating original quilt designs.

If this project has you thinking about all the possibilities in Electric Quilt, I'd love to have you join me for my upcoming free live EQ8 webinar!

From Quilt Idea to Quilt Design — Let EQ8 Do the Heavy Lifting!
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Have you ever opened Electric Quilt 8 with an idea in your head… and then wondered:

“Where do I even begin?”

Maybe you have a beautiful fabric collection waiting to be used.

Maybe you've found a block you love and wondered what you could do with it.

Or perhaps you have a seasonal quilt idea but aren't quite sure how to turn that idea into a complete quilt design.

​You're not alone.

I'll walk you through the process of going from:

Idea → Block → Fabric → Layout → Finished Quilt Design

And we'll have some fun with fall-inspired examples along the way.

You'll see how the different parts of EQ8 work together to help you design with confidence—rather than feeling overwhelmed by all the possibilities on the screen.

And you don't need to be an expert EQ8 designer to participate.

​Come with your curiosity and your creativity. I'll guide you through the rest.

Can't attend live? No problem!

Everyone who registers will receive access to the 48-hour replay, so you can watch the webinar even if the live session doesn't fit your schedule.

​Reserve your spot and get ready for some Fall Fun with EQ8!

Popular lore paints every old schoolhouse as a charming little red building sitting in the middle of the countryside.

Images of the one-room schoolhouse have become part of our collective memory, helped along by writers such as Laura Ingalls Wilder in Little House on the Prairie. The one-room school represents a time when education was closely connected to farm life, the seasons, and the local community.

One teacher might be responsible for students ranging from first grade through eighth grade—all learning together in the same room.

I have a personal connection to that history.

I remember my Uncle John fondly telling stories about his time teaching in a one-room schoolhouse in North Dakota. Those stories always fascinated me, and perhaps that is why the traditional schoolhouse quilt block has always tugged at my heart.

When I recently looked through the schoolhouse blocks in the EQ8 Block Library, I found several possibilities. But there was one problem.

They weren't particularly easy to piece.

I'm willing to sew inset seams when necessary—but only when I can't find another solution!

So I decided to draft my own version of a traditional schoolhouse block in EQ8. My goal was to create a design that still captured the familiar schoolhouse shape while offering several straightforward options for piecing.
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And I'm going to share the process with you in this week's tutorial.

One of the things I particularly like about designing a block in EQ8 is that I can explore different ways to construct it before cutting into fabric.
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This schoolhouse block gives us three different piecing options.

Option 1:  Rotary Cutting
The block can be divided into pieces that are suitable for traditional rotary cutting and piecing.
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EQ8 makes it easy to generate the rotary cutting instructions, so you can see the cutting dimensions of each piece before ever picking up your rotary cutter.

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Option 2:  Foundation Piecing

The schoolhouse can also be foundation pieced.

By looking at the Section and Numbering options in EQ8, you can see how the block would be divided for foundation piecing.

But here's something worth considering:

Do you really need all of those sections?

When creating a foundation-pieced block, you don't necessarily have to accept the sectioning EQ8 generates automatically.

You can simplify it.

For example, you could consider making the entire roof one foundation-pieced section rather than breaking it into several smaller sections.

That can make the pattern easier to sew and reduce the number of seams you need to join.

Option 3:  Templates
​And if neither rotary cutting nor foundation paper piecing appeals to you, there is always the template option.

EQ8 can generate templates directly from the block.

So which method would you choose?
​
Rotary cutting, foundation paper piecing, or templates?

Once I had my schoolhouse block drafted, it was time to turn it into a quilt.

I started by selecting the Horizontal Layout and setting the quilt to 1 block horizontally by 1 block vertically.

At first, that might sound like a strange choice for a quilt!

But I wanted the schoolhouse block itself to become the center of the design.

I then changed the block size from 9" x 9" to 18" x 18".

In other words, I essentially doubled the size of my original block.

Why?

Because I wanted to make sure my cutting dimensions remained rotary-cutting friendly. Working with an 18" finished block gave me larger, easier-to-manage pieces while maintaining the proportions of the original design.

​From there, I built the quilt around the schoolhouse with four borders.

​Border 1 — Three Sides Only
The first border is a 2" Long Horizontal border.

But there is a little trick here.

I applied this border to only three sides of the quilt.

That creates the framing effect I wanted without surrounding the entire quilt with the same strip.

Border 2 — Tile Squares
The second border uses Tile Squares.

Tile Squares work a little differently from a traditional border where you specify the finished width.

Instead, you tell EQ8 how many blocks you want in the border, and EQ8 calculates the size needed to make everything fit.

For this quilt, I set the number of blocks to 11 horizontal.
This creates:

• 11 blocks across the top and bottom
• 10 blocks along the sides
• 2" x 2" finished squares

If necessary, EQ8 can add a spacer so that the mathematics work out correctly.

I then placed four-patch blocks into the Tile Squares border.

This adds another little piecing detail without taking attention away from the schoolhouse.

Border 3 — Another 2" Border
For the third border, I used another 2" Long Horizontal border.

This provides a simple transition between the pieced Tile Squares border and the final edge of the quilt.

Border 4 — Mitered Binding
Finally, I added a ½" Mitered border.

​This represents the binding around the outside edge of the quilt.

Place four patch blocks in the Tile Squares border.

And here is the finished quilt!

I love how a relatively simple block can become a meaningful quilt design with just a few thoughtful additions.
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For me, this one is more than just another schoolhouse quilt. It brings back memories of the stories my Uncle John shared about teaching in a one-room schoolhouse in North Dakota.

​Want to see how I created the schoolhouse block and quilt in EQ8?

I've put together a video tutorial that walks through the process step by step.

​You'll see how I:

• Draft the schoolhouse block in EasyDraw
• Set up the snapping grid
• Divide the block into piecing sections
• Enlarge the block for a quilt design
• Create the four borders
• Add four-patch blocks to the Tile Squares border

​Watch the tutorial below and follow along in EQ8 as you create your own version of this traditional schoolhouse quilt.

And don't be afraid to make the block your own. Try different fabrics, change the size of the schoolhouse, or experiment with the borders.

After all, that's one of the best things about designing in EQ8—you can explore the possibilities before you ever cut a piece of fabric.