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There is one major Tech Know Quilter's open enrollment each year and it is going on now. If you are ready to unleash the power of Electric Quilt in your quilting designs, now is the time to invest in yourself.  Check out what Tech Know Quilter Members Are CreatingTech Know Quilters is a membership of Electric Quilt 8 owners who are mastering Electric Quilt through online training. At the end of their May class, they were encouraged to apply what they learned during the month of May.
Masters Miniature Star ChallengeMasters members were challenged to design a miniature star quilt that was inspired by a historical star quilt. TKQ members are eligible to join masters after 12 months in the program. Masters members receive fewer lessons each month, with more time to devote to their own projects and challenges.
A Few Sewing Projects
Other Fun Projects by TKQ MembersHere are some additional projects created by Tech Know Quilter members. I continue to be amazed by their talent.
Ready to Join?
Blog Highlights:
Why Should I Redraft a Block in EQ8?
We now have over 350 participants in the Summer Flower Garden Challenge -- many of who are sharing their designs in the Learning EQ Facebook group.
I have had a few participants question "why they should draft a block if it has already been drawn and is in an EQ library". Maybe you have had a similar question. Although some of the designs in the Summer Flower Garden Challenge are original designs, others are historic blocks. The reason I included the variety of blocks is to allow us to explore different techniques for drafting blocks using the EasyDraw tools. Redrawing these blocks, helps our brain learn how to use the tools. And it is often faster to redraw a block that find it in a library. I have been challenging more advanced participants to draft the block before watching my video, However, I then encourage them to watch the video to see if there is a new technique they can add to their arsenal in drafting their own blocks. What are EQ8 Users Learning from the Challenge?
Carol shared that she learned how to add nodes to make more complicated shapes in a matter of minutes.
Holly shared that one of the advantages of the class is learning the options available in EQ8 and trying options you never would have tried to use.
It is not too late. This is the final weekend to be able to purchase the Summer Flower Garden challenge. Sign up here.
Exploring New Possibilities from Old Blocks
Whether drafting blocks for the challenge, class, or even just for fun, the act of drawing the blocks allows our brain to take action. Sometimes this is through a conscious decision to play the "what if" game and sometimes it is through a mistake that opens up new ideas.
As challenge participants moved to deepen their understanding of the concepts shared in the design challenge, numerous participants decided to take their designs to the next level. Let me share some of their creative playtime here. (The blocks they drafted are a variations of one of the blocks shown above.) Pinwheel Flower
Prairie Flower
Water Lily
Pansy Block
Cactus Flower Block
Rose Block
Combining Flower Blocks
Holy Urbain designed a table runner which combined the carnation, peony and pansy blocks.
Christel Frischmuth designed her first quilt using the blocks she drafted.
Charmaine Devaney combined her first six blocks in a quilt.
Julie Pedersen combined blocks 1-6.
Marlu Allan combined blocks 1-6.
Possibilities in a Six Pointed Table Topper
Those in Tech Know Quilter's Masters are more advanced Tech Know Quilter's members. They receive exclusive Master's level classes every other month and are encouraged to work on their own projects and designs.
This month they are working on Advanced Custom Set Designs. They were encouraged to create a six pointed table topper quilt and populate it with their own blocks.
I hope you will be as inspired by their designs as I am.
Pat Harkins also created a number of quilting designs that she auditioned on one of her quilts.
Tech Know Quilter's Masters is open to Tech Know Quilter members who have taken a minimum of 12 Tech Know Quilter's classes.
Tech Know Quilter's opens for enrollment only a few times a year. Sign up for the wait list to be informed the next time it opens. (FYI -- the next open enrollment will be really soon.) Summer Flower Garden Challenge - Block 12
Would you like to see a sample of what challenge participants are watching each day?
The Tiger Lily block will show you a way to draft this 9 patch based design as a 12 inch block.
The Summer Flower Garden Challenge will be retired this week. So this is your last chance to enroll and receive access to all the past videos.
Note: Enrolled participants will always have access to their purchased material.
There are over 300 Electric Quilt 8 users signed up for the Summer Flower Garden Challenge.
Challenge participants have been sharing their blocks on the Learning EQ Facebook group. Included in this blog post is a small sampling of what was posted this week. (There were over 60 blocks posted every day.) If you would like to see the complete collection, you are welcome to join the Learning EQ Facebook group.
It's not too late. Although the challenge started on June 8th, you can catch up on all the tutorials within 24 hours. Sign up here.
Summer Flower Garden Inspiration
Check out how different the same block can look depending on the fabric or even just value differences.
Block 1 - Rosebud
If you would like a sneak peak at how to draft block 1, check out this free video.
Block 2 - Daylily
Block 3 - Mystery Flower Garden
Block 4 - Carnation
During this lesson, participants learned how to alter a pattern to accommodate their preferred piecing style.
Block 5 - Peony
Taking the Designs to the Next Level
Some in the challenge, decided to work on creating quilts and some expanded on the concepts to create new blocks.
Barb Gardner decided to combine blocks 1 and 2 to create an original quilt.
Judy Oldenkamp Sawyer created a table runner using the Daylily block
Carmen Sidlaruk decided to play with changing the snap points to add more interest to her Daylily block.
Summer Flower Garden Challenge Block 6
Would you like to see a sample of what challenge participants are watching each day?
The Prairie Flower block is a great opportunity to work on identifying your snap points before drafting the block in Electric Quilt. Before watching the video, take a guess at correct snap points. Then watch the video to compare your approach to mine.
Join me for a brand new challenge to grow your Electric Quilt skills -- or rebuild your skills if you have fallen away from using the software.
The Challenge starts June 8th at 8 AM. (Those joining after that date will receive all the emails -- but they will all be on a lag basis.) 
Enroll Now in the Challenge
Last week I shared three videos to set you up for success for the upcoming challenge.
Sneak Peak at the First Block in the Summer Flower Garden Challenge
Are you curious about the challenge? Check out the first video where I share how to draw the rosebud block.
To get the remaining videos, you must enroll in the challenge.
More Information About the Challenge
If one of you plans for this summer is to finally get comfortable using Electric Quilt 8, then this upcoming challenge is for you. Or maybe you have lost some of your motivation during the quarantine and are looking to get back into using EQ. If so this challenge is for you as well. The challenge starts Monday, June 8, 2020.
For two weeks I will be providing you over 12 videos on creating a series of flower blocks in EasyDraw. If you are new to drawing your own blocks, this will get you comfortable in using the EasyDraw to redraw your favorite blocks or create your own. For those who have been using Electric Quilt for a while, you will have an opportunity for some extra practice on figuring out the snaps horizontal and vertical in EasyDraw which will carry over into all you designing. There is a small fee ($12) that I am charging to handle the extra administrative expenses associated with the challenge. I also have found that enrollees are much more engaged when they pay to participate. And when they are engaged, their skills grow at a much higher rate. If you haven't signed up for the challenge, please make sure to do that today. 
I've received a number of inquiries from those that have been waiting to join Tech Know Quilters. My plans are to open the doors to Tech Know Quilter at the end of the challenge..
I've been asked by those that are in one of my classes or receive my weekly newsletter if they are automatically enrolled in the challenge. The answer is NO. So please sign up using the link above if you would like to participate in the challenge.
For those currently in the Tech Know Quilter group, check your emails for your special option for the challenge.
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Kari SchellElectric Quilt Expert and Educator and Pattern Designer. Categories
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