Blizzard

While I was designing the project I’m sharing with you today, the wind was blowing at near-blizzard levels, creating wind chill temperatures below 0 degrees Fahrenheit. It instantly brought back memories of being caught in actual blizzards over the years.

That experience directly influenced my fabric choices for this quilt. I reached for icy blues, a teal accent, grey, and black—colors that felt cold, dramatic, and full of movement. The finished design truly captures the feeling of a winter storm, so Blizzard felt like the perfect name.

​Today’s lesson gives you two options for your Blizzard quilt:

• A smaller version that works beautifully as a wall hanging or table runner
• A larger version that makes a cozy lap quilt

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Blizzard Quilt Design using Electric Quilt 8

During a recent help session, one of my students (who lives outside the U.S.) asked for clarification on my latest challenge, “X Marks the Spot.”

“X marks the spot” is an idiom meaning a specific—often hidden—location where something valuable can be found. While that meaning works perfectly, my intent for the challenge was broader. I wanted students to:

• Design X-style blocks, or
• Arrange blocks in an X-shaped layout

To explore traditional X-style blocks, I opened Block Base Plus, which includes a Nine X category with numerous subcategories. As I browsed through those blocks, one immediately stood out as the perfect foundation for this quilt.

​The block I chose is Kentucky Cross Roads, originally published by Prairie Farmer. It’s also known by two other names:

• Cross and Crown (Nancy Page)
• Cross Roads to Texas (Ladies Art Company)

Block Base Plus Nine X Category Search

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Drafting the Blizzard Blocks

Rather than using the Kentucky Cross Roads block directly from Block Base Plus, I decided to walk you through the process of drafting it from scratch in EQ8. Since not everyone owns Block Base Plus, this ensures that everyone can follow along.

If you do have Block Base Plus, you can absolutely skip several steps and simply add the block directly to your EQ8 project.

I started by recreating Kentucky Cross Roads in EasyDraw, experimenting with two different colorations.

Then I created a second variation of the block by simplifying the lower left and lower right legs of the X.

Block settings:

• Block size: 12" x 12"
• Snaps: Horizontal and Vertical set to 12
• Snapping options: Snap to Grid only

​Once one leg of the X is drafted, you can easily copy, paste, and rotate it to create the remaining three legs.

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Blizzard Block Coloring 1

Blizzard Block Coloring 2

Blizzard Block Variation

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Sizing the Block for the Quilt

After completing the block, I recommend going to Print & Export and previewing the Rotary Cutting Instructions. Because many of the units in this block are on point, it can be tricky to determine cutting sizes by eye.
​
I wanted to see whether I could use my favorite rulers for:

• The nine-patch center squares, and
• The half-square triangle units, which finish at the same size

Print and Export for 12 Inch Blizzard Block

At a 12" finished block size, the cutting sizes weren’t ideal for those tools. In the video, I show you how to calculate a block size that would allow the finished squares (and finished HSTs) to be exactly 1".

That adjustment meant resizing the block to 8½" x 8½".

To confirm the math, I reran the Rotary Cutting Instructions at the new size—and success!

The updated chart shows cutting the on-point squares at 1½" x 1½", which produces a perfect 1" finished square.

Updated Rotary Cutting Chart Block Size of 8-1/2"

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Blizzard Quilt Design

To create the quilt:

• Use a Horizontal Layout
• Set the quilt to 3 blocks across and 3 blocks down
• Block size: 8½" x 8½"

Borders

• Border #1: Long Horizontal, size ½"
• Border #2: Blocks Aligned Inside, size 2.125"
  *(Note: After a recent update to my default fabrics, EQ changed the size to 2¼". If you encounter this, go to Worktable Options and set both Snap Settings to *⅛" and then correct the size on the border tab)
• Border #3: Mitered, size ½"

Adjusting Worktable Options to Set Snap Settings to 1/8"

​Here is the finished wall-hanging/table-topper version of the quilt.

Blizzard Quilt 31-3/4" x 31-3/4"

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Lap Quilt Version

In the video, I also show how to quickly turn this design into a lap quilt simply by adjusting the block and border sizes. It’s a fast process, and the overall design remains the same.

The lap quilt finishes at 62½" x 62½".

​The only visual difference is the scale of the fabric, which gives the larger quilt a slightly different feel while maintaining the Blizzard look.

66-1/2" Lap Quilt

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Blizzard Design Video

Be sure to watch the complete video for step-by-step instructions on drafting the blocks, resizing for rotary cutting, and creating both quilt layouts.

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Share Your Work

I would love to see what you do with this design!
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Please feel free to share photos of your Blizzard quilt on the Learning EQ Facebook page.

Learning EQ Facebook Blizzard Quilt Post

Enjoy creating your Blizzard quilt -- and make sure to stay warm during this cold weather spell.

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​Happy quilting.

​Kari

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