When I went to play with rotating and fussy cutting some of the Waters Edge fabric pieces, I quickly realized some of the fabrics had a very large repeat. This first piece in the collection was 25 inches square -- and it isn't even a full repeat of the design.
Trying to rotate and fussy cut a 25" piece of fabric in a 2-1/2" quarter circle, did not work very well for me. So I knew I needed to approach the process a bit differently.
I thought about the time I did a One Block Wonder quilt (a real quilt -- not an EQ design) where I cut the theme fabric into strips that were exactly the same section of the fabric (essentially cutting the repeats). I then aligned each of the strips and sub-cut them for each of the blocks. Then sewed together for a kaleidoscope type of design. The approach I chose for fussy cutting in my quarter circles in the Sashing and Block Combo EQ quilt was similar to that. However I chose to cut my strips larger than needed. Then I could have more options for fussy cutting the design to pick different elements to highlight.
I found that I could cut the 25" fabric swatch into 25 different 5" segments -- more than I need for the Sashing and Block Combo quilt.
In this weeks video tutorial, check out how I created smaller fabric swatches, rotated fabric and fussy cut in the quilt.
Here are my updated blocks. Check out the circle designs in each of them. The first 8 were from the fabric image shown above. Can you find the designs in the full fabric image?
Click on each block for a close-up view.
The last four were from the following piece. This is also from the Waters Edge fabric collection. This one had a full repeat both horizontally and vertically. The single repeat was 16-1/2" by 12-1/2".
Here is the final quilt.
I look forward to seeing what you choose to do with fussy-cutting. Feel free to share a block (or two) in the Learning EQ Facebook group.
What to do about Pixelated Fabric?
I reached out to Electric Quilt who shared with me that it was a known issue. I suspect related to these super large fabric swatches. The workaround is:
I was able to fix this project. However I did find that it doesn't work 100% of the time. So we may need to deal with a few "pixelated fabric swatches". FYI -- I didn't find any issues after cropping the large pieces. Tech Know Quilters Working with Fabric Class
The first Tech Know Quilters class is all above working with fabrics in Electric Quilt 8. In addition to learning how to import fabric from multiple sources, you will even learn how to photograph and scan your own fabric. Won't that be a great stash busting option!
If you would like to join Tech Know Quilters ahead of the next open enrollment period, send me a note and I will send you information on getting started in September -- back to school for you.
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Last week I mentioned that I was away at a quilt retreat. It was so fun catching up with some quilting friends and even getting a bit of quilting done. Of course not nearly as much as I was planning on. But I did get the binding on two quilts and borders pieced and added on a third quilt. I thought those borders would take me 1/2 day -- boy was I wrong. But I do like how the quilt turned out.
Sashing and Block Combo Design Using EQ8
The Electric Quilt tutorial today has a bit of a surprise in it. The quilt looks like a custom set quilt. But it was done with a horizontal layout.
In the video tutorial, I cover, drafting the blocks, working with the Ellipse applique tool and rotating fabric. The "sashing" can be pieced with 1-1/2" strips, making this a fun stash buster idea. The fabric used in the quilt was a combination of default fabrics and Waters Edge. Waters Edge was designed by Brett Lewis for Northcott. It is a free download from Electric Quilt.
Enjoy the video.
Here are the blocks and quilt from the video. Each of the blocks have a 9" x 9" finished size.
I would love to see what you decide to do with the combo block. Feel free to post in the Learning EQ Facebook group.
Spoiler alert -- I am playing with a different idea for the applique circles. I hope to be able to share that with you next week.
As this posts, I am enjoying an extended weekend with members of my local quilt guild. For me this means some time actually piecing a quilt or two and catching up with some dear friends. It is always inspiring to see what everyone is working on and hear about their latest fabric and tool finds.
I also get super inspired when members of Tech Know Quilters share what they are working on as well. I consider them my "online guild". They provide me inspiration each and every day. I will be sharing a few of their virtual projects in this post. Scroll down for an EQ8 tutorial on designing an optical illusion quilt -- complete with added quilting. Tech Know Quilter Showcase
Optical Illusion with Quilting EQ8 Tutorial
I designed this project for one of my Optical Illusion classes in Tech Know Quilters -- but didn't have enough room to include it in the class. As you saw in the show a number of Tech Know Quilter members just finished their projects from an Optical Illusions class. So I thought it would be fun to share this tutorial with you.
Here is the quilt from the tutorial.
I look forward to seeing what you decided to do with this block. Please feel free to post pictures in the Learning EQ Facebook group.
In Tech Know Quilters there are two different Optical Illusions classes. Here are some of the projects from each of the classes.
If you are currently in Tech Know Quilters and would like to take either of these classes as an add-on class, just send us a note. We would be happy to get you a discount coupon for your class.
I hope you are finding ways to stay cool. It has been super hot in MN this week, so I've been trying to get caught up on a number of computer projects. And I need to find some time to settle on a project (or two) for my quilt retreat next weekend.
In this weeks EQ8 video, I had fun playing with the Swath tool. If you haven't had a chance to use it -- let me share my tips with you. Swirling Geese EQ8 Tutorial
For fabric I used the Stonehenge Basics collection by Linda Ludovico by Northcott. I love the watercolor look of the fabrics and look forward to finding them at a quilt shop.
Here are a few different quilt options. The first was covered in the video. But I decided to do a little more playing after the video was complete.
Let me know what you decide to do with the swath tool.
I've set up a post in the Learning EQ Facebook group where you can share you ideas.
What Others Chose to Do with the Geometric Garden Quilt
I suggested viewers post pictures of their Geometric Garden quilts. Check out those that were shared on Facebook.
I hope you enjoyed seeing their variations as much as I did. Quilters are so creative.
Quilting Motifs for the Geometric Garden Quilt
The blank blocks in the Geometric Garden quilt, really called for me to add something more. After a bit of personal debate, I decided on a quilting design. The one I came up with started with a circle and added cross-hatching inside the circle.
If quilting designs intimidate you, this is definitely a great way to get started. I promise -- it is easier than it looks.
Here are the quilting motifs along with the final Geometric Garden Quilt.
I look forward to seeing what you decided to do with the alternating blocks. Please feel free to post pictures in the Learning EQ Facebook group.
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Kari SchellElectric Quilt Expert and Educator and Pattern Designer. Categories
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