In February, I love to make a new heart quilt -- or update one I've previously created. During a bitter cold spell, a think a heart quilt warms both my heart and the planned recipient of the quilt.
Watch the full video.
Using the Foundation blocks from the EQ8 library, is a great way to personalize your quilt. But what if you would like to create your own foundations for a truly one-of-a-kind quilt?
I have a special opportunity for those who wish to take their foundation drafting skills to the next level. Special Opportunity to Take Foundation Patterns Class
Would you like to take this class? I've decided to offer it as a stand alone class available for purchase during February 2023. The class is considered an Advanced Beginner class -- which means you have some experience in working in EasyDraw and have created some basic quilt layouts.
Foundation Piecing/Paper Piecing Definition – A design that can be pieced by sewing on the lines of a foundation (typically paper).
My favorite blocks for foundation piecing:
We will cover all of these in the Foundation Patterns class.
Current Tech Know Quilter members, please contact me if your wish to take this as an add-on class in February. The class currently exists in TKQ and there are added discounts for current TKQ members.
Tech Know Quilters Showcase
Tree Skirt Challenge Showcase
Within Tech Know Quilters Masters, there is an opportunity for those who have completed twelve or more months of Tech Know Quilters to join this more advanced program where we focus on support for those applying their EQ8 skills to their own projects.
Each month, TKQ Masters members are encouraged to create an original design around a specific topic. During December, Tech Know Quilter Masters members were encouraged to design a tree skirt. Some shared their EQ designs while others share actual tree quilts they made.
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Last week I shared with you how to find some blocks in the Electric Quilt block library and turn them into snowflake blocks. If you missed the video tutorial, you can check it out here.
This week I will share a custom set layout in an Electric Quilt 8 video tutorial. Although Custom Set can seem intimidating, with my step by step video instructions, it will be easy to put together this Custom Set quilt design.
If you would like to redraft this quilt, here are a few photos taken during the video that will be useful.
Are you ready to get creative? If you have a set of blocks you have drafted, here is an opportunity to showcase them in your own quilt. And try a new fabric collection to inspire yourself to piece a few of them. (Like me, you may be ready to be done with winter and snow.)
I would love to see your designs. Feel free to hop over the the Learning EQ Facebook group and share.
There is a lot of snow in Minnesota this year, so I thought it was time to design a snow quilt.
This one is a lot of fun as all my blocks come from the Electric Quilt 8 Block Library. I decided not to get too fussy -- so there will be a lot of 8 pointed snowflakes rather than the traditional 6 pointed ones. 8 pointed snowflakes are typically much easier to piece. This is a great tutorial for new Electric Quilt 8 owners (or those that have been away for a while) as we will explore grabbing fabrics and blocks from the Electric Quilt libraries. There is so much to choose from.
Here is my challenge for you. Find approximately 15 snowflake blocks in the library. Or if you are up to it draft your own blocks. Color them and save them to your Project Sketchbook.
Remember that in Electric Quilt, saving is a two step process. Make sure to name your project. If you haven't named it, it will say unnamed at the top. Then select add to sketchbook for each block. Super simple -- once you know the two steps.
Share your favorite colored snowflake and let us know if it was from the library or one you designed yourself. Or maybe it is a hybrid.
We have turned the calendar to 2023. And if you are like me, you are thinking a bit about what you wish to accomplish during the year ahead. A few years ago I created a class on creating calendar quilts for those in Tech Know Quilter. This seems like a very appropriate topic for January.
During the Tech Know Quilter class we went through the process of creating a monthly calendar using Electric Quilt. We attached the calendar to a monthly themed quilt and turned the entire design into a backdrop that could be used with a computer. Imagine being able to showcase one of your quilt designs without needing to piece it.
In this free tutorial, I will share how to modify the 2020 calendar to 2023. Then how I updated my original quilt with the latest calendar.
For those that took the Tech Know Quilter's calendar quilt class, you will be able to modify your designs from the class. For others, you will be inspired by seeing how you combine two quilts in a single project. There are lots of great take-aways for creating your own calendar quilt.
Here are the updated January 2023 calendar quilts from the video.
As a New Years special, I decided to open up an opportunity to take the Calendar Class -- without joining Tech Know Quilters. Scroll down for more information on this exciting new opportunity.
Changing the Desktop Background in Windows 11
Each operating system has its own way of changing the Desktop background. I recently switched to Windows 11 and thought I would share screenshots of the process for that particular operating system. If you are using a different computer/operating system, you may want to do a search to see how it is done on your system.
Here is what my desktop screen looks like after using the exported photo from the video.
I also experimented with a backdrop that was just the calendar. For this one, I used "Fit" and added a background color.
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If you took the Tech Know Quilter's calendar class, now would be a great time to update your quilts for 2023.
Special Opportunity to Take the Full Calendar Quilt Class
Would you like to take this class? I've decided to offer it as a stand alone class available for purchase during January 2023. The class does assume you are familiar with using both EasyDraw and Applique tools in Electric Quilt. I would not consider it a "beginner" class.
Here were my 2020 combination quilts (quilted design plus calendar) created during the Calendar Quilts class. Click on the images for an up close view.
The stand alone EQ8 Calendar Quilt class is only available for purchase during January 2023.
It will be delivered over five weeks, starting with your date of purchase. For those desiring support as you go through the class, I've set up a private Facebook group which provides a vehicle for me to answer any of your questions as you go through the class. The class retails at $60. But it will be offered at the sale price of $49.99 during January 2023.
Current Tech Know Quilter members, please contact me if your wish to take this as an add-on class in January. The class currently exists in TKQ and there are added discounts for current TKQ members.
Tech Know Quilters Showcase
Family Tree Challenge Showcase
Within Tech Know Quilters Masters, there is an opportunity for those who have completed twelve or more months of Tech Know Quilters to join this more advanced program where we focus on support for those applying their EQ8 skills to their own projects.
Each month, TKQ Masters members are encouraged to create an original design around a specific topic. During November, Tech Know Quilter Masters members were encouraged to design a family tree quilt. There was a lot of discussion on the topic and a few even managed to complete their EQ designs. ![]()
Brigitte Lee Here is my Family "tree". It all started with a heart exchange. 40 people cut 40 hearts (template) of the same fabric. So I ended up with 40 different hearts. Today I re-designed my quilt (right) in EQ which I made and designed in Quilt-Pro in 2003. I'm representing the bloodline with the same fabric. Light colors female, dark male. Top raw my mother, my father left and my step-father right, with his ex. Below my siblings. My brother, passed away as a teenager, my two sisters, (twins) with their families,. Left the older twin, right the younger with her ex and her husband. Next raw, myself and my hubby, my older boy, adopted, and our second one. Bottom right all my mother's grandchildren. I modified the quilt draft and am showing on the hearts their mother and added the new arrivals. This was quite a bit of a challenge as I started with only 40 hearts and had to source which of the fabrics I could get more of from my friends. Pieced, hearts are machine blanket stitched in black.
It has been a busy week between the Panel Quilt webinars and open enrollment for Tech Know Quilters. Now my time moves to primarily serving those in the Tech Know Quilter group.
I received a couple of notes from people who missed my e-mails regarding the Tech Know Quilter open enrollment during the last four days -- not exactly sure how that is possible but email providers seem to love putting my emails in spam and promotions folders. And I heard that a few of you were traveling and not able to get to your emails. If that is you, send me a note and I will send you a link to sign up. We can still squeeze in a few new members before we start delivery of classes on Monday. This will be the last time to lock in to 2022 pricing. You can read more about the program here -- but the sign-up links have been taken down. Two Block Quilts
Two times a month I do live help sessions with Tech Know Quilter members. During the session on Thursday, one member was asking about working with blocks that don't quite work well together. Maybe one uses a 7 x 7 grid and the other an 8 x 8. While Electric Quilt can turn these all into a standard block size, the numbers on the rotary cutting chart start looking a bit scary.
We talked through how to resolve that issue. Since I still had my panel quilt Electric Quilt 8 project open I demonstrated a process on how to design blocks that work well together. I started with one of the pieced border blocks from the Panel Quilt webinar. Here is some background on drafting the block. Just in case you missed the webinar.
Here was how I chose to draft the block. I was thinking I would do 1-1/2" folded corners on 2-1/2" squares for the the "house" units.
Watch the video to see the process to draft the remaining blocks as quilt.
Add a binding to finish off a quilt that would be easy to piece. This would make a great project Linus quilt -- or with some resizing (adjust the number of blocks horizontal and vertical), a quilt of valor.
But I couldn't stop. I began thinking about taking the modified 9-patch corner segments and create a pieced border that also works well with the pieced blocks in the center.
Do you prefer the quilt with or without the pieced border? Or maybe you have a different idea for a two block quilt. Share your ideas in the Facebook group.
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Kari SchellElectric Quilt Expert and Educator and Pattern Designer. Categories
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