Fall is in the Air Wreath

New Fall Wreath using Electric Quilt 8

Fall is in the Air Wreath by Kari Schell using EQ8

This week the temps began dropping and leaves are starting to change colors in Minnesota.  Fall is my favorite time of year and I decided to create a fall wreath using the leaf motifs in Electric Quilt 8.

Learn how to create your own fall wreath using Electric Quilt 8. 

Learn how to combine motifs from multiple blocks into one block along with rotating and resizing the elements to draft the wreath.

From EQ8 to Your Cutting System

Once the wreath was drafted, I knew I didn't want to cut out all those applique shapes by hand.  So I decided to use my electronic cutting system (a Silhouette Cameo) to cut out the leaves.  

There were two challenges to overcome with my drawing.  First, the block is 20 inches x 20 inches -- super big which means lots of tiled pages when I go to do a print out.  And the applique patches are overlapping -- and I want to be able to layer the shapes.  So I didn't want to use the trace feature for this block.

After a bit of experimenting, I found the solution was to print the block to a pdf writer that would allow me to set the paper size to 24 x 24.  No -- I don't have that big of a printer.  

But this allows me to work with all the elements in a single file in Inkscape.  Inscape is a vector graphics program that is free.  There are versions for both MAC and PC.  And it allows me to convert a pdf document into a svg file.   You can read more about Inkscape and download a version here. 

SVG files can be used by all the major cutting systems including Silhouette Cameo, Cricut Mater, and Brother Scan n Cut.  This means if I have any of those systems, I will be able to cut out my Electric Quilt applique fabric patches!  No scissors required.

You are welcome to download my svg file if you wish to test the file with your cutting system of choice.  

To download the file, right click on the photo and  save the zip file which contains the svg document on your computer.  Do not attempt to open the file in your browser.  It will not work.  Once the file is on your computer, use your computer software to unzip the file.  Each operating system has a slightly different approach for this.  If you have questions google "unzip with your operating system".  

Then bring the file into the software for your cutting system.  You will want to weld images before applying the cut feature.  Every system works a bit differently.  Some of the nuances are shared in the Tech Know Quilter class -- Specialty Rulers and Dies.

You can learn more about Tech Know Quilters here and sign up for the wait list for the next open enrollment period.

Next Week

Next week I plan to share with you a quilt that you can make that features the 20 inch Fall is in the Air wreath.

Shoot for the Stars with EQ8

Are you just getting started with Electric Quilt 8 and need some help? 

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Happy quilting.

​Kari

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