Quilt Journeys EQ8 Add-On Tutorial

1/24/2026

I have an exciting new adventure to share with you this week—one that invites you to stitch together your personal history.

Quilt Journeys is all about celebrating where you’ve been and where you come from: the places you’ve lived and loved, the land your ancestors worked, or the states and provinces you’ve visited along the way.

Using Electric Quilt 8, you can turn those memories into a quilt that tells your story.

Quilt Journeys: An EQ8 Add-On

Electric Quilt recently released Quilt Journeys, a brand-new Add-On product for EQ8. Add-Ons work exclusively with Electric Quilt 8 and integrate directly into the software once installed.

This collection celebrates two important milestones:

The 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence
The 25th anniversary of Barbara Brackman’s book, Create Your Family Quilt

In the original book, Barbara Brackman gathered pieced blocks and appliqué motifs representing the United States and Canada, paired with fascinating historical facts. It was a unique blend of quilt design, geography, and storytelling—and Quilt Journeys brings that concept fully into EQ8.

A Little History (and a Blast from the Past)

I purchased Create Your Family Quilt when it was released back in 2001. It included a CD with Magic Book software, designed by the Electric Quilt Company, that contained a large collection of blocks representing U.S. states and Canadian territories. The software allowed you to design a simple quilt using those blocks.

While that CD can no longer be installed on modern computers, I still have many of those blocks saved in my EQ Library. If you happen to have them as well, you may recognize these not-so-descriptive file names:

Usrlib05.blk
Usrlib06.blk
Usrlib07.blk
Usrlib08.blk

If these files are linked to EQ8, you’ll find them under the Magic Book category.

Interestingly, none of my blocks in this category are colored. I’m not sure whether they originally downloaded that way or if the coloring was lost as I migrated through newer versions of Electric Quilt. Many of the pieced blocks themselves were part of the original BlockBase collection.

Quilt Journeys refreshes and expands on this idea—beautifully organized, fully documented, and ready to use inside EQ8.

Quilt Journeys Add-on Software

Purchase Quilt Journeys for $34.95

Note that this purchase is directly from the Electric Quilt Company. It can be downloaded upon purchase.

What's Included in the Quilt Journeys Add-On

Block Libraries for EQ8

557 historical pieced quilt blocks, each named and associated with a specific U.S. state or Canadian province or territory
63 appliqué blocks in the shapes of all 50 U.S. states and 13 Canadian provinces and territories
125 appliqué motifs depicting official birds, trees (represented by leaves or pinecones), and flowers for each state, province, and territory

EQ8 Project Files

Eight project files containing a total of 44 quilts, organized by quilt size
All quilts are fully customizable in Electric Quilt 8

PDFs
 State Facts PDF

Historical information for each state and province
Images of the pieced and appliqué designs selected by Barbara Brackman

Quilt Gallery PDF

A visual showcase of all quilts included in the add-on

Using Quilt Journeys in EQ8

Once the add-on is installed, it is seamlessly integrated into Electric Quilt 8—no separate program to manage.

In today’s tutorial, I’ll show you:

Where to find the Quilt Journeys block libraries and project files
How to identify blocks for individual states and provinces
How to add these blocks to your own EQ8 projects
How to modify one of the included quilts to create an original design that tells your story

Quilt Journeys Block Libraries for EQ8

You can find blocks for individual states and provinces directly within the EQ8 block library. In the short video below, I’ll walk you through how to locate these blocks in EQ8 and how to add them to your current project.

Quilt Journeys Preloaded Project Files

In addition to the block libraries, the Quilt Journeys Add-On includes eight preloaded EQ8 project files containing a total of 44 quilts, all organized by quilt size.

These project files are installed directly on your computer in:
My EQ8 > Projects

Just like your own EQ8 projects, they all end with the .pj8 file extension.

You are free to modify these projects just as you would any project you create yourself. However, I strongly recommend setting up a separate folder under My EQ8 Projects specifically for these special Quilt Journeys projects. If you decide to use one or more of the included quilts, immediately save the project into the My EQ8>Projects folder with a new name.

This way:

You preserve the original Quilt Journeys project files
You keep your customized quilts organized and easy to find
You can always return to the original layouts for fresh inspiration

In the video below, I’ll show you where these project files are stored and how to open and save them safely.

Quilt Journeys Resources

The Quilt Journeys Add-On also includes three incredibly helpful PDF guides that expand on the historical, creative, and technical aspects of the collection.

You’ll find these PDFs on your computer in:

My EQ8 > Documentation > Quilt Journeys Resources

Locating the PDFs on your computer

Let's take a closer look at each one.

PDF 1: Add-on Guide

This guide walks you through the technical side of the Quilt Journeys collection, including:

Locating the Quilt Journeys blocks
Locating the preloaded quilt projects
Locating the PDF resources
Installing the add-on on a second computer
Uninstalling the add-on
Trademarks and copyright information

If you ever wonder “Where did EQ put that?” — this is the PDF to check first.

Excerpted Page from PDF 1

PDF 2: Quilt Gallery

The Quilt Gallery PDF is pure inspiration.

Inside, you’ll find images of all the pre-designed quilts included in the Quilt Journeys Add-On, organized by project file. Even better, each quilt image tells you exactly which EQ8 project file it belongs to—making it easy to locate and open the quilt inside EQ8.

Use these quilts as a starting point:

Swap in your own blocks
Change fabrics and colors
Resize layouts
Or simply borrow a design idea

Excerpted Page from PDF 2

PDF 3: State Blocks & Symbols
by Barbara Brackman

This PDF is a wonderful excerpt from Barbara Brackman’s Create Your Family Quilt book and adds rich historical context to the collection.

For each U.S. state and Canadian province or territory, you’ll find:

Interesting historical facts
Barbara Brackman’s selected pieced quilt blocks, with images
Barbara Brackman’s designed appliqué motifs for the official state flower, bird, and tree

It’s a fantastic reference when you want your quilt to reflect a specific place with intention and meaning.

Excerpted Page from PDF 3

Creating Your Own Quilt Journeys Quilt

In the third video, I’ll walk you through the process of starting with one of the Quilt Journeys quilt layouts and transforming it into a completely new design using blocks from a different state.

During this process, you’ll see how to:

Add a collection of blocks from the Quilt Journeys Add-On
Add a fabric collection
Replace blocks in the existing quilt
Color the quilt using your chosen fabrics
Resize the quilt to make the blocks more piecing-friendly

Be sure to watch the video for step-by-step instructions.

Here’s an example of the transformation.

The quilt on the left is the original design from the Quilt Journeys Add-On.

The quilt on the right is my reworked version, using blocks from North Dakota.

Alabama Quilt Journeys - Electric Quilt Company

North Dakota Quilt Journeys

Playtime

One of my favorite features of the Quilt Journeys Add-On—created by Barbara Brackman and the Electric Quilt Company—is the ability to “borrow” a layout and pair it with a completely different collection of blocks to create a deeply personal design.

Honestly, this part is a little addictive.

Once I started playing with the concept, I couldn’t stop. I ended up reworking several Full/Queen quilts from the Quilt Journeys Add-On using blocks from North Dakota.

In the images below:

The quilts on the left are copyrighted designs from the Electric Quilt Company
The quilts on the right are my reinterpretations

Alabama Quilt 1 - Electric Quilt Company

North Dakota Quilt 1 - Kari Schell

Alabama Quilt 2 - Electric Quilt Company

North Dakota Quilt 2 - Kari Schell

Alabama Quilt 3 - Electric Quilt Company

North Dakota Quilt 3 - Kari Schell

Alabama Quilt 4 - Electric Quilt Company

North Dakota Quilt 4 - Kari Schell

And then…I took it one step further.

I created my own version of the blocks and designed a layout inspired by a Block Turned Quilt Layout from the EQ8 Library. A variation of this design may even find its way into one of my Masters Lessons next month. I’m seriously considering this one as a wall quilt for my own home.

North Dakota Quilt Journeys Playtime - Kari Schell

Ready to Start Your Own Quilt Journey?

If you’d like to purchase the Quilt Journeys Add-On, you’ll find it on the Electric Quilt website for $34.95.

While I don’t receive a commission on this product, I can honestly say I’ve had a ton of fun using it—and it has sparked more new quilt ideas than I expected.

The product is immediately downloadable, so you can start exploring and designing today.

Purchase Quilt Journeys Add-On from the Electric Quilt Company

Happy quilting.

Kari

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