For this week’s EQ Mini Friday Fun, we are going to venture into designing a quilt.  This throw size Winter Icicle quilt is just the right size to cozy up with on a cold winter’s day.  It uses built in triangle or flying geese blocks in a vertical pattern to mimic icicles in winter.  The large scale blocks are placed into vertical strips to create the fun icicle shapes.  It is a fun modern statement in solids or wintery blue prints.

Winter Icicles Throw Quilt

Skillset: Beginner

Size:48” x 56”

Skill Builders:

  • Working with vertical strip layout
    • Editing a strip quilt
    • Working with blocks
      • Adding blocks
      • Rotating blocks
  • Working with Scale

On to the design!

  1. Open EQ Mini.
  2. If it asks you to take a quick tour, click Close.
  3. Read the tip of the day and click Close.
  4. Let’s start by naming the Project.  The project name will appear at the very top of the EQ Mini Window.  Right now the project says Untitled.  On the top toolbar click the Save button.    The Save As box will display.
  5.  Save your project file in the default folder which is projects.   Hint: You can then find it under Documents > My EQ Mini > Projects later.  Now in the file name box type Winter Icicles Throw Quilt.
  6. Click SaveThe box will close.  Notice the project name Untitled has been replaced with Winter Icicles Throw Quilt.
  7. Select the Quilt Style
  8.   On the Blue Start New Quilt Tab, select the Vertical Strip Layout..

  9.  Select the  Eight 8″ Plain Strips.  It should be in the top left corner.  If you move the mouse and hover over the layouts, it will tell you the name of them.
  10.  Select the Orange Adjust Layout tab.  The layout palette will display.
  11.  Under select strip, click the arrow to the 8th strip and click Delete.  Delete the 7th strip.  You should have 6 strips remaining.
  12. Keep strip style as Plain.
  13. Keep strip width at 8″.
  14. Adjust the strip length to 56″.
  15.  Keep number of blocks at 1.
  16.  Select the Green Edit BordersTab.
  17.  Select Border 1 of 1.
  18.  Leave the border style as Long Horizontal and the Size to 1/4” wide.  This will mimic the binding.
  19.   Select the Orange Design Quilt tab.
  20.  Under Sketchbook blocks, click to open the library to select more blocks.
  21.  Under the block libraries, open 03 Foundation Pieced.  Then select Flying Geese.
  22. Select and click add to sketchbook the following blocks: Flying geese 4, Flying Geese 5, and Flying Geese 7.
  23.  Click and drag the Flying Geese 7 block to strips 1 and 4.
  24. Click and drag the Flying geese 4 block to strips 2 and 5.
  25. Click and drag the Flying geese 5 block to strips 3 and 6.
  26. Close Sketchbook blocks.
  27. Rotate the flying geese blocks using the  Tools-RotateBlock  Rotate Block tool located on the tool bar.  This tool rotates blocks 90 degrees with each click of the mouse.  With the Rotate Block tool selected, hover your mouse over the block you wish to rotate. Each quick will rotate the block 90 degrees.  Click each block 3 times so that the triangles are pointing down like icicles.”Lori’s Notes: Here is where the term Scale comes in for this quilt.  We selected flying geese blocks with a multiple of 4, 5 or 7 geese.  When you place the block into the vertical strip, the block expands to fill the strip space providing the large scale flying geese blocks. This is true for almost any block you place in a space, it will expand to fill the space.  You can use this function to play with the size and scale of blocks to create interesting designs.  Large scale blocks can provide drama, a way to show off a large print fabric or just make for some quick piecing.  Try it out!
  28.  Click the Paintbrush tool    on the right hand toolbar.
  29.  Using  the fabrics and colors, color your quilt design.  Select the fabric or color and then click on the area you want to color on the quilt.  I used blue solids.
  30. Once you have the coloring how you like it, save the quilt design to your sketchbook. 

Congratulations, you have designed a beautiful winter icicle quilt.

Design alternative

Reverse the icicles and the background for a twist to this throw.  Part of learning EQ Mini is playing with your designs and trying new things.  Coloring your quilt is just one way to do that!

Bonus

Now that you have your design, here are  Tips and Help Articles to help you get ready to sew up your lovely design.

How to print the fabric yardage estimates required to piece the top

How to print the cutting instructions

Ready to Quilt?

Now that you have designed this in EQ Mini, why not stitch up this cozy winter quilt?  You can find a detailed tutorial for this quilt on my Lori Miller Designs blog.

Questions or Feedback?

Please share your ideas, questions and feedback in the comments. Thanks!

Lori J. Miller lives in Troy, Michigan, where she designs, stitches and sews quilts and quilty things. She loves experimenting with fun colors and designs to make playful and clever products for the modern stitcher.  Sewing since age 11, Lori has deep roots in sewing and quilting traditions that add a unique dimension to her designs.  She loves designing using Electric Quilt 7, Electric Quilt Mini and EQ Stitch.  You can follow her quilting adventures on her blog at lorimillerdesigns.com or on instagram @lorimillerdesigns