The Electric Quilt Company is 30!

The Electric Quilt Company’s Story – How It All Began

We’re celebrating 30 years! Since the pearl is the traditional symbol for 30 years, we’re sharing EQ Pearls of Wisdom from our friends! See all Pearls of Wisdom posts. We hope you enjoy the tips and tricks you learn along the way and discover some new quilters or catch up with your favorites! Also, we’d love to hear about YOUR journey with EQ so feel free to tell us your story in the comments on any post! A big THANK YOU to all our customers for your support over the years. We’re looking forward to many more! 

This week’s featured friend: Jo Moury!

Tell us a bit about yourself Jo!

Congratulations to Penny, Dean, and the entire EQ staff on your 30^th anniversary! It doesn’t take much imagination to guess my favorite activity is quilting. I love taking an idea that gets planted in my head and turning it into fiber and cloth.  My favorite part of quilting is… well let’s see, I love to design quilts, then there is the joy of selecting just the right combination of fabrics; I’m happiest when I get to incorporate applique into my quilt somewhere. Then, of course, more fun follows with embroidery and embellishing the applique designs. A top isn’t a quilt until it’s quilted and generally my quilts get quilted within a ¼” of its life. So, or sew, what don’t I like about quilting? Well there is binding and burying thread tails, neither one of these are my favorites…but they sure need to be done.

Joyful Noise designed by Jo in EQ

What keeps me busy when I’m not quilting or designing something…the list is long. I’ve been a “Gym Rat” for at least the last 40 years, so just about every morning you will find me on a cycle, walking several miles or doing weight and cardio training; these are all a part of who I am as much as quilting. Creating is in my DNA and I express this in the kitchen developing recipes for soups and casseroles as well as putting my own spin on pies, cakes, cookies, and breads. I live in Virginia, and every Southerner knows we can fix anything with food! I’m almost always making something for a friend, neighbor someone in my church family and especially for my husband! In the Spring, Summer and Fall you will often find me outside nourishing and tending to my part of God’s creation. It just makes my heart happy to bring baby plants home, put them in good soil, feed them and watch them grow and flourish of the seasons. This little poem often runs through my head when I am outside in the gardens: “The kiss of the sun for pardon. The song of the bords for mirth, One is closer to God in a garden than anywhere else on earth.” (Dorothy Francis Gurney)

The two biggest things in my life are my husband Jerry and my Lord and Redeemer! Jerry & I have been blessed with 44 wonderful years of marriage  and I consider each day to be a beautiful gift from God. My faith defines who I am, what I do, think and say. I give thanks for all the blessing and talent He has blessed me with; aspects of my faith are often inspiration for my quilts.

The Hills of Judea designed by Jo in EQ

Dove of Peace designed by Jo in EQ

When did you start using Electric Quilt and how has it changed your quilting life?

When did I start using Electric Quilt? It will be 30 years this December! We were at my local quilt shop and there happened to be a demo for this brand new product called Electric Quilt. The presenter took a couple traditional quilt patterns and played “what if” on the computer!! Can we say “light bulb moment”? I told Santa I needed that software for Christmas, AND I reminded him several times between the demo and Christmas morning. The box with the magic was indeed under the tree, but I still remember I couldn’t open it until all the presents were unwrapped and it seems like there was a promise from me that I’d still cook dinner!

How has this changed my quilting life? From baby steps learning Electric Quilt to Beta testing new software, EQ has helped me unlock creativity and develop so many new ideas. Just about every month I’d participate in the Design Challenge. This has evolved to the Design and Discover series and the Block Spotlight. With each challenge I’d push some part of the envelope just a little bit further, study what other quilters were doing and determining what I really liked about their designs and just as importantly, what I didn’t like in others. I’d enter design contests and sometimes would be selected. Eventually, I entered a joint contest with EQ and Quiltmaker Magazine. I had to design an original quilt and then use the Quiltmaker quilting motifs to show how I’d quilt it. I could not have been more surprised when June Dudley called and let me know Bull Run Nine Patch won the contest. This single event opened doors to the publishing world I never would have thought possible, June Dudley  and Carolyn Beam have long retired but they opened the door and  I frequently contribute designs to McCall’s, Love of Quilting and Quiltmaker.

Navy Medicine designed by Jo in EQ

What is your EQ “Pearl of Wisdom” for EQ users?

Play, Participate and  Peruse. Start by taking a quilt you’ve seen in a magazine, book, or on-line and make it “yours.” Start by changing the colors the designer used and see how that changes how the quilt makes you feel. Don’t be afraid to try some out-of-the box color combinations. You aren’t committing to making this in fabric, so just explore. Change a block the designer used to one you’d like to make. Play some more.. and then…keep playing! Participate in every challenge the EQ team has, each time you reach outside your comfort zone you will learn something and grow a little bit more in your proficiency. Along with playing, I’d  encourage everyone to read, read the Help Articles, peruse the EQ books on the techniques that you love and keep playing!! Then play some more.

Give Thanks designed by Jo in EQ

What are you up to now and what do you have coming up?

Right now I am busy finishing the applique and designing the quilting plan for a patriotic quilt that features an American eagle, as the center medallion surrounded by portions of feathered stars. The applique borders have poppies intertwined with red and blue ribbons. This is all done on Radiance silk. Hopefully this will be completed and bound by the late fall. Other than that, I am always playing with new designs and pitching them to the Peak Media team that handles Quiltmaker, McCall’s and Love of Quilting. It is always fun to work with these guys and share my ideas with other quilters.

Giveaway

My EQ Project to share is Celtic Heritage. While I have not started this project, I really do want to create this to honor my Irish ancestry. Once again, I see this with Radiance as the background fabric and the applique done in green and gold batiks. The fun part will be interpreting different Irish Fishermen’s Sweater design into quilting motifs!

Download the project here!

Celtic Heritage by Jo for EQ

Hope you enjoyed this “pearl” of wisdom. Feel free to share your EQ story or a “pearl” of your own in the comments! Stay tuned for our next post!

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