Thank you to everyone who read and commented on our blog post! We’re so happy we could be part of such an inspirational and fun blog hop, including introducing some of you to EQ8 and how it can help you visualize your quilts! To see more of EQ8 in action, watch the EQ8-demo video!
We had 332 people enter to win a copy of EQ8! One person was selected at random, and without further ado, congratulations goes to…
After reading our post, here’s Patience’s comment, “Wow, this software is so cool. Being able to mock up the different fabrics and colors is so cool! Thank you for sharing!” Congrats again, Patience, now let your design adventure begin!!
Seven other names were drawn at random and sent to Villa Rosa Designs to be entered into more giveaways. Check VRD’s page for a list of those winners.
To enter the giveaways, the question “Which Villa Rosa Design would you create first?” was asked. The resounding #1 choice was, “I want to make them all!” We couldn’t agree more! For individual quilts, Twinkle was first, followed by Gypsy.
For those of you who didn’t win, you can use the promo code VRD25 through March 31, 2024 to save 25% on your order on our site! We’d love to have you join the EQ family and be part of your creative journey!
When you’ve added everything to the Cart, click on the Apply Promo Code button, enter the code, and click the button again to see the discount applied.
Some of you mentioned that you have previous versions of EQ software. If that’s the case, you may be eligible for a discounted upgrade. For example, if you have EQ7, here’s the link to the page you’ll use to upgrade, and EQ6 owners can upgrade here. **You can use the promo code listed above to save more on either of these upgrades!!
EQ8, even an upgrade, is a stand-alone software, meaning you do not need previous versions installed to use and enjoy EQ8! Contact us if you have questions or need assistance.
Some of you who already own EQ8 either weren’t aware it could help you design so many amazing variations or unsure how to accomplish these diverse options. Whether you’re new to EQ8 or have had it for months, we offer lots of ways to learn the software, including this great list. We want to be sure you’re able to use and enjoy EQ8, so please know you can contact us via email, Live chat, or phone (during office hours), and you’ll connect with a real person who will be glad to help! We pride ourselves on our top-notch customer service!
Thanks again and happy designing!
]]>There are wonderful prizes available from the various sponsors for this blog hop, including a set of cards, fabric, patterns, notions, and other goodies! For our part, we’re giving away one EQ8!
To be eligible for any of the prizes, please click on the Enter Giveaway button, fill out, and submit the form by Sunday, March 24, 2024. We will select one winner at random from all of the submissions on March 25, 2024 for the EQ8 giveaway and announce the winner later in the week, after the winner has been contacted. We will select 7 other names at random and submit them to be part of the overall Blog Hop giveaways!
UPDATE: THE GIVEAWAY IS OVER! Congratulations to Patience B.! Read more about the winners here!
For those of you who don’t win, or already have EQ8 and want other fantastic EQ products, you can use this promotional code to discount your order by 25%: VRD25
When you’ve added everything to the Cart, click on the Apply Promo Code button, enter the code, and click the button again to see the discount applied.
The code is good from March 13 – 31, 2024.
Here is the Blog Hop schedule, so make sure to check out all the awesome bloggers to see what they’ve created!
Thursday, March 14
Villa Rosa Quilts
Friday, March 15
Kathleen McMusings
The Morning Latte
Homesewn By Us
Pieceful Thoughts
C & T Publishing
Saturday March 16 — National Quilting Day!
Needle and Foot
MMM Quilts
Texas Quilt Gal
Time 4 Stitchn
SIY (Sew It Yourself)
Sunday, March 17 — Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Quarter Inch Capers
Norton House Quilting
Quilting Gail
Wazoo! Newsbits
Monday, March 18
With Strings Attached
Jaftex/Scott Fortunoff
Cocoa Quilts
Quilt With a View
Tuesday, March 19 — First Day of Spring!
Shout 4 Joy
The Darling Dogwood
Vicki’s Crafts and Quilting
Something Rosemade
Quilts of Valor Foundation
Wednesday, March 20
Grace and Peace Quilting
Happy Cottage Quilter
Joyfully Tracie
Patchouli Moon Studio
Electric Quilt Company (here!)
Thursday, March 21
Villa Rosa Quilts
First we have the 31 quilt by Molly Cook. To create the design in EQ8 to send to us, Tricia imported a panel image into EQ8 and used it in her quilt. Check out a lesson on how to use panels in EQ8.
It’s easy to swap in any other panel but you could also set a photo in the center.
In the original, the panel is 23 x 40. Since I wanted a photo in mine, I resized the largest patch to 13 x 19 so I could print the photo on EQ Printable Fabric. Resizing and importing are both very easy in EQ8!
Next, we have Tricia’s original Clover quilt…
I imported fabrics from the Anew collection by Tamara Kate for Windham Fabrics from Villa Rosa’s site, right into EQ8. Then I used the Swap tool to recolor the quilt in seconds.
(The images on Villa Rosa’s website are webp files, please read more about using webp files in EQ8.)
Here’s a VRD original quilt called Ebb Tide:
Using the Randomize Tool you can see a different color variation with every click of your mouse.
You can also use the Randomize Tool to turn solid colors into fabrics or fabrics into colors!
Next is Villa Rosa’s Gypsy Rose quilt!
Did you know? Pat Fryer, the owner and creator of the Villa Rosa Designs, started with the idea to name all of her patterns after roses. Now there are multiple designers, but Pat’s quilt designs are still always named for roses!
Watch to see how fast you can totally change the look of the quilt with EQ8 (and welcome in Spring)!
Lastly we have Tricia’s Twinkle quilt.
You can set the block Tricia used into different layouts with lots of possibilities!
I hope you are enjoying the blog hop!
Be sure to visit all the other blogs, as well as Villa Rosa Designs, and check your email (including your junk/spam folders) March 25th to see if you’ve won an EQ8!
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I am desperate for spring to come. I am tired of the gray and cold of winter. Since I can’t change the weather, I will use my EQ8 to brighten my day by creating my spring quilt pillow design.
Launch your EQ 8 program, make a new project, and name it ‘DESPERATE FOR SPRING’. Click OK at the bottom of the box.
Thinking ahead, I want to depict both the gray colors of winter with the bright first colors of spring flowers blooming. I can accomplish this by using my EQ to create my fabric for the background and then adding applique fabrics to the foreground to show the contrast between the darkness and brightness of the days.
The first step is to create the gray background fabric that I want to use. I will use the EQ patterns in the library to design my fabric. At the top of the screen, click on LIBRARIES> Block Library.
In the block libraries box, click on the 06 motifs heading and select the ‘flowers with stems’ subcategory. Click on the first flower to select it. There will be a blue box around it when it is selected. Click on the ‘add to sketchbook’ in the upper right corner of the libraries box to add it to your project.
Still in the 06 motifs section, scroll down to the ‘sunbonnet motifs’ and select the sunbonnet with the watering can. Once it is selected, click on the ‘add to sketchbook’ in the upper right corner of the box. When done, click on the word ‘close’ at the bottom of the box.
These two designs are now added to our project sketchbook under the motifs tab.
In the project sketchbook, click on the flower motif and then click on the word ‘edit’ at the bottom of the box. This will place the applique flower motif onto the block worktable.
With the pick tool selected, click on CTRL + A on your keyboard to select the entire design page with all its elements. Once selected, you will see all the black edit boxes around the outer edge of the design.
Resize the design to be 2 x 2 inches. Center the design in the block.
With the design still selected, type in the segment rotation to be 315 degrees and click on the apply button. This will rotate the design into an upright position.
Click on the center crosshairs and drag the resized upright design to the upper left corner of the block.
With the design selected, click on the clone icon and then click on the flip top to bottom icon to turn the cloned copy upside down. Drag this copy up and next to the first design on the block.
With the second copy still selected repeat the process of ‘clone’ and ‘flip top to bottom’ to the third copy of the design. Drag this to the top to have a row of flipped flowers.
Once the row is completed, click on CTRL +A on your keyboard to select the entire row with all its elements. Click on ‘clone’ and then click/hold/drag/release the copied row to the bottom of the block.
Add the design to the sketchbook.
Click on the color tab at the top of the screen. Click on the spray can icon to select it. Under the color tab heading, scroll to the end of the colors and select a pale gray color. Move the cursor over to the worktable and click once on any of the applique elements to color all the elements the same color on the entire block.
Click on the ‘hide/show outlines’ icon on the far left side of the screen to turn off the drawing lines so you only see the grayed image of the flowers.
Add the colored design to the sketchbook.
I am not going to use the design as an applique. I want to use the design as a fabric for the background of the design that I will make into a pillow top. This means I need to turn it into an image and then use the image to create a fabric designed with my gray flowers.
Click on the ‘print and export’ tab at the top of the screen. From the ribbon select the ‘export’ icon. Then click on the ‘image’ icon.
The ‘export image box’ will open. Name your image and then click on the ‘save’ at the bottom of the box. A second ‘export image file of block’ box will open asking you what size to save it at. The default size of 6 inches is perfect for this project. Uncheck the ‘outline patches and outline blocks’ in the options area of the box. Click on the OK at the bottom of the box. The image will be saved at the correct size in the images folder of the EQ program.
Click on the image worktable icon on the upper right side of the screen.
Click on the ‘edit’ icon on the ribbon at the top of the screen and select the ‘import image’ icon from the menu. The import image box will appear. Navigate to your EQ program. C>Documents>MyEQ8>Images. Click on the image of the flowers we saved to select it and then click on the word ‘open’ at the bottom of the box.
The image of the flowers will appear on the image worktable at the 6-inch size we specified. Click on the ‘add as fabric’ icon.
The image is now a fabric selection in the project folder at the end of the default fabrics. I would print my background block onto EQ printable fabric sheets to use as the foundation of the sunbonet applique. This can be done from the image worktable.
Click on the ‘print & export’ tab at the top of the screen. Click on the photo layout option.
Click/hold/drag/release the image of the block onto the page. The size of the block to print is 6 x 6 inches. Click on FILE>print to print the design onto EQ printables fabric. This will be the background fabric to use when adding the applique elements to the pillow top design.
Click on the ‘view sketchbook’ icon on the far left side of the screen. Under the blocks heading, select the motifs tab. Click on the sunbonnet sue design and then click on the word ‘edit’ at the bottom of the box. This will open the design on the block worktable.
The sunbonnet design is a motif. I want the motif to be on a background block so I need to copy the pieces and paste them onto a block with a background.
With the design on the worktable, click on CTRL + A to select the entire design with all its elements. When it is selected you will see the black selection handles around the design. and the elements turn blue.
On the keyboard, click on CTRL + C to copy the design elements. You will not see anything change, but a copy of the design is now on the clipboard.
Click on NEW BLOCK>Pieced & Applique>Easy + Applique at the top of the screen.
On the new drawing board, click on the applique tab at the bottom of the screen. Right-click on the center of the block and choose the ‘paste’ option to place a copy of the sunbonnet design on the block. While it is selected, center it in the block. NOTE: You can also use the shortcut key CTRL + V to paste the design onto the new block.
Click on the color tab at the top of the screen and then use the paintbrush tool to select fabrics to color the block. The gray image of the fabric we created is at the very end of the fabric selection box. Pick bright bold springtime colors for the sunbonet sue design and the other applique objects.
Add the block design to the sketchbook.
Click on the quilt worktable icon on the upper right side of the screen. Choose NEW QUILT>Horizontal from the ribbon at the top of the screen.
Click on the layout tab at the top of the screen. Change the layout to be 1 x 1 horizontal and vertical and the size to be 6 x 6 inches.
Click on the borders tab at the top of the screen. Select the long horizontal border style and set the size to 2 inches on all sides.
Click on the design tab at the top of the screen and select the block tools from the ribbon. Using the set block tool, scroll to the end of the blocks and select the sunbonnet block we created. Click on it to select it and then click on the middle section of the quilt layout to set the block in the center area.
On the design tab a the top of the screen, click on the auto borders from the ribbon. From the drop-down menu, select any border option you wish to use and then click on the border of your choice to select it, and then click once on the border on the worktable to fill all four borders with one click.
Add the quilt layout to the sketchbook
Click on the fabric tools from the ribbon at the top of the screen and select the spray can. Click on any color of your choice and while holding down the CTRL key on the keyboard, click on any segment of the border to color all similar segments with the same color with one click of the mouse.
Playing with my EQ8 to lighten my dreary wintery day with a springtime design has been great fun. Even if I choose to never use the designs I create in EQ8, playing with the possibilities is a great pastime for me. Enjoy your creative experience when using the EQ8 program!
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For even more fun we thought we’d make the blocks from our sewing class into a sew-along! If you’d like to sew along with us and get more details about the project, check them out here. Each month, we’ll feature one staff member and their block in the quilt.
This month we’re featuring Ben!
Ben writes code for improving EQ software products and he’s been here about three years. Ben says he likes working at EQ because of the people! “The team here were so welcoming when I started and continue to be a joy to work with.”
Ben hasn’t sewn much before. He said, “I’ve only patched some holes and put a button back on. But, it turns out there is a lot of math involved with getting a quilt designed and assembled and I actually found putting the block together to be quite meditative. It was easier than expected but that might be from Jenny’s excellent teaching and help!”
Ben foundation pieced the Twelve Triangles block and did a great job!
Every month we’re also asking a random icebreaker question, just for fun. Ben’s question was, What would you choose if you could win a lifetime supply of something?
How realistic do I have to be with “lifetime” supply? I already have one lifetime supply of time itself. Imagine what one could do and see with two lifetimes. Alas this is just impossible. I guess I’ll have to make do with the one I have and settle for something practical, like pizza.
So that’s three blocks, three months, and three employees done!
Stay tuned for our next post on April 15th. We’ll feature another staff member and block!
]]>The first designer is Annika Kornelis from The Netherlands. Annika has a fun blog where she writes about quilting, in general, and her quilt designs created in EQ. The blog is named Stof Genoeg, which is Dutch for “plenty of material,” though I’m guessing she always has room for more! Check out her New Year’s EQ8 quilt design, Fantasy Chinese Dragon, made up of simple quilt blocks.
When asked how and when she got into quilting, here’s Annika’s response. “My mother got into quilting when I was a girl, and she still quilts at 86! Out of her five kids, I am the only one who was interested in learning to piece and quilt. I sewed a log cabin block when I was 10 years old. Even when I was a school kid, my Mom would ask me for advice on fabric choices and to draft blocks and patterns for her. I have always been more of a ‘quilt-idea generator’ than an actual quilter.”
Annika started using EQ5 and was hooked! This is what she discovered. “Before, I had awful paper sketches with added notes, none of which I could decipher after two days. And now I could use EQ to create a very clear visual of the quilts I wanted to see! EQ’s tools give me options and ideas I would never get out of the blue. My favorite tools are the Wreathmaker and the time-saving Serendipity block tools. Frame block enables me to quickly enlarge a block without resizing the center and Merge block allows me to use a fixed-sized base block to quickly achieve a larger block in many different ways.
The EQ add-on that bares Annika’s name is InklingoTM Dresden Plate Pieced Variations. The pieced blocks in this whimsical collection were conceived by Linda Franz of Inklingo. Annika’s part was combining available shapes in possible block variations, designing her own quilt variations, and mainly, drafting the complicated blocks neatly to work in EQ.
Read in Annika’s own words how, with Linda’s blessing and collaboration, she created the add-on that includes these amazing pieced blocks!
“Linda Franz’ Inklingo, with her ever increasing collection of versatile patchwork and applique shapes to print on fabric, are an endless source of design inspiration. I always wanted to see what more I could do with them and that’s how I came up with the add-on collection for EQ. Linda very cleverly designed three downloadable shape collections of Dresden Plate type blocks. One is for applique and two are for pieced blocks. In particular, the pieced block shapes have many optional and interchangeable elements, like the blades and outer rings. Linda provided a wonderful Dresden Plate Design book (free with purchase of shapes), too, but it doesn’t show all possible block variations. I got the (highly ambitious) idea to draft all possible block variations so I could see which ones I liked best, as well as inspiring others.
There were so many possible variations it made my head spin! Drafting, especially the complex blocks with outer rings of triangles, and keeping it all organized was very time consuming. I figured this was simply not feasible for many Inklingo quilters who would like their own EQ mockup to audition settings, block variations and combinations, colors, fabric choices, etc. Linda and Inklingoists, like myself, share EQ project files whenever it is useful or possible, to help fellow EQers plan their quilts for free. I determined this would be such a big project that doing it for myself made no sense, nor did sharing it for free. After consulting with Linda and getting her permission, I contacted EQ to see if they were interested in this idea for an add-on block collection. EQ agreed, but I’d need to significantly narrow the scope to only include between 8 and 24 distinguishable different blocks, make sure they could be made with paper foundation piecing, and write sewing instructions! (You read that correctly, sewing instructions come with the purchase of this collection!) This was no easy task, but I managed to finish it, and the collection can still be purchased and used today!”
Wow, thanks Annika, we’re so happy you had the perseverance to complete this daunting project!!! Look at some of the amazing quilts she designed by simply setting the blocks in the collection in different layouts!
Regina Grewe
The next designer, Regina Grewe, lives in Germany. Although Regina was introduced to quilting on a US campground in the 1970s, she did not have the time, money, or opportunity to take a quilting class in order to complete her first quilt until 1999. Here is the beautiful result!
From the start, Regina knew she wanted to make her own quilts. By chance, she came across the FPP technique, which was the first cornerstone. Yet, she needed more assistance and information. There was very little German literature available at the time, though with the growing internet, that became a great resource. It was on the internet where she found the magazine, The Foundation Piecer, edited by Liz Schwartz and Stephen Seifert, and Regina was fascinated! She contacted the editors and they helped her learn a drawing program on the PC. They also ended up publishing her first work in this field in their magazine!
That first class and quilt led to more classes and more quilts. All of that learning led her to start teaching her own classes in 2003. As she says, she does not want all of her accumulated knowledge and skills to pass away with her, so instead, she prefers sharing her quilting expertise. In fact, Regina has free Tips and Tricks on her website to hopefully lead to an “aha-moment!”
Regina discovered EQ5 in 2002, and as she said, “What a new world!!” Since Regina mainly designs paper piecing patterns, EQ gives her the precision she needs for drawing, printing, and exporting. Her favorite part is playing around with the fabric tools, “a block can be given completely new color settings with just a few clicks!” Then all she has to do is pick out the most beautiful fabrics from the huge selection in the fabric libraries. “Magic! Inspiration!”
As for Regina’s adorable block collections, she works in series of small motif blocks from the BOM idea. You can see her elegant Garden Birds (in either pieced or applique), blooming flowers, towering Nutcrackers, and other seasonal and fun collections! Here’s some inspiration using blocks from a few of Regina’s block collections!
At the moment, Regina is putting together a “vegetable box” with goodies for the kitchen: tomatoes, peppers, asparagus, pumpkin, and many more! I don’t know about you, but I’m certainly hungry now!
Take advantage during our sitewide sale, March 14-17, 2024, to save on any of Annika or Regina’s block add-on collections, see what else is available, then have fun designing your own unique quilt!!
]]>Two classes are already full! Have you saved your seat at EQ Academy yet?
If you’re new to EQ Academy, we can’t wait to meet you! Here’s what you can expect…
EQ8 classes are offered Thursday, May 2, Friday, May 3, and Saturday, May 4. You can come for one day, two days, or all three! There are half-day classes and full-day classes to choose from.
Take a class that’s based on quilt style like, New York Beauty Quilts, Medallion Quilts, T-Shirt Quilts, and Non-Traditional Quilts.
Take a class based on a technique or feature like FPP Block Drawing, Design with EQ8 and AccuQuilt GO, and Adding Photos and Fabric to EQ8.
Want a quick beginner class? We’ve got a half-day Intro to EQ8 Quilt Design class on Saturday!
We kick off the fun right away! Upon arrival to EQ Academy, you’ll be greeted by friendly EQ staff who will hand you a bag of quilty treats from our sponsors. We love seeing how excited students get for these bags! Coffee, tea, water, and snacks are available first thing in the morning and throughout the day. While you’re enjoying your lunch (included with enrollment), we’ll draw names for giveaways… if you thought the welcome bags are nice, just wait for the giveaways!
Spend your evenings shopping! EQ Academy is held in a building that’s part of Levis Commons Town Center. It’s a fabulous area full of great stores and excellent restaurants! Check out the directory here. Better yet, hop in the car and visit the local quilt shops! There are four quilt shops in the area—all of which are offering special discounts to EQ Academy students! No car? Chat with a classmate about carpooling!
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Now you know what to expect at EQ Academy! Questions? Read FAQs or contact us.
Don’t wait! Enroll for EQ Academy classes today. View all classes >
Can’t make it? Take a class online >
]]>This month’s block: Simple Design
Where to find it: 03 Foundation Pieced > Flying Geese
Using the Simple Design block as a guide, I drew another simple block to pair it with. I edited the Simple Design block to the worktable and then converted it to guides before drawing my new block. This helps me know I’m drawing something that will work well with the original block.
I alternated the two blocks in a 4 x 4 horizontal layout and then used the Symmetry tool to find this rotation of the blocks. The fabric collection is Arcadia by Pippa Shaw for Figo Fabrics, which I downloaded from Figo’s website. Here’s how to download a manufacturer’s fabrics for use in EQ8.
For my second quilt, I started by playing with the Serendipity options. I ended up using this Shrink & Flip version of the Simple Design block.
I used a custom set layout so I could have lots of white space around the blocks. Since there’s lots of white space, the quilting plays a bigger role in the design. So I used Layer 3 to audition my quilting choices.
What would you design with the Simple Design block? Post a quilt or two in the comments below. It can be as simple or as complex as you’d like (it just has to use the featured block!).
In the comment form below, tell us a little bit about your design and then click Browse to include the image of your quilt.
]]>Thank you to everyone who participated in last month’s design challenge! So many creative designs were shared, and we loved hearing how everyone expresses their voice! View all the beautiful quilts submitted here.
Two winners were selected by collection designer Scott Flanagan! Congratulations to….
“It grabbed me right away and love how it looks like a mosaic floor.” – Scott Flanagan
“I love samplers and flying geese and this makes a striking looking quilt!” – Scott Flanagan
Don’t forget to look at all the amazing submissions to this challenge. Here are a few honorable mentions!
Ebony Suite by Barbara Brackman for Moda is March’s Fabric of the Month! Download the collection and enter in our design challenge for another chance to win some fabric!
]]>Who’s ready to design?! March’s Fabric of the Month is Ebony Suite by Barbara Brackman for Moda!
Ebony Suite revisits William Morris’s iconic designs with a nod to London’s famous mists and foggy streets. Classic prints are colored in elegant undertones from ebony black to champagne ivory. The collection includes 19th-century London’s perennial favorites, the pimpernel primrose and willow boughs, rendered in a shady filigree. Ebony Suite’s Strawberry Thief print is recreated in the coloring of London’s nightingale thrush, Morris’s fruit garden raider. Create elegant patchwork with these updated and timeless neutrals!
A bundle of these fabrics will be given away to one lucky winner! Submit your EQ design featuring Ebony Suite below…all instructions and contest details are in this post. Good luck!
In order to enter for the giveaway you must submit a quilt using the current Fabric of the Month AND comment on at least one other person’s quilt you like by the end of the month. If you’re the first person to submit a quilt, make sure to come back and comment on someone else’s quilt before the contest ends. Instructions for how to submit an image are at the bottom of this post. Download this month’s Fabric of the Month: Ebony Suite for Moda.
One lucky winner will receive a fat quarter bundle of the Ebony Suite fabrics! The winner will be chosen randomly. Good luck to all participants, we can’t wait to see your entries!
Note: Entries are welcomed from all. Prize will only be shipped to U.S. and Canada.
We often get requests for the EQ project files or patterns submitted to these design challenges. If you are open to sharing/selling your design, include your email address or website link in your comment so others can contact you!
Note: Replying to someone’s comment below does not alert them in any way so they’d have to know to come back to this blog post to look at other comments. Since not everyone does that, we hope some EQ users will provide their contact information if they are open to sharing/selling their designs. We will not share anyone’s information.
Check out this month’s Design & Discover and Block Spotlight!
]]>Contest closed. Winner: Karen Hutchings! Thank you to everyone who participated!
In February of 2022, EQ user, Shannon Arnstein was scrolling through Etsy and saw a panel that she couldn’t resist. That panel sparked an idea for a book so Shannon got to sewing. That fall, the book was picked up by Landauer/Fox Chapel publishing company and a year later, “Quilting with Panels and Patchwork” hit the shelves!
Shannon says, “This book is for anyone who enjoys making quilts with panels or would like to attempt it. Panels are amazing! They come in every subject and offer great visual impact, but they can be equally intimidating and frustrating. They can be difficult to work with. I help cover some of the pitfalls of panels. They do not come in standard sizes, so often, we don’t know what to do with them. I give fifteen different approaches to using panels in projects, the thoughts behind my approach and the math, and how to incorporate the math into your projects. Yes, it is math, but it’s quilty math, and I walk you through it.”
Continue reading to see some of the pretty quilts inside and enter to win a copy! You’ll also get to see the panel that started it all!
EQ: Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into quilting.
Shannon: Creativity has always come easily for me. In fact, I thought everyone saw the world as I did; it wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized that wasn’t true. I have what my husband calls a “puzzle brain.” I am good at puzzles and figuring out how things go together. So, the creativity and puzzle brain are a perfect match for quilting. I am a first-generation quilter in my family, but as a little girl, I was given a quilt, and I was always fascinated by it and how the pieces went together.
EQ: How did the idea of writing a book come about? What was the process like?
Shannon: My husband would say to me, “You become the next Martha Stewart, and I will buy an RV and drive you around to all the quilt shows.” I thought and thought, what are my steps to becoming the next Martha Stewart? The book idea was born in February of 2022. I designed and pieced quilts for submission to publishing companies. My goal was to finish in time for Fall Market in October 2022. I had the quilts designed and pieced but did not have the words written yet. I went ahead and began the submission process. I was picked up by Fox Chapel/Landauer publishing in October 2022. Once I signed the contract, I realized I needed to remake the original twelve quilts for the book. When making the quilts for the submission, my focus was on making quilts for submitting, not on getting the pictures to go along with the steps for writing the book. For the book to be the kind of book I wanted to have my name attached to, I knew I must remake each quilt and take great photos to go with the words of how I went about my process. In addition to the original twelve quilts, we added three additional quilts I needed to design and make, but now I was approaching this from a book-writing perspective. I also had to write the words, do the math, double-check the math, and take the pictures as I made the quilts, and my deadline was mid-March. It was a busy couple of months, but it was necessary for the book to be published in October 2023.
Reflecting on and thinking about how I did all that is amazing. I had many early mornings. I would get up before the house got going, make my coffee, and sit at the counter and write. Then, during the day, I would piece quilts when the lighting was ideal and get the photos necessary.
I could come at it from a different perspective now, but “we just don’t know what we don’t know.”
EQ: Wow, you really made 15 quilts in 5 months?!
Shannon: Yes, I did, in fact, re-piece the 12 original quilts, plus design the final three, piece them, and do the writing. It was a whirlwind, but for the book to make the fall publication, that was necessary. I could have waited for a later deadline, but then I knew I would have coasted along until it was crunch time. Plus, I would have been crunched over the summer, and I preferred to be crunched over the winter when I did not have nice weather I was missing out on. Thankfully, a few are simpler, and I have a very, very supportive husband!!
EQ: Did EQ play a role in creating quilts for the book?
Shannon: I used EQ to design each quilt in the book. I could design the quilts and see a representation of what the quilt would look like on the screen. Some things were great in my mind, and then I could see it still needed to be tweaked on the screen. Others, I had an idea and could see that it, yes, in fact, could work just as I thought.
EQ: How long have you had EQ? How has it affected your quilting life?
Shannon: I began using EQ in February of 2018. I wanted to try my hand at designing quilts and jumped in. I have designed a few patterns for fabric manufacturers. I had about five designs I had designed, written, and pieced the quilts for Craftsy/Bluprint that were made into kits and were going to be sold on their site when they closed. That was a hard day; all the work that had gotten me to that point just vanished into thin air because they were closing.
I have had four magazine placements, all with quilts designed in EQ. I have been published in Quilts and More, American Patchwork and Quilting. Magazine cover for Fons and Porter Love of Quilting, and McCall’s Quilting. It’s such a wonderful world we quilters get to be a part of. I have met some of the most wonderful people, and consider myself privileged to be a part of this industry.
EQ: What’s your favorite quilt in the book and why?
Shannon: I love them all; as you know, our quilts become like our children. We have spent so much time making them, but also, for the quilts in the book, I have designed them, made them, remade them, written the pattern for them, and a few quilted them.
There are a few that are a little more special to me. Frank was the tipping point for me to write the book. I had been toying around with the idea of writing a book. One day, I was looking for something on Etsy that was not even quilt-related, and Frank, the panel, appeared in my advertising box on the side. The panel was so amazing I did not hesitate to purchase it right away; I did not check the dimensions; I was just so taken by the detail and how cool he was that I just had to have it. A few days later, the panel arrived, and as I took it out of the envelope, I was overwhelmed by the amazing detail and size of the panel. I knew immediately what I wanted to do with it and knew I had to write the book. If Frank weren’t special enough on his own, my book was released on October 31, 2023.
Kismet is the concentric diamond quilt on the front. I had been toying with the idea of a concentric diamond pattern for the book but could not find a panel with dimensions that would work for the concept. I was on my way to a family function quite far away from home and had little time to kill before the event. and found a local quilt shop. Well, what was a girl to do but go see the local quilt shop, and that is where I found the perfect panel with the perfect dimensions and the perfect accompanying fabrics- so you see it was KISMET!!
EQ: Where can people find your book?
Shannon: I live in Indiana and will be at several local quilt guilds this year. I will be doing a trunk show and book signing with the quilts from my book and would love the chance to meet you in person.
I will be at the Venice, Florida, quilt show March 2-3rd 2024, vending my book and signing books. I would love to meet you there!
If you have a quilt guild you would like me to bring my quilts and do a trunk show, please reach out through Instagram or my website.
My book is also available at your local quilt shop, through Fox Chapel’s website, and wherever you like to buy books. Thank you for reading about my EQ journey, and I hope our journeys cross soon!
Follow me on Instagram @shannonarnstein, and check out my website www.shannonarnstein.com
Shannon will ship a copy of her book to one lucky winner! To enter, leave a comment on this post answering the question below. Giveaway closes 11:59pm ET March 3. Winner will be chosen at random and contacted via email. U.S. shipping only.
Tell us, what kind of panel quilt do you want to make?
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