Behind the Mouse: The Electric Quilt Blog

September means back to school time in most areas.  As a very young child, I recall looking forward to see how the teacher decorated the classroom to enhance learning principles.  Why not make a small wall hanging quilt to add to the classroom decor for the teacher to display? Open your EQ8 and name a new project ‘Back to School’.  Click OK at the bottom of the project helper box to save your new project. The project name should now appear at the top of your screen. At the top of the screen click on LIBRARIES>Block Library In the Block Libraries box, click on ‘search>>by notecard’.  A secondary box will open. In the notecard box, type in the word ‘school’ and then click on the word ‘search’ at the bottom of the box. All the different types of blocks that are built into EQ8 libraries will come up for you

EQ is making a quilt! We’ve got some new employees and want to ensure everyone knows how to sew and understands quilting. (And maybe make a few new quilters!) We decided to do a Sew-Along so you can see our blocks and get to know us all better. Each month, we’re featuring one staff member and their block in the quilt. (Perfect since we have 12 staff members!) If you’d like to sew along and get more details about the project, check them out here. This month we’re featuring Christine! Christine has worked at EQ for 11 years. She started as a graphic-design intern, hired to typeset the EQ7 Applique Drawing book. Now, she’s the Director of Marketing! Christine says, “I like a lot of things about working at EQ, but my favorite is how we all work together to do big things for quilters and the quilting industry. It’s

Welcome to the EQ8 Block Spotlight! Each month we highlight a block from the EQ8 Block Library with a few design ideas. Then we want you to show us what you can do with the block. We hope these posts will inspire you to try something new and expand your EQ skills! This month’s block: Cross 9 Where to find it: 02 Contemporary Pieced > Cross Variations Design ideas to spark your creativity My first quilt is a simple 4 x 4 horizontal layout. I thought the large squares in the corners of the block could use some extra interest, so I used a directional fabric in those patches and rotated using the Rotate Fabric tool. The fabric used in this design is from the Maeve collection by Crystal Manning for Moda. It’s available in the newest Stash add-on. For my second quilt design, I choose to edit the block

Thank you to everyone who participated in last month’s design challenge! Delightful Dreams is a very special collection, and we really appreciate the response we’ve gotten. Be sure to see all the entries to the challenge here. As a reminder, 50% of the proceeds from this collection will be donated to Quilts for Kids, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing patchwork quilts to kids in need of comfort. Learn more here. Winners Three winners were selected! Congratulations to…. Winner 1 (QT Fabrics’ Pick): Cynthia Concha Winner 2 (QT Fabrics’ Pick): Maggie Naawu Winner 3 (Random Pick): Marcia Jeanne Jensen A Note from QT Fabrics “Once again – so many great quilts to choose from here! We are always impressed by the range of designs Electric Quilt users produce.” – QT Fabrics Honorable Mentions Don’t forget to look at all the amazing submissions to this challenge. Here are a few honorable mentions! More Chances to Win Willoughby by Maywood Studio is September’s

This contest is now closed. Winner will be announced soon! While we’re sad summer is coming to an end, we’re so happy to share these beautiful fabrics! Willoughby from Maywood Studio is September’s Fabric of the Month! Willoughby is influenced by the Arts & Crafts movement, where artists and designers emphasized nature in the decorative arts. Stylized florals and leaf-focused designs mix with geometric patterns to create traditional designs with a modern twist. The deep blues, creamy neutrals, and pop of yellow work together for projects that complement modern home décor! A bundle of these fabrics will be given away to one lucky winner! Submit your EQ design featuring Willoughby below…all instructions and contest details are in this post. Good luck! To enter 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

We’re making a quilt! EQ has added some new employees recently, and we wanted to make sure everyone knows how to sew and quilt.  We decided to do a Sew-Along so you can see our blocks and get to know us all better. Each month, we’re featuring one staff member and their block in the quilt. (Perfect since we have 12 staff members!) If you’d like to sew along and get more details about the project, check them out here.   This month we’re featuring Jenny! Jenny started at EQ as a graphic design intern in the Fall of 2001. She’s been at EQ through all the phases of growing up—from college student to newlywed to having a family. EQ actually didn’t have a maternity leave policy until Jenny was pregnant with her son, and now he’s off to college!   Jenny says, “Since I’ve been here forever , and

Welcome to the EQ8 Block Spotlight! Each month we highlight a block from the EQ8 Block Library with a few design ideas. Then we want you to show us what you can do with the block. We hope these posts will inspire you to try something new and expand your EQ skills! This month’s block: Folk Art Motif 1 Where to find it: 06 Motifs > Folk Motifs Before you start designing, keep in mind this design is a motif. Motifs work a little differently than blocks. Motifs do not have a background patch, so they can’t be set on Layer 1 of a standard quilt layout. Visit our Support site for more info on setting motifs in a quilt layout. Design ideas to spark your creativity For my first quilt, I made the motif pretty large (12″ wide). I repeated it diagonally across a Custom Set layout and clipped