Behind the Mouse: The Electric Quilt Blog

3) How do I create a quilt with different sized blocks – some rectangles, some small squares, some big squares? A new EQ6 feature is called “Create Quilt from Block.” It allows you to take a pieced block and turn it into a quilt. The only thing is – you should draw it in EasyDraw and not use anything but horizontal lines and vertical lines. Anything with a diagonal line or curve will not appear in the menu. Here are some examples of what are good blocks and what are bad blocks for this menu feature. Keep in mind – this is your layout. Draw your grid and then save the block in your Sketchbook. Switch over to the quilt worktable and click QUILT > Create Quilt from Block. Only the blocks that meet the criteria will appear in the left column. Choose a size that works with the layout

The first lesson for the new Kaleidoscope Collectors group is up. It’s on “Twisting Daisies”. If you have EQ5 or EQ6 and the Kaleidoscope Collection CD you can follow along. Check out this month’s lesson. Next month, we’ll work on foundation patterns in general and do some drawing from scratch.

2) I’m working on a Ricky Tims quilt and I’m just wondering if there’s a fast way of getting some fun appliqué to put on top. If you’ve gone through the EQ6 Appliqué Drawing book, you’ll know from the first few lessons that you can take just about anything from the library and turn it into something else. Start a new EQ6 project and call it “Flare”. Go into the Block Library and copy out anything that looks like it has fun lines. View your Sketchbook Blocks section. Edit the first block. On the Applique tab, select one part of the drawing with the Pick tool. Click EDIT > Copy. Click BLOCK > New Block > PatchDraw Motif. Click EDIT > Paste. Edit the drawing however you like. Color it on the Color tab. Click Add to Sketchbook. Do this for all the blocks you “see something in”. Here are

Thanks for visiting us in our booth at Market & Festival. For those of you who save your questions for once a year, when I’m sitting there at the demo table, don’t forget you can email techsupport@electricquilt.com, call us at 419-352-1134 (M-F, 9-5 EST), or post questions on the forums to have your question answered sooner. If it’s one of those things where we might not be able to help with the design without seeing it, don’t forget you can email or fax (419-352-4332) pictures too. So this is the first of fifteen questions I got at least 2-3 times while we were there. I am going to post the steps and tips here on the blog, so you can refer to them whenever you want. 1) How do I digitize the Quiltmaker Quilting Designs for my own personal use? The Quiltmaker stencils are all open patches drawn on the

Wow. We just got back from Quilt Market and Festival. The overall consensus from our EQ group is that Houston (despite Hurricane Ike) is prettier than when we left it last year. Seriously. Those old parking lots in front of the convention center have been replaced by a green area, with some large grass areas, a pond with water lilies, fountains and more. There’s even a new café and restaurant in there. It’s fun having snacks in the “Treehouse” and staring out across the lawns watching flag football or little, giggling kids being chased around on the grass by their parents. The cool part is a lot of it is on top of an underground parking garage… so there’s still parking available. Some evenings you can listen in on concerts in the park or go to a farmer’s market. On our way to the hotel or dinner every night, we’d

Have you seen the November Quilters Newsletter yet? The quilt pictured on the cover is “Joy” made by Marilyn Smith from Columbia Missouri. It’s a beautiful collection of 113 vibrantly colored blocks each with a different embroidery pattern which means this quilt took a lot of time! The name “Joy” stemmed from the emotion of the colors in the quilt. Marilyn says, “Color inspires me. I love color; it can convey a feeling. Looking at fabric is just a step in the road to a finished quilt. When I began Joy, I wanted to use brights: hot pinks, purple, green and turquoise in random placement. As this quilt progressed, I began to think more creatively about color and how much I enjoy quilts with a color progression of temperature: warm to cool and cool to warm.” Marilyn Smith – Quilters Newsletter November 2008 So where did the joyful inspiration for

Cheryl Malkowski is a quilt designer and author from Oregon. She recently sent us a copy of her newest book, Quilt-O-Grams, where she teaches readers how to create quilted postcards and other fun projects using her experienced tips and tricks. Read more about Cheryl and her new book on her website. As an EQ6 user, Cheryl used the program to help her design some of the projects she creates. In her new book Quilt-O-Grams, Cheryl explains to readers how using EQ6 for her projects. She explains: “What if you could make a miniature of that complex New York Beauty Quilt or the fancy Baltimore Album quilt without doing a bit of piecing of appliqué? Now you can! With the Electric Quilt (EQ) program, or similar quilt design software, you can design a quilt any way you like and then print it out on fabric.” Yes, Cheryl used our EQ Printable