Posts Tagged "Electric Quilt"

Every morning when I wake up, I want to head straight downstairs and start sewing.  The morning chores have to be done before I can start sewing but I’m usually at the machine by 9 or 9:30.

One morning this week, I had all the Big Star blocks and sashing strips made.  I was anxious to get started on the border blocks.  They’re my favorite part, you know?

Then I realized I hadn’t stuck in the sashing squares so I added those.

The border blocks kinda look like Mickey Mouse ears, huh?

Finished all the pieced blocks.  Sewed the blocks and rows together.  Started adding the non-pieced borders and they weren’t fitting.  They always fit!  I use Electric Quilt and the measurements are perfect.  I had used the wrong size for the sashing!  A bit of adjusting on the non-pieced borders and everything worked out but I hate when that happens!

Edit:  Sorry . . I originally said the EQ file was on my sidebar but it’s the pattern for this file that’s on the sidebar.

This quilt is the brown Saratoga Lights quilt and it was started in December (I think . . could have been November).  Chad liked it and asked for it so it’s his.  Several years ago there was a big rush between Chad and Vince to see who could “claim” quilts first.  As soon as one of them saw a quilt, if they liked it, they claimed it for their own.  Lately, neither of them have wanted anything I made so I was happy that Chad asked for this one.

The pattern is over on the sidebar.

I quilted it using Keryn Emmerson’s Spiral Square panto.  That’s the only panto I’ve used lately and there’s a reason – I’m lazy!  I want to use this panto for my dad’s quilt which I think will be the next top I quilt but I have to finish it first.  Changing pantos is not a big deal but I just keep thinking . . why change it when I’m going to have to put it right back on.  Makes no sense to me now that I think about it but I really love the Spiral Square panto!

Red, White & Blue Pinwheels

The EQ file for this quilt has been added.  To get to it, go to the sidebar and under “Free Patterns and Projects”, you’ll see Electric Quilt Files to Download.

Last night I completed the Bearly Dancing top.

It’s turned wrong here for the picture.  To the list of things I must have in a house . . gas stove, wood stove, no carpet, basement, walk in shower . . I need to add that I have to have a good place to take photos of my quilts.

Even though the drawing shows one background fabric, I used 6 or 8 different background fabrics.

Here’s the EQ drawing of how it looks when it’s turned correctly.

Simple blocks!  To liven things up a bit, the horizontal sashing is narrower than the vertical sashing.  The first two borders (orange and brown ones)  are a bit different from normal.  It’s a fun and quick quilt to make.  The completed size is about 62″ x 80″.  The EQ file can be downloaded by going to the sidebar, clicking on Free Patterns and Projects, then going down to Electric Quilt Files to Download.  You will need EQ6 to open the file.

Over on my sidebar, down under “Free Patterns and Projects”, near the bottom of that section, you’ll see “Electric Quilt Files to Download”. You do need EQ6 to open the files. For some designs, I offer patterns, for some I offer the project to download.

During the coming months I plan to do many quilts that I think are quick. Some always question what’s quick and what isn’t when I say something is quick so . . you’ll have to be the judge on each design. Because my main quilting goal in 2010 is to use a huge chunk of stash and make bunches of donation quilts, most of these will be in the 60″ x 80″ range but you can make them any size you choose. There will probably be more EQ files to download than written patterns to share . . just so I can get more quilting time instead of writing and testing patterns.

If you don’t have EQ, get it! And . . learn to use it! In the coming months, I hope to give you good reasons to at least be able to open the projects.

When I showed this top on my design wall recently, several noticed that the blocks could have been made differently.  Yes, that’s correct.  This is one of the reasons why I love Electric Quilt.  There are many!  When drawing a quilt design, it’s very easy to see alternate ways to piece the top.

Do you see any difference in these two drawings, other than the colors?

The way I made my top was using 10″ blocks set in horizontal rows.  The colored squares for the four patches were cut 4″.

On the perimeter and corner blocks, some of the black sections were removed and plain white triangles were used.  This is the setting with the block lines drawn in.

If the same 4″ squares were used for the four patches, but separate four patches and pinwheel blocks were used:

but the blocks were set on point, this is what the setting would look like, with the red lines delineating the rows.

Other than a couple of inches difference from having the blocks set on point or horizontally, depending on your preference for sewing, these tops come out exactly the same no matter which way you sew them together.