Pumpkin Fest

As fall harvest comes to an end in most parts of the country, there is lots of bounty!

Our Island Batik Ambassador challenge this month had a theme of Pumpkin Fest.
#islandbatikpumpkinfest

Throughout this year, Electric Quilt's Heidi Kory has continued to share inspiring ideas. I found several this month that I particularly liked and downloaded the project files (.PJ7) and started to play around. You can find her ideas at the EQ Website Monthly Project Downloads area.

Do you ever try to combine blocks from various .pj7 files?

Here is a quick tutorial on how I combined them.

Open one of the files, or a NEW project file and name it.

Using the top level menus ...
Libraries, Block Library, Import ...
Choose the .pj7 file that the block(s) are in that you'd like.
Open.
The blocks in that project file are then displayed in your popup window.
Select a block and 'Add to Sketchbook' for all blocks desired.

Then you can have fun creating a completely new quilt or modifying an existing one in your project file with all of those new blocks.

I started with 4 blocks that were part of two different downloads
- Maple Leaf
- Sunflower
- Pumpkin
- Acorn 1

I modified the sunflower (removed the stem) and Acorn 1 (changed the shape of the stem and added a 'ground effect' at the bottom at the sides.

Some elements seemed to be easy enough to rotary cut, others perhaps a template and others still via paper piecing. In the end I should have done a bit more paper piecing, but it worked out sufficiently.

Island Batik's fabrics came together beautifully, but I had limited quantity of each, so chose to do an interesting glow effect with the background fabrics with the lightest being used in the middle and then they suddenly got darker going towards the outer edges. The ground effect on the very outer edge completes this secondary design.

The intended use is as a table topper, so I tossed the leaves and rotated all blocks so that their 'base' was on the outer edge.

I also chose to put Thermore batting in the middle of it.

The backing is a fall color ombre with golden wheat heads.

I used the Curly Maple pantograph to hand-guide the stitching on this quilt. YLI Pecan Sundae thread on top and A&E Tex 30 Taupe on the bottom.

I've heard repeatedly that Dawn liquid dish soap is what to use when you're concerned about bleeding fabrics. Well, I decided to try washing this quilt right away (I had not pre-washed or treated or pre-tested my fabrics before using them) and drying it in the dryer. Just as a little experiment.

I used maybe a tablespoon or so of Dawn and put it in the washer to soak for a few minutes then let the delicate cycle continue. I then threw it in the dryer for about 20 minutes and wah lah! it looked fantastic.


I sneaked over to my neighbors yard that has these beautiful yellow leaf trees and red burning bushes to capture a few extra photos!













Here is one from my back porch:







and another from the front of my shop.

I hope you enjoyed this peak of Fall in our area and wish you the best at getting your fill of pumpkin this year!  Enjoy!

EQ Seasons Row-a-long - a Spring Row - Dogwood Branch

Excited to be a part of this EQ Seasons Row-a-long (RAL) and provide you with a Spring row.

Thanks to Marian at Seams to be Sew for organizing this RAL Blog Hop and all of our many sponsors. You're going to learn a lot and get lots of inspiring ideas for all seasons.

Special thanks to Northcott who sent me the sky and tree (Stonehenge, Woodland) fabric to work with. I've also got the entire Toscana line of theirs, so have made my row entirely with Northcott fabric. I've got one kit to share with a lucky winner and am willing to ship kits if you're interested in purchasing one.

I've had this dogwood paper piecing design for a long time in EQ, but have never moved on with the design and made something. This seemed like a great way to give it a try. Just a row, could be a nice wall hanging or part of a bigger quilt.

Several techniques are used to make this row --Rotary Cutting, Paper Piecing and Templates.

Helpful tools to make it include: Rotary cutter, mat, ruler, foundation papers, add-a-quarter ruler, template making material or cardstock.

This row is 60" x 8" finished. That doesn't make an equal number of squares.

If you want to create this in EQ7, start with New Quilt, Horizontal. Click on the Layout tab (lower left of your screen) and then in the pop up window select 7 Horizontal blocks; 1 Vertical block; Finished size of Blocks are 8".

Select Border tab .....Remove check mark 'All', adjust top, right and bottom borders to 0. Make LEFT border, 4".  This would be the place to add another border if you just want to make the row and finish it with a nice frame.

Select Layer tab. It should now look like this.

Block 1 is the 'Left border' 4" block.

Blocks 2, 6, and 3, 5 are similar but 'reversed'. To create these, go to Block, New Block, Easy Draw ...Draw the first block with a branch. Save to Sketchbook.

Select branch lines (click with your mouse on the line; hold your shift key down and select the second line as well), right click with your mouse and select 'Symmetry', use Flip H (Flip horizontally). Select the 'Color' tab to be sure the lines connected to the edge of the block. If so, save to Sketchbook. If not, go back to the original branch block and try selecting, and flipping again. Be sure to check that the ends are connecting to the edge of the block before going to the 'color' tab. Save to Sketchbook. Note...you don't actually have to draw the flipped block. Just place the first branch block into the quilt in all 4 blocks where it will be used then from the tool bar select the 'flip' the blocks according to how you want it to be.

Block 4 and 7 have the same dogwood block, but one is 1/2 scale of the other. I drew the big one first so I could get the accuracy easily. This is a 2x2 grid block. I used a 12" drawing table block, 36 snaps both horizontal and vertical. Draw vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines both directions. Because this is paper pieced, I've used these guidelines to help create symmetry and a bit easier to piece the strange shape I am trying to create. Dissect the corner to create the edge of the petal. Make similar lines to give it the divot for both the petal color shift and the leaves. In the center, this visual shows no diagonal line, but you will need it there to more simply create the petal section patterns. If you remove it the foundation pattern will print it out separately, but it just adds more paper and isn't necessary. Ultimately don't add the yellow corner until you have joined two petals together, then do it as a single combined corner. Save the large dogwood block to the sketchbook.

To create block 4, I changed my snaps to 72 (H and V) then selected the whole block, right click -- 'Resize' and choose 50% for both Horizontal and Vertical. Then move to upper left corner. Add the branch elements to mimic the original branch block and add another branch out to the small 4" dogwood. Save to sketchbook.

Place each block in its respective place back on the Layout tab of the quilt. Note that the first (border block) and the far right block are just fabric.

Fabric Requirements:

Sky/Background: 3/8 yard
Trunk/Branch: 1/4 yard (fat eighth will work)

Remaining pieces can likely be made from your scraps. If you're buying fabric, get 1/8 yard for each described below:

• Dogwood petals--Choose several values (light to dark) to make whatever color of dogwood you're used to seeing.
• Leaves
• Pale yellow for centers

8 Blocks ...numbered 1-8, left to right.

1                  2                    3                       4                         5                           6                         7                            8

To print the various instruction types, select the block while in the quilt layout, then File...Print and choose the desired method of pattern. The tool bar print icon will also give you these various options. Sometimes using 'landscape' mode makes for a nicer printout, sometimes using the 'move' option to move the different parts around on the paper is also handy. Change the 'printer' to Adobe PDF if you want to create a PDF pattern for use later. When the print dialogue initially comes up, choose the "Page Setup" button to change the printer or any other print options, otherwise it uses your default printer.

Rotary Cutting
Block 1: Cut 8.5" x 4.5" trunk --note direction of wood grain so that it is vertical.
Block 8: Cut 8.5" x 8.5" sky

Templates
To simplify the piecing and yet give the branch some movement, I used this template technique to just reverse a block image
Block 2 and 6 are template pieced (REVERSE--flip it so that you are using the template shape on the side without the printing), Block 3 and 5 are templates as printed.

Paper Pieced
Blocks 4 and 7 are paper pieced. Foundation patterns are included in the download. Use unprinted newsprint or specialty foundation papers. Shorten your stitch length when stitching on paper just to make it easier to remove it (if you normally stitch 2.5, then stitch these 2). Pay attention when joining the leaf corner and the petals. Put pins through the paper and fabric at the join spots. Use another pin to angle in sideways to hold the two pieces together until you can get them stitched down. If you try to use the pin that you put in vertically and then rotate it, the fabric layers will slide. Remove the vertical pin before stitching.

Add the yellow center after joining two petals.

I did not use an iron to press as I went ...just finger pressed--more an issue of time. Take your time and press (up and down, don't slide the iron) it as you go and it will be much flatter. This will get pressed before quilting, but these photos were taken before that step.

Examples of fanning the many pieces that come together at the center. The paper has not yet been removed in these photos. Once the entire row is assembled you can remove the paper. This fanning technique is also discussed in detail in our book You Can Quilt!

Note Block 4 requires a rotary cut 4.5" x 4.5" sky to be added to the 4" finished dogwood flower, then add the paper pieced lower branch to complete the block.

There is plenty of negative space in this row to add additional branches and dogwood in the quilting. Perhaps in your row you want to just do repeated dogwood flowers in 4" or 8" sizes rather than creating this 'branch' concept. Up to you! You have the pattern now so feel free to be creative.

I just might have it quilted into a finished wall hanging by the end of this RAL --think about those spaces above wide doorways, sliders or French doors, etc....maybe a seasonal wall hanging of this shape would work well there. I'll be sure to blog about it and add it to the Flickr group when I do, so I hope you'll choose to follow along.

There is an EQ support group for this Row-a-long. Feel free to ask questions here in the comments or there on Facebook and post your photos in the Flickr group too. If you have EQ I hope you'll give it a try to draw one yourself, but if you'd like the .PJ7 file please indicate in a comment below and I'll send it to you --BUT YOU MUST BE SURE YOUR EMAIL IS PART OF THE COMMENT OR KNOW that you are NOT a no-reply blogger. Several have asked, but there is no way for me to send it to you because you are a no-reply blogger. Here is the Dogwood Branch PDF for those who don't have EQ. These will be available for free through (Oct. 12, 2015). OFFER HAS NOW EXPIRED.

I have numbered the foundations according to how I would like the seams to lie ultimately when I am quilting it. You'll find in EQ that the default does not take that into consideration necessarily. A great opportunity to learn about numbering your own foundations. When in the foundation pattern print dialogue, the sections tab lets you define the entire section--not all sections have to be identified if they are repeating--just print more pages--this can help if you find them spreading over multiple pages. Get a section that is repeated sorted properly and just print it multiple times. Then go to the 'numbering tab' and renumber if you need to. The options tab lets you define the line width, Font button at the bottom of the window lets you define the font type and size for a variety of elements on the page. I also had problems when 'creating a PDF by printing to a PDF', that when I try to print it to paper, the seam allowances don't show. If I select 'advanced' in the dialogue box when printing the PDF (not when creating it, but actually printing it) then click the box that says 'Print as image' then the seam allowances do print. It could be just my printer, but wanted to share that little tip in case you find the seam allowances didn't print. You also need to be sure that it is set to NOT SCALE (Auto-rotate and center is ok). Updated 9/2/15.

Now available via PDF download from Craftsy.

I only have a couple of kits with the exact same trunk fabric, but I have a variety of other suitable trunk fabrics available if that is not of a worry to you. Send $20 via paypal (marlene@kissedquilts.com) and be sure to include your shipping address -- it will include printed pattern on appropriate papers for templates and paper piecing, fabric kit and shipping. The first two  payments submitted via paypal, will get the original Stonehenge Woodland and one lucky winner from comments left on this blog will get it for free.

Three other randomly chosen winners will receive these giveaways via this blog post and I'm using Rafflecopter to track entries (first time for this, so hope it all works) -- A gift certificate from the Fat Quarter Shop, my new book "You Can Quilt: Building Skills for Beginners" (I co-authored this with Leila Gardunia from ) and a kit to make this row just like mine. This will end on Sept. 8 and winners will be announced! We've been recommended to do individual rafflecopter tools for each giveaway, so choose the ones you would like to win and click through on each one. Some have more entry opportunities than others.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see some of your fabulous creations! Note there are three different giveaways that are from this blog only and two others that are consolidated from all blogs today, be sure to enter all or at least the ones you're interested in, click through to each one separately. There are also giveaways through all the participating blog posts, so you'll want to be sure to visit all of them. The RAL goes through Oct. 6.

The others posting today are:
https://stofgenoeg.wordpress.com/  Stof Genoeg - 2" Filler Row
http://www.beaquilter.com/ - Be A Quilter - Filler Row
http://quiltartdesigns.blogspot.com/ - Quilt Art - Fall
http://thimblemouseandspouse.blogspot.com/ - ThimbleMouse - Winter
http://www.quiltingqueenonline.com/ - The Quilting Queen Online - Summer

Note...each week for 6 weeks there will be new rows revealed. Be sure to check the complete schedule for all links. There is a huge giveaway during the 'show me' phase at the end. You won't want to miss it!

My three giveaways:

You Can Quilt! $24.95 value

You Can Quilt! Book giveaway

Fabric kit to make this row - $12 value

Dogwood Branch - Northcott Fabric Kit giveaway  

The Fat Quarter Shop

You can only enter once at this blog.

While this giveaway is specific to this blog, you can enter at each featured blog today.

There is 1 giveaway for each featured blog of the day.

Entries accepted until September 08, 2015

Winners Announced September 09, 2015

$25.00 gift certificate

Fat Quarter Shop Gift Certificate giveaway

Consolidated giveaways coming from all blogs today:

Northcott Fabrics
is giving 1 lucky recipient, 6-8 pieces of fabric at 1 yard lengths each.
You may only enter once
In other words, if you enter it here, do not enter it at the other blogs.
This giveaway is at all the featured blogs today.
Entries accepted until September 08, 2015
Winners Announced September 09, 2015
Value $60-80.00

Northcott Fabrics Big giveaway


As An Incentive To Participate By Making Blocks and Rows
Craftsy Class of your Choice
Value $40.00 based on average cost of Quilting classes,
but the value goes up if you choose lets say a sewing class.
3 individual winners
and
Nancy's Notions
2 individual winners
$10.00 gift certificate
When you add a unique block/row to the Flickr Group that you've created from any of the patterns offered each
week, you will get one entry into the drawing.
You can enter at any blog featuring the Flickr giveaway once each day of this Row-A-Long until
October 13, 2015 when the giveaway closes.
Winners Announced October 14, 2015
If you enter both giveaways, you need 2 unique blocks per each day you enter.
Duplicate Entries will be checked and if found you will be disqualified.
Filler Rows Do Not Count. These to will be disqualified if entered.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
If you're still reading....next blog hop starts October 9. It will be all about our book, You Can Quilt!, and beautiful Island Batik fabrics. Set the calendar to come back and be inspired!

Red and White Blog Hop

Welcome to the second day of Kick Off Week
Electric Quilt Red and White Theme Blog Hop
Celebrating a Year of Red and White Quilt Challenges

We're kicking off the Year of Red/White Quilt Challenges.  Participants in this hop love using EQ to design and we hope to inspire you to also use EQ Software (EQ SW) and enter the upcoming Design It! Quilt Challenge that kicks off on February 10th and goes thru March 23rd.  Designs of any size can be entered in this challenge, but they need to be your own design and have a red/white theme to them.  Of course, you need not use EQ SW to enter your design, but we certainly enjoy using EQ to design with.  There is also a Make It! Challenge for those that want to make their own design or a project from any purchased design or tutorial, as well as 3 different Red/White virtual quilt shows that you can enter.  And, the more challenges in the year that you enter the more chances you’ll have to win prizes.

For more info on the Year of Red/White Quilt Challenges:  http://www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com/p/redwhilte-quilt-challenge.html

Here is what I want to share with you today:

Ever need to just get a quick project made with minimal inspiration?

 

I want to show you several tools in EQ7: QuickStart Project, Vertical Strip Quilts vs. Horizontal Grid quilts and a bit of 'fussy cutting' of fabric in the border.

 

Quick Start Project:

 

When you open EQ7 there are 3 options, including a 'Quick Start Project' which is the 3rd tab in the opening wizard. I've shown the 'Streak of Lightning.TP7' as the starting point of my project.

 

This design uses the 'Vertical strip' Layout. By selecting the 'layout' tab (lower left) you can see the vertical strips and choose to set the width of each individual strip as well as the length of the strip. Using this quick project, there are 4 layout designs ranging from a twin size up to a king size. It may be helpful to choose the size you'd like and work from that one. The one below is the queen size.

 
Selecting 'Layer 1' tab in the lower left will allow you to re-color to your choice.

(the example below is from the king size layout)

 

Since we ultimately want to have a red and white quilt and the quick start project doesn't really have a good variety of reds in its local fabric library, you'll want to bring some in from a project or from your general library. You also can just use the 'colors' tab and do it as solids to get the desired effect. Doing it in a gray scale will also help you get the design laid out well and then matching the value of reds to the gray scale will let you place the reds appropriately.

 

Libraries - Fabric Library - EQ7 Libraries - by Color and choose the various red libraries and browse through them selecting the various fabrics you'd like to play with. Dark Red, Grey Red, Red and you need some White as well. I chose a few that were real white and some with a bit of red in them too. Each time you click on a fabric, then click 'Add to Sketchbook' (lower right of the wizard).

 

 

When complete, close the library and now those specific fabrics will be in your project fabric library.

To quickly change the colors of the project, there are a couple of ways to do it.

1. If you want to just swap a fabric, use the SWAP icon on your tool bar --highlighted on the right below (next to the bottom icon)

select a fabric swatch and then click on whatever color you'd like to swap it for in the entire quilt.

 

2. If you want to change the number of colors or the order of colors or not duplicate the same color in another strip, then you may need to use another method. To re-color the quilt with this particular layout, select your fabric swatch, hold the  Alt key down and select a particular vertical strip. It will get half of the vertical zigzag. To get the other half click on the remaining portion holding the Alt key down and it will then have the specific color throughout the entire zigzag.

 

There are multiple ways to draw a similar design which can also result in a different construction method. The one above you'd be sewing triangles together in a strip and then sew the strips together. What if you wanted to just sew Half-Square Triangles (HST)? How would that look in your drawing?

 

It is a different type of layout, called a 'Horizontal Quilt'. To draw this yourself, go to 'Quilt...New Quilt...Horizontal.

 

Layout parameters will depend upon how big you want to make your quilt. So, choose your number of horizontal and vertical blocks, and the size of your blocks. You'll need to create one HST block in the 'Worktable....Work on Block. Draw a diagonal line from the upper left to the lower right corner. Save to the Sketchbook.

 

Go back to your quilt...'Worktable...Work on Quilt'.

 

Select the block you've just made, hold the Ctrl key down, and click in a square on the quilt. The entire quilt should now have the block.

 

 

 

 

In order to create the zig zag, every other block needs to be 'rotated' until you have the effect in the zigzag that you want. This particular shape gives you a lot of options to create a variety of striking designs. Have fun experimenting --here is a simple one.

 
The same grid ...but an 8 x 8 grid instead of the 4 x 4 above, can create a Carpenter's Wheel and on the right a pinwheel spiral all out of HSTs !!

 

 

 

If I start on the right hand column, rotate once, every other block all the way down that column.

In the next to last column, rotate the first one twice, and the next one 3 times; then twice and the next three times. Continue to the bottom. The next column over will be like the far right column. Continue doing this every other column and you'll get the zig zag effect. Perhaps the construction technique of making HSTs is easier for you--you can still get this zig zag effect.

 

 

 

To remove the 'block and patchwork' lines, hover on the quilt and 'right click' with your mouse. Uncheck the Outline Patches (any markings within the block) and Outline blocks (the actual outline of the block).

 

 

 

To change the colors to be the exact color that you'd like for that zigzag, select your fabric, and start clicking on each colorset that you want to change. This is a bit more tedious than in the Vertical strip quilt.

 

After experimenting, this is what I came up with using the Vertical Strip Quilt layout. Using a variety of red/white fabrics and a great Monochrome (by Jinny Beyer for RJR Fabrics) border. Using the fussy cut tool and the rotate fabric tool (lower right --they do not appear in the default installation setting, so be sure to 'add the buttons' if you need to), I maneuvered the border fabric to get this symmetrical effect.

 

 

This one will come out as a 48" x 60" lap/kid size--a great size for a 'Bag of Love'. I've rotated the image for illustrative purposes.

 

 

 

Fabric requirements as identifed in EQ7:

 

It only took me a couple of hours to sew the center together and I only needed about 14" x WOF for each of the 4 center fabrics because I chose to make them Quarter Square Triangles and then sew them together in rows. This keeps the long edge NOT on the bias. I then started playing with border ideas and ran out of time to blog about it here.

 

Here is the center during construction and the start of my border tryouts.

 

 

 

 

The actual fabrics used in the center are available in my studio.

You're welcome to request a kit if you'd like. -Several have asked about prices, so I'm updating the blog post now to include this image and info.

Only the top fabric is a wideback. If you’d like a yard of each or some equal quantity of all 6 (would include the 1 yard x 3 yard wide back) then I’ll offer them for $8.75/yard. This is price is good through Feb. 2 on a first come, first serve basis.

 

 

SNEAK PEAK note: AQS is coming out with a Red and White Quilts Book and I've been asked to quilt two of the featured quilts. Follow along on my blog for some additional sneak peaks of my quilting progress before the book is available.
 

The American Folk Art Museum posted photos here of the 2011 exhibit while it was under construction. Very inspiring!

 

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you've been inspired, learned a thing or two and will consider participating in the Red and White Quilt Challenges coming up this year. Maybe I'll get this one entered! Check out other participating blogs during the hop below:

 

Monday, January 27th

SewCalGal – www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com

Heidi/EQ Blog – Behind the Mouse, the Electric Quilt Blog http://doyoueq.com/blog/

Tuesday, January 28th

Marlene/Kissed Quilts - http://kissedquilts.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, January 29th

Connie/Freemotion Quilting By The River - http://www.conniekresin.com/

Thursday, January 30th

Bea/Beaquilter - www.beaquilter.com

Friday, January 31st

Raewyn/Love to Stitch -  stitchingfarmgirl.blogspot.com

 

FMQ Challenge #5 Design Idea

SewCalGal has challenged us EQ users to come up with design ideas for your Free Motion Quilting Challenge #5 - It's All About Borders.

Using the golden ratio to change the sizing of the borders, you achieve a depth like you're looking down into a stairwell. Consider putting a Snails Trail block in the center to make it go even farther.

What is the golden ratio you might ask?

Wikipedia has a good illustration and definition.

I learned about it during Jinny Beyer's last Hilton Head seminar in 2009. It spoke to me geometrically and the math behind it, and I've tried to always incorporate this into my designs.

I've put an on point, 12" block as the center. This makes for an almost 17" center.

I started with 1" as the consistent dividers between each border.

There are 5 borders that scale.

Border 1 - 1.5"
Border 2 - 2.5"
Border 3 - 4.25"
Border 4 - 6.75"
Border 5 - 11"

These aren't exactly scaled, but are made convenient for standard 1/4" increments used in quilt making.

This quilt would be almost 79" x 79".

I've used the long-horizontal to set each border, but there are a plethera of other ideas you could do to create more of an effect in a pieced border. EQ7 provides lots of options.

If you are quilting on a domestic machine, how fun to just work on one border at a time and move the quilt around within the single border.

On a long-arm...perhaps you'll do the top and bottom borders, ditching all borders as you move down to the bottom. Work towards the center, then rotate the whole quilt and work from the outside in. This will allow you to do the entire row in one continuous movement. If your free motion design is friendly to starts and stops, you could stitch it top to bottom as you go without turning it later.

Smaller designs in the smaller borders, and larger designs as you move out. How fun to incorporate so many different styles.

Will be fun to see what people come up with!

Thanks SewCalGal for encouraging us!