Registration now open for Signs of Spring Free EQ8 Live Webinar on April 24 or 25 ​ Register here. Raindrops EQ8 Tutorial It is that time of year -- the rain is washing away of remains of winter and we are beginning to see some new growth. Last week I shared a tutorial on drafting an umbrella block which is the beginning of the April Showers brings May Flowers project. The tutorial also included an extra bonus project. April Showers Brings May Flowers Blog Post Part 1 of the April Showers Brings May Flowers Quilt This week we will add to the April Showers Brings May Flo ..read more

ANNOUNCEMENT: ​Registration now open for Signs of Spring Free EQ8 Live Webinar Register here. April Showers EQ8 Tutorial Growing up, I remember Mom singing a song called April Showers.  It included these lyrics: "When April Showers come your way. They bring the flowers that bloom in May. So if it is raining, have no regret. It isn't raining rain you know. It's raining violets." She must have sung it a lot -- as I was able to recall and write out the words without a Google search. In Minnesota we started the month with some snow.  After an entire winter with very little prec ..read more

I promise -- this is the last egg-stranza post for the year.  I have been a bit fixated on egg quilts.  In case you missed it, you may want to check out the posts for the last two weeks: Easter Egg Hunt Foundation Pieced Applique Easter Egg The new one I will be sharing with you today is a circular design.  Depending on the size you could turn it into a table topper for a round circular table.  Or for those that are into working with wool and embroidery -- a candle mat. Easter Egg PosieMaker EQ8 Tutorial Start with three blocks from the EQ8 Library.  These were al ..read more

Continuing on with an egg-travaganza theme, I will be sharing a new way to add foundation piecing to your applique shapes.  The only applique "drawing" in this tutorial is deleting a few patches from a block in the library and rotating the ending shape. Super simple. Foundation Pieced Applique Easter Eggs Tutorial When I was working on the Easter Egg Hunt post, I found all these decorative eggs in the EQ8 Library.  They are all under 05-Contemporary Applique>Holiday -Easter.  While I loved the blocks, I wanted something simpler to work with. So I deleted all the elemen ..read more

The weather is getting warmer.  And spring is getting closer.  I loved playing with some spring colored fabrics in creating this fun new block which has two quilt options. There are three components to the whimsical/block: A pieced background (completed in EasyDraw). Eggs drafted as Applique motifs.  Easter bunny obtained from the EQ8 Block Library and incorporated in the combo-block. Easter Egg Hunt Design Pieced Background Start a new block> Pieced and Applique>Easy Plus Applique. Make sure snap to grid is turned on with grid snap increments at 36 x 36.  T ..read more

Learn my best tips for merging blocks in Electric Quilt as you learn how to create a Shamrock block and merge it into a frame and then merge both the original shamrock and the framed shamrock into a new block.  ​Use the blocks in a simple layout for your next St. Patrick's Day celebration.​ Lucky Shamrocks Quilt EQ8 Tutorial I reworked the Shamrock block from one of my patterns and will be sharing not only the drafting of the block, but a number of variations. Shamrock Block 1 The three leaves are very conducive to rotary cutting instructions (all squares and half square trian ..read more

Do you have a quilt that got you interested in quilt making? Here is mine. My grandmother made an Irish Chain quilt for me (probably in the late 60s or early 70s). I loved the quilt and when it began to wear out I wanted another one for my bed. This was a very traditional Irish chain -- which I now think is a bit boring.  ​Our tastes change over the years -- and that can definitely be a good thing. Traditional Irish Chain Quilt Made by Martha Keller (circa 1960s) This traditional Irish Chain consisted of two blocks that would be super easy to draft in EasyDraw. Iris ..read more

A new EQ8 tutorial for you today.  I think you will enjoy this fun idea for a new block -- that looks much more complicated than it is. ​Plus be inspired by the most recent designs from Tech Know Quilter members. Flutterby Blocks and Quilt Did you know that Flutterby is another name for Butterfly?  Which do you prefer? ​For this project, I am using the Rooville fabric collection designed by Kimberly Einmo for Benartex.  This was a free download from Electric Quilt for November 2023. Start by drawing a 3" block using EasyDraw.  EasyDraw is just like working with penci ..read more

​I did an EQ8 tutorial earlier this week -- in celebration of Valentine's Day.   The EQ tutorial shows how to draft a template that can be used to cut two pieces of fabric that could be woven together for a single basket. In the video, I share three different template options from Electric Quilt 8. Cutting manually. Creating an SVG. Exporting an image and tracing in an Electronic cutting system. I also share how I used these items with Cricut Design Space. Then learn how to weave your fabric for your own 3D basket. . V-Day Card using the 3D Swedish Heart Basket Template C ..read more

Swedish Heart Basket Quilt Designed by Kari using EQ8 On February 3, 2024, I shared how to draft a block and quilt that featured a Swedish Heart Basket.   The traditional Swedish Heart Basket is a three dimensional design made from two pieces of construction paper.  You may have made these during your early school days.   ​ The tutorial had me wanting to make a few of these baskets for Valentines Day cards.  The "basket" could be filled with a favorite chocolate candy. The perfect Valentine surprise. However the design as created in EQ was no ..read more