What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Electric Quilt 8 allows users to use some very unusual settings for blocks in quilt layouts, and distorts the block designs added to the setting to fit the shapes. The design above uses a standard floral applique block design in each of the shapes in the hexagon.

Ooops!!! I have just noticed that i used a different variation of the block in two triangles!

Just as well I didn’t cut any fabrics for this one!

Love the layout in the second design, but the fabric choice is a bit off-putting.

Love the first design for today.

Love the second one too … and I cannot pick a favourite.

Electric Quilt 8 will turn a pieced block into a quilt setting if all the shapes in the block are straight lines. If you use a square block in a long rectangle the design is stretched to fit the shape, which is sometimes a stunning result, sometimes not so good.

Love the open spaces to show off the quilting in the second design.

First design in a new project file, experimenting with layouts based on pieced block designs. Using applique blocks is interesting because square designs placed in a rectangular are distorted, which sometimes works well, other times not so well.

A different layout from a different pieced block design which I think might be interesting to keep playing with, though I do have another couple of pieced blocks picked out to use in this project.

Then will have to add some quilting!

Interesting layout made possible by Electric Quilt. Any pieced block using squares and rectangles can be used as a quilt layout, and drawing a pieced block is much simpler than placing individual blocks in a quilt.

When I looked into this feature I started designing blocks which could be used in this way. Most of them are unsuitable for individual blocks, and they are a real challenge to use as quilt layouts because square applique designs get distorted when used in a rectangle.

Love love the second design, though though one of the block designs should be modified to suit ...

One of the most interesting things I found through playing with Electric Quilt is using blocks as quilt settings.

The most limiting part of the process was the number of suitable blocks made up of squares and rectangles, but that is easily solved by drawing blocks with just right angles. Vertical and horizontal straight lines only.

After a very short time of drawing the basic blocks I had a collection of 50 plus blocks, most of which would probably not make great blocks, but just might work to make some very interesting quilt layouts

Electric Quilt allows users to design their own layouts by using pieced blocks using squares and rectangles as the block layout. I spent about a week designing possible layouts as simple pieced blocks, just for fun, and most of them are still untried as quilt layouts.

At least today’s designs have used two of them!

I like the first design for today …

… but I love the second one!

I really should play with custom settings more often.

Love the one above …

… and the next one more!

I have been away from home for a couple of days with fellow quilters, so today’s first job is to get my feet back on the ground, back in the land of reality.

Love the idea of creating a design by using different background fabrics, and designs like the ones here show why!

I like the first one best, but I have learned something from the second one … use finest, dotted line available in Electric Quilt for the best quilting lines when added to a blog. The quilting lines are fine when they are printed out, but tend to look splodgy when uploaded.

Interesting effect of using low contrast background behind applique designs, made more interesting in a custom design arrangement of blocks.

I love the second one!

This project file is an experiment with non-conventional layouts, or perhaps testing boundaries within the border of a quilt. I am not wrapped with my contrast choice, but very interested in the layouts.

Let me be honest, I am always interested in quilt designs which include both applique and quilting motifs.

The design above uses one of the features of Electric Quilt, where a block using only squares and rectangles can be used as a quilt layout.

In this case this is how you could make a ‘wholecloth’ quilt from two different fabrics when you can’t get to the quilt shop and want to start a new project now!

I usually place pieced or applique blocks in the squares and rectangles, but this one just has quilting motifs based on applique blocks.

I love the idea … one worth playing with some more.

The second design uses a different layout, also ...

My virtually quilted designs are a great way to show how applique designs can become quilting motifs, but are a little misleading, because I do not add the boring filler designs, partly because it takes as long to fill in the background as it does to quilt it for real, and all those lines tend to hide the motifs, and sometimes even the applique or pieced block designs. So when there are empty spaces in my virtual designs, you have to imagine you are looking at a real quilt with cross hatching in those blank spaces done in a matching ...