Interview

INTERVIEW WITH DAPHNE GREIG & SUSAN PURNEY MARK OF PATCHWORKS STUDIO

This talented duo writes books, designs for magazines, and runs a web business together; and after 14 years they're still friends.
Find out how they do it.

Lessons & Classes

KALEIDOSCOPE COLLECTORS MONTH 10
In Month 10, Andrea covers vertical strip quilts for owners of Kaleidoscope Collection CD.

If you're just starting, see Months 1 - 9.

Check out the Kaleidoscope Joan Lucchese is working on. Love it! If you're sewing Andrea's Kaleidoscope Mystery quilt, send a picture to webmaster@electricquilt.com.

PREVIOUS MYSTERY QUILT STORIES AND LESSONS
Learn EQ5 or EQ6 by working through our two different Mystery Quilt series: If you are just joining us, start here with Skylights Episode 1 and Skylights Lesson 1.

Then work through the EQuinox mystery, starting with EQuinox Episode 1 and EQuinox Lesson 1.

Show us your quilts! Have you made one of our Mystery quilts? We want to see your quilt or top. Email us a photo and we'll post it in our mystery gallery: Skylight mystery quilts, EQuinox mystery quilts

ARE YOU TEACHING EQ?
If you are teaching EQ classes, don't forget to let our webmaster know the date, time and location of your classes so we can list them on our website.

EQ CLASSES
Want a hands-on EQ class? See who's teaching, what's being taught, and where.

News

ELECTRIC QUILT IS ON FACEBOOK
Electric Quilt has its own Facebook page now, as does EQ the Mouse. If you're on Facebook too, visit the Electric Quilt page and the EQ the Mouse page. Become a Fan, and you'll get regular updates when we post something on our blog, or add a new video, or have other news. EQ the Mouse even insisted we blog about him.

If the links above do not work, here's how to find the page:
1. Log into your facebook profile
2. Up near the Logout link type: EQ the Mouse in the Search box.
3. Click on EQ the Mouse and click Become a Fan.
p.s. You can also find Electric Quilt on there using this same method.

STILL TIME TO SIGN UP FOR HOUSTON CLASSES
You can still sign up for the hands-on October 2009 EQ classes experts Barb Vlack & Mary Ellen Kranz will teach at Quilt Festival in Houston. See their class offerings. Check with www.quilts.com to enroll.

ELECTRIC QUILT HAS A YOUTUBE CHANNEL
Now you can watch Andrea's short EQ segments from Pokey Bolton's Quilting Arts TV on YouTube. We're putting them up a few at a time. Many, many more to come ...

www.youtube.com/ElectricQuilt

CALLING ALL EQ GUYS
We want to know you better. We're looking for male quilters using EQ6 for a future newsletter interview/article. Please email.

Subject: EQ Guys
Send to: penny@electricquilt.com

Just let us know you're out there, and we'll send you some interview questions at a later time.

EQ TWINS TURN ONE
Already? Yup! EQ Graphic Designer Sara Seuberling's twins, Ben & Aly, were one year old on July 18th.
Happy, Happy Birthday babies!

BRACKMAN FINDS "MYSTERY QUILT" PATTERN IN BLOCKBASE
Our favorite quilt historian, Barbara Brackman, recently blogged about a quilt top she was asked to identify. Of course, the pattern was in BlockBase (#1515) and a tricky one to piece. Barbara guesses the original designer had probably never tried piecing it herself.

Show us your work

EXHIBIT IN OUR NEW EQ QUILT GALLERY
We've got 60 – count 'em – quilts now in the EQ Quilt Gallery.

If you have a "real" and a "virtual" quilt to show, send us a photo of your quilt, along with your EQ project containing the EQ design for this same quilt. Tell us a bit about you, your quilt, your designing, whatever. List your website or blog if you have them.

Send them to penny@electricquilt.com. We love seeing what you're making and knowing more about you.  

VISIT OUR BLOG
See Andrea's tip about Tile Squares border style. New EQ-related blog topics are added almost daily. Let us know if you post EQ stuff on *your* blog so we can link. Also, send us info about what EQ stuff you're up to. Send an email to penny@electricquilt.com and tell us your EQ news.

Inspiration

FABULOUS FRANGIPANI
Anne's Creative Threads blog shows how Anne Maundrell used her EQ6 drawing to create a delicate frangipani flower design.

DAILY EQ-DESIGNS BY JUDY BUTCHER
We like visiting Judy Butcher's blog often just to see what new EQ quilt she's designed for the day.

DAILY EQ-DESIGNS BY GLYNIS THOMPSON
Want more inspiration? Glynis has a blog too where she posts daily EQ designs. Check out some of Glynis's latest work.

CHERRI HOUSE – JUST BECAUSE
... it's beautiful. I love this little quilt by Cherri House and thought it might brighten your day. Cherri uses EQ6 but probably didn't use it for this improvisational flower shower. But if you read our June interview with Cherri. I knew you'd love this too.

SANDELIN ON SERENDIPITY
We've caught Terrie Sandelin playing with EQ6's Serendipity tool again. Thanks, Terrie, for the "mini lessons" on your blog:
Part 1    Part 4
Part 2    Part 5
Part 3

Clubs

WANT TO START YOUR OWN EQ CLUB?
Download our "Planning an EQ Club" PDF file. See what you need to get started, how to organize and get topic ideas. The Mystery Quilt would make a great club project.

ClubEQ REMINDER
ClubEQ is a free monthly challenge organized by EQ-author, Barb Vlack. To participate, send in a project with 1-2 quilts to penny@electricquilt.com that follow the challenge theme and ClubEQ rules. Imagine getting 50 to 100 quilts for just submitting one.

The July challenge is "Diamonds are Forever" and the deadline is July 31. This month is a good one for beginning as well as experienced designers. So jump right in.

Support

ASK EQ THE MOUSE!
Long-time mascot (now Facebook member), EQ the Mouse, invites you to submit EQ questions for his column "Ask EQ." Email questions to Tech Support. Put "Ask EQ" in the subject line. He'll answer your question, and perhaps you'll make his monthly Q & A column.

Read this month's Ask EQ questions & answers.

MAIL-LIST FOR MAC EQ-ERS
Are you running your EQ on a Mac? Then you may want to subscribe to the free EQonMacs Yahoo group, run by Sheila Williams. For more information, contact Sheila at Sheila@SheilaWilliams.com.

EQ FORUMS
The new EQ Forums are up! Visit the EQ Forums and register, then you can ask questions and get answers from EQ staff, authors and other EQ users right on the EQ web site.

TECH SUPPORT
A reminder that you can see answers to our most Frequently Asked Questions right on the EQ web site. See EQ6 questions here. See EQ5 questions here.

EQ6 UPDATE
If you own EQ6, download and install the free EQ6 Update which makes EQ6 run faster and smarter. You'll know you're updated if in EQ6 you click
HELP > About EQ6 and see "Build 2."

Contests

NEW "GUESS DEAN'S BIRTHDAY" CONTEST
Guess company President Dean Neumann's birthday month and day. The 5 who come closest to the date will win their choice of one of our Quilting Designs CDs. If more than 5 guess the exact date, we'll draw for 5 winners.

One email guess per person.

Send an email
To: penny@electricquilt.com
Subject: Dean's Date Contest
Body: the month and day you are guessing

Entry deadline: August 20, 2009

WINNERS OF NAME THE BLOCK CONTEST
Congratulations to the winners in our Name the Block contest. Andrea selected the following as her favorite names for her block shown in the July newsletter.

Basket Weaving - Sylvia Youngblut

Stars over Interlaken - Jackie Piazza

Star Catcher – tie: Nancy Price & Elizabeth Campbell

Four Baskets Full - Sew Great Winterhoff

Gifts of Sun - Misty Schmidt

All winners will receive a free Quilting Designs CD of their choice.

NEW AMY BUTLER CONTEST
Amy Butler is celebrating the launch of her Amy Butler's Softwares CD with a contest. It's over September 15, so for more information visit our blog: Mid Mod Contest

Fabric

DOWNLOAD MORE FREE FABRIC
This month's download is "Forest." Choose either to download a Library file or a Project file. Be sure to follow the easy steps provided. Then vote for next month's fabric.

NEW CONNECTING THREADS FABS AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD
Connecting Threads has made some of their own fabric collections available especially for EQ6 users as Library files. Find the collections here.

1) Download the file to your Desktop. Extract the zipped file (right-click, then click "Extract All").
2) Place the .FAB file in your My Documents\My EQ6\USER\ folder on your hard drive.
3) Open EQ6 and your fabric library. The collection will appear in your "MY LIBRARY" folder.

NEW MODA FABS AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD
Moda has new fabrics available to download as jpeg files, ready to be opened in EQ6.

1) Visit Moda's site, click any brown dot in front of a fabric name, download to your computer (remember where it goes).
2) Go to LIBRARIES > Fabric Library > Import > From Image Files and import the fabric.
3) Add the fabric to your Sketchbook and use it, or save the fabric in My Library (see pages 143 and 144 in the EQ6 User Manual) to use in future projects.

If you need complete steps, EQ the Mouse addresses them in one of his Ask EQ columns.

Freebies

FREE PROJECT FROM ANGIE PADILLA
Angie, the drawing diva who authored EQ6 Appliqué Drawing, invites you for drinks. See her free projects for a lemonade quilt, coffee cups and a wine rack. I'm thinking the easy coffee cup quilt makes a perfect "best friend" gift.

FREE PROJECT FROM CAROL CLASPER
Carol Clasper has an EQ6 project for you featuring the same block, set different ways. Thanks, Carol!

FREE PROJECTS FROM REGINA GREWE
Regina, a German EQ designer, offers wonderful patterns to download as EQ6 projects.

Bookmark her site and check back monthly to get new patterns (foundation and appliqué patterns) for her on-going series on Birds.

FREE MYSTERY BOM FROM GUDRUN
Gudrun, from Belgium, has started a Mystery Block of the Month for 2009 that she would like to share.
Block #1    Block #5
Block #2    Block #6
Block #3    Block #7
Block #4

FREE BALTIMORE BLISS BOM FROM SINDY RODENMAYER
EQ6-designer Sindy Rodenmayer has a beautiful new appliqué block pattern for you each month in her 2009 Block Of the Month. Get 'em while they're up, because these block patterns don't stay up all year. See how her finished Baltimore Bliss top looks now on her blog.

Sindy just announced she'll go live with a new, new BOM on August 1.

Pet owners: don't miss this page! Sindy drew some great cats and dogs.

FREE PROJECTS FROM DENISE RUSSART
Denise Russart loves designing appliqué with EQ6 and has devoted a section of her blog to projects you can download.

FREE QUILTED DESKTOPS & CALENDARS
Carolyn Laukkonen offers you a series of quilted desktops to choose from. Choose a favorite, or switch them monthly. Download onto your computer desktop. Find complete instructions on her site.

Or check out the beautiful calendars Diane Anderson designs just for you.

FREE VIEWERS
Want to see a self-running show of your own EQ projects? Download a free project viewer:

Download "EQ6 Show" if you have EQ6. It will show any EQ3, EQ4, EQ5 and EQ6 projects you've made.
Download "EQ5 Show" if you only have EQ5. It will show any EQ3, EQ4 & EQ5 projects you have made.

FREE EQ6 WEB BUTTONS
Show your EQ spirit by adding an EQ6 button to your web site!

DO YOU HAVE FREE EQ PROJECTS OR PATTERNS TO SHARE ON YOUR WEB SITE?
Let us know and we'll list you on the Project Sharing page. Just email our webmaster with the necessary links and information and ask for your site to be considered for inclusion on that page.

Next Month...

COMING NEXT MONTH
* Interview with Geta Grama from Romania about her Shadow Trapunto

* A new contest

* The "next to last" Kaleidoscope Collectors lesson