Announcements

EQ6 Books GREAT for EQ7 too!
EQ6 Companion books are now 50% off! One very attractive feature of EQ7 is that new functionality was added without changing the existing operation of the program. This means that our companion books that were originally developed for EQ6 still work great with EQ7!  We have a large inventory of these companion books, and we are discounting the price by 50% just for you! Check them out now!

EQ7 PATTERN CHALLENGE
Check out this challenge from AccuQuilt and then enter your EQ7 designs! (Make sure you read all the way through to take advantage of a special EQ7 give away from EQ!)

Read more about AccuQuilt Challenge and download the EQ7 Block Library here.

Don’t yet have EQ7 to participate in the AccuQuilt Challenge? Well we are giving one away to help you out! So enter your name to win an EQ7 by 9am on Tuesday, September 7th.

To enter send an email to sarahshriver@electricquilt.com
Subject: AccuQuilt and EQ7
INCLUDE YOUR:
Full Name
Address
Phone Number

One randomly selected winner will receive an EQ7 so you can enter in the AccuQuilt Contest. Good Luck! Remember the contest ends on Tuesday, September 7th at 9am. We know it’s short but we want you to get your EQ7 in time to participate in the AccuQuilt Challenge!

EQ7 DEMO VIDEOS
We now have EQ7 Demo Videos available on our website! You can explore what the program can do before you buy, or learn more tips and tricks about EQ7. View all the current videos and check back often for more. Watch a video now!

STILL A FEW SPOTS ON THE EQ CRUISE FEATURING EQ7
The cruise is definitely going to sail. But there are still a few spots open for this 10 Day/9 Night Caribbean Cruise - January 28-February 6, 2011. You'll have sun and EQ fun with top-notch teachers Barb Vlack & Mary Ellen Kranz and come home knowing more about EQ7 and with small sewn projects featuring your own cruise photos. BONUS: You'll learn how easy it is to take better vacation (and quilt) photos with one of the quilt world's best photographers and teachers: Gregory Case. See more details about this first-ever EQ cruise.

Interview

MEET DOUG LEKO, FOUNDER/DESIGNER OF ANTLER QUILT DESIGN
Discover how this 18 year old EQer started his own quilt pattern business, had his work published in magazines, and his own booth in Houston in a little over a year. Read the interview.

Lessons & Classes

BENNI HARPER MYSTERY LESSON 7: SEVEN SISTERS
Layer 2 and 3, here we come! This lesson has you download the block, then set stencils and motifs in EQ6 or EQ7. Thanks for your patience as you waited for this lesson.

ONLY TWO HANDS-ON EQ7 CLASSES STILL OPEN IN HOUSTON
Yay! The full-day classes taught by Barb Vlack and Mary Ellen Kranz during International Quilt Festival filled REALLY FAST! Only the last 2 classes during the week still have spots open. See the schedule here. Registration is handled by www.quilts.com.

QUILT UNIVERSITY
Two new excellent online EQ classes start in September:

EQ6 Sampler from Fran Gonzalez author of EQ6 Simplified. This 4-lesson class is the first in Fran's 4-class EQ series (and a pre-req for the other classes); perfect for beginners. It builds strong basic skills then moves on to advanced design techniques in the last two lessons. Fran says: "By the end of class, you will have a project file packed with unique and exciting designs plus enough confidence to actively explore EQ6 on your own." To sign up, click here then scroll down to find the class. Class starts September 3.

EQ6 Appliqué Design from Patti Anderson author of EQ6 Pieced Drawing. Patti will show you how to master the PatchDraw drawing board and use EQ6's WreathMaker to create beautiful wreaths with all the new appliqué motifs you will create in class. Skill level: Basic knowledge of EQ6 and PatchDraw is required. Class starts September 10.

FALL CLASSES
Lots of EQ classes listed for this fall. Look for an EQ class near you.

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.

KALEIDOSCOPE COLLECTORS
All 12 fun free lessons involving EQ and the Kaleidoscope Collection CD are still up. This is a TERRIFIC way to learn more in EQ5, EQ6 or EQ7! Try Months 1 - 12.

PREVIOUS MYSTERY QUILT STORIES AND LESSONS
Learn EQ5, EQ6 or EQ7 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.

News

KUDOS TO THIS MOTHER/DAUGHTER EQ DESIGN DUO

Long-time EQer Karen Witt (profiled in the October 2009 EQ Newsletter) has just authored another book, Like Mother/Like Daughter Two Generations of Quilts, written with her daughter Erin and published by Kansas City Star. The Witts share their different design takes in 10 quilt projects. See "mom's" website here, and "daughter's" here.

SANDI BLACKWELL'S BOOK OFFERS A NEW ANGLE ON DESIGNING

By sewing simple blocks horizontally together, then cutting large sections on the diagonal and rearranging, Sandi Blackwell's new technique creates easily-sewn diagonal designs. This Landauer Books publication includes 14 quilt designs all designed in EQ. To see more from Sandi, visit her web site.

KRAUSE PUBLISHES EQ6/EQ7 COMPANION CD FOR NEW HOBO QUILTS BOOK
Hot off the press: Debra G. Henninger's new book, Hobo Quilts, now has an accessory product -- Hobo Quilts: A Companion CD of Files Compatible with EQ6 and EQ7. This new CD contains a block library of the 55 original blocks from the book. Follow the CD's instructions and the blocks will appear in your My Library in EQ6 or EQ7. Available from Krause.

EQ GOODIES ON CAFEPRESS
You can now buy EQ Goodies at the EQ CaféPress Shop. Show your EQ spirit with t-shirts, tote bags, buttons, mugs, mouse pads and more. Perfect for your shop, guild, or EQ club.

BECOME AN EQ FAN ON FACEBOOK
Get Social with us and other EQers on our Electric Quilt Facebook page! There’s nothing like a sense of community and on the EQ Facebook page we love to interact with you and get you connected to each other. You’ll also find FAQs, give-a-ways, and links to other interesting web pages. Click the “Share” button to spread the word and get involved. EQ the Mouse has his own Facebook page and would love to see you as well.

CHECK OUT THE NEW EQ BLOG
The EQ Blog as a fresh look. See what’s new. Like a particular post? Post it to your Facebook page by clicking the “Like” button at the bottom of each post. Use new categories to find information you are looking for, and browse more options on the new menu.

KEEP UP WITH EQ USING GOOGLE READER
Have you heard of Google Reader? It’s an awesome tool for keeping all your favorite blogs in the same place. Get Social with EQ by subscribing to blog to keep up to date on everything EQ. Simply go to Google Reader, add the EQ Blog: http://www.doyoueq.com/blog/  to your subscription list, then every time one of the blog gets updated you’ll get a reminder in your Google Reader. It’s as easy as checking your email and it’s free!

EQ7 COMPATIBLE WITH WINDOWS 7
EQ5, EQ6 & EQ7 are ALL fully compatible with Windows 7, as are most of our other software programs. Contact us if you have questions.

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 EQ Forums are waiting for your questions! 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 website.

TECH SUPPORT
A reminder that you can see answers to our most Frequently Asked Questions right on the EQ website:
EQ7 questions
EQ6 questions
EQ5 questions

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 CONTEST: TOO MUCH FUN!
For this contest we again dig into the EQ memory vault [creeeak....]: Do you own Barb Vlack's 1997 book for EQ3, entitled Too Much Fun!? If so, flip to page 19, and give us the title of Chapter 2. We'll choose one winner at random from all correct answers. One guess per person please. Barb Vlack you may not enter! The prize will be a copy of Quiltmaker Quilting Designs Vol 6.

Entry deadline: September 24
To enter, send an email with your guess to our "Contest Contessa" Sarah Shriver:

To: sarahshriver@electricquilt.com
Subject line: Too Much Fun!
Body: name of Barb's second chapter
Your Full Name:
Your Email:

CONTEST WINNER
Congratulations, Patti Mahony! Your name was chosen at random from all correct answers for our "Guess this Block" contest. The correct answer: Paths to Peace, found in BlockBase (#3264). You win a copy of the book, Digital Essentials, by Gloria Hansen.

Fabric

DOWNLOAD MORE FREE FABRIC
This month's download is Michael Miller's Fairy Frost, previously the second place winner for 2 months running. 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. We take suggestions for future voting options; email penny@electricquilt.com to let her know.

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.

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.

Show us your work

THE EQ QUILT GALLERY
Check out the beautiful quilts in the "EQ Quilt Gallery." Then send us one of YOURS!

If YOU would like to exhibit, send us a photo of your quilt, plus your EQ project containing the EQ design for this same quilt. Tell us a bit about you, your quilt, your designing, etc. List your website or blog if you have them. Help us show off your designing whether you're a quilting professional or this is your first quilt. Send them to penny@electricquilt.com. We love seeing what you're making and knowing more about you.


Display this blog badge to send others to see your quilt in our gallery.

Freebies

FREE PUMPKIN PATCH QUILT


Get a jump on October with this Halloween quilt available as an EQ6 or EQ7 project file.

Download the EQ6 project

Download the EQ7 project

WANT TO SHARE YOUR OWN EQ PATTERNS ON YOUR BLOG?
Denise Russart shares how she makes downloadable EQ6 projects.

FREE SNOW GLOBE QUILT FROM SINDY RODENMAYER

We LOVE this quilt from Sindy Rodenmayer's Fat Cat Patterns site. We thought you would too. Sindy' clever design can also become gumball machines if filled with the right fabric. Click here for the PDF pattern.

FREE CONNECTING THREADS BEGINNER PATTERNS & TUTORIALS
Karen Johnson, one of our friends at Connecting Threads, has created an on-going series of great new how-to-quilt tutorials especially for beginning quilters. A new lesson appears each month. Here's what's up so far:
February: Pinwheels
March: Nine Patch
April: Stars
May: Flying Geese
June: Kaleidoscope
September: Log Cabin

And as a bonus, Karen includes free EQ6 project files for each lesson.

FREE BOM FROM MOOSE ON THE PORCH QUILTS
Konda Luckau, of Moose on the Porch Quilts, has finished her free Block of the Month August 30 (it started March 1). Thanks for the fun, Konda!

PATTERN SERIES FROM REGINA GREWE
Regina's easy-to-sew Magic Mushrooms continue to grow. Download them as EQ6 projects.

ONGOING FREE CIVIL WAR BOM FROM GUDRUN
Gudrun, from Belgium, has an easy-to-sew 2010 BOM Civil War BOM. See the design here. And get started here.

FREE QUILTED DESKTOP CALENDAR
Diane Anderson starts a whole year of beautiful desktop calendars 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.

MORE NEW BLOG BADGES & CHANCES FOR BLOG GIVE-AWAY PRIZE

We've made several NEW blog badges for you. (We also take suggestions for new ones.) Display one on your blog, let us know (write Sarah Shriver at EQ) and we may choose your blog to receive a free prize to give away to a lucky reader of your blog.

DO YOU HAVE FREE EQ PROJECTS OR PATTERNS TO SHARE ON YOUR WEBSITE?
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
* A new contest

* Benni Harper Mystery Lesson 8

* Quilt Festival booth and schoolhouse info

* A holiday tradition: Pumpkin Bread recipe from EQ the Mouse