ChickenLady Quilts
Asking a quilter to mend clothing is like asking Picasso to paint your garage.
Tech Tips
Do you have an Electric Quilt or general quilting-related technical question?
Click here to use our Feed Back Form, or click here to email us your question, and we'll do our best to help.
(We are not Electric Quilt experts, just regular users who like it a lot. We'll try our best to help, but we can't make any guarantees.)
Frequently Asked Questions
How Can I Improve My Photos?
This is a question I've asked myself many times. This article at Popular Patchwork gives great tricks and tips to take nice photographs of your creations: Photographing Patchwork.
How do I use the project I just downloaded?
When you click on the "Download This Project" link on the EQ Project Library Page a dialogue window will appear asking you to save the file. The best place to save it is in with your other projects in the "My EQ6" folder which is usually in your "My Documents" folder. Once the file is downloaded and saved, open EQ6. In the window that opens, click the "Open an Existing Project" tab, a list of your projects will appear. Scroll the list to find the name of the project you downloaded, click to select it, then click OK. The new project will open.
If the project does not appear in the list then click the button on the bottom left corner of the window "Click Here To Open a Project Not Listed Above." Click the dropdown list next to LOOK IN. Navigate to the folder containing the project you downloaded. The EQ projects will display in the dialog box. Click on the project name to select it, then click OK. The project will open.
How do I import a block or quilt into my EQ Library?
(First, you must have already created a Custom Library into which you can import items. If you have not created your own library, click here for instructions before proceeding.)
In EQ, click the LIBRARIES menu, then click any library.
Click IMPORT at the bottom of the library dialog.
Click the dropdown list next to LOOK IN. Navigate to the folder containing the project that has the item to be imported. The EQ projects will display in the dialog box.
Click the name of the project, then click OPEN.
The items available for import will be displayed in the IMPORT RESULTS section of the corresponding library.
Click the image of the item you want to import, then click COPY.
Click MY LIBRARIES, then click MY CUSTOM LIBRARIES. You will see a list of the library you have previously added.
Click your library's name, then click the sub-category.
Click PASTE. The item is now permanently in your custom Electric Quilt library.
How do I create my own custom library in EQ?
In EQ, choose any library from the Libraries menu. The library dialog will display.
Click My Library at the top-left of the dialog box.
Click Add Library at the bottom-left of the dialog box. The Add New Library dialog box will display.
Type a name for the library. Use a name that will help remind you of the types of items in this category, for example "My Blocks," or "Quilt Layouts."
Enter a number for how many styles (sub-categories) you will have under the main library or category. You can always add more styles later. (I have 2 styles in my library, one named "blocks" and one named "layouts".)
Click OK. The new library will be displayed on the left of the dialog box under My Custom Libraries.
Click the plus (+) sign next to the new library to display the styles.
How can I make a PDF file?
Click here to download Cute PDF Writer. Double-click the downloaded file to begin the installation.
This free program allows you to create a PDF from any printable document. It works by installing a "pdf virtual printer" on your computer. Once it is installed, pressing Print and selecting CutePDF Writer as a printer choice allows you to save the newly-made PDF document anywhere in your file system.
Click here for detailed installation instructions.
What is the simplest way to sew Y seams?
There are several methods to sew Y seams, which are seams joining the corners of 3 blocks together. The one we like best can be seen on this Kaye Wood video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLkHfcuNzCA&feature=related
What size pieces do I need for a Square in Square block?
To determine the size of the center 'diamond', add 1/2 an inch to the finished size of the block. So for a 6 inch finished-size square-in-a-square block the center 'diamond' will be a 6.5 inch square, and for a 4 inch block the center will be a 4.5 inch square. Cut one center 'diamond' for each block.
To make the 4 corner triangle shapes, begin with 4 squares that are one half of the finished block size + 1/2 inch. Thus for a 6" finished-size square-in-a-square block your corner squares will be cut 3.5 inches. For a 4" finished block, your corner squares will be 2.5 inches. You will cut 4 squares for each block.
To assemble the block place a corner square in a corner of the center 'diamond,' lining up the outside edges. Sew from corner to corner diagonally across the corner square. Fold the inner corner of the corner square up over the sewing line to form a triangle. There will be 3 layers of fabric in the corner, 2 from the corner square and one from the center 'diamond.' Finger press or iron. Trim the middle layer of fabric, which will be part of the corner square, if desired to reduce bulk. Repeat for the other 3 corners.
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