All About Inklingo

Quilt Blocks with FREE Shapes – Part 1

Jan 16th, 2012 by Linda

Monkey and I have more tips to help you design Inklingo quilts in Electric Quilt for the Love the Lines Contest.

Ready? Let’s go.

MY MISTAKE—A BIG BOO-BOO

First, I have a confession. I made a mistake when I named the free shape collection “LeMoyne Star 4.5 inch.”

Bad choice—too limiting! You can make sooo much more than LeMoyne Star!

The name is now Diamond/Triangle/Square. Oh dear. I’m not sure it is any better. I find it very hard to name the shape collections because they are so versatile. (It’s a good problem to have!)

ABOUT THE WEIRD SIZES

The 4.5 inch star is the same size as a block in Dear Jane® by Brenda Papadakis. It is a block which is traditionally made with templates because the measurements are odd.

To make this

You need 8 diamonds, 4 squares, and 4 QST, like this:

Don’t worry! With Inklingo, you do not need to measure 1.32 or 1.86 inches!

A block like this shows just how precise and simple it is when you print the shapes on fabric—no matter how weird the measurements!

The triangles are Quarter Square Triangles (QST) because they have straight grain on the long side. (Quilters always prefer to have straight grain on the outside edges!)

BONUS SHAPE

I also included a Half Square Triangle (HST, straight grain on the short sides) in the free shape collection because it makes even more block variations possible.

MORE SQUARES AND RECTANGLES TOO

For the LTL Contest, it is important to get the sizes right in EQ, so the quilt is actually Inklingo-able. However, Inklingoists sometimes use simple non-Inklingo shapes with Inklingo shapes, so we made an exception. You can use rectangles and squares too, if you wish, and your entry will be accepted.

NOT JUST LEMOYNE STAR

There are detailed design notes and sewing instructions included in the free Diamond/Triangle/Square shape collection, but it is easy to underestimate what you can do with these simple shapes.

FREE PDF

To get your creative juices flowing, I have prepared a new reference with a few of the many blocks you can make with diamonds, triangles, and squares.

Free PDF

Download PDF HERE (3 pages)

The PDF does not include every possible block, but it will get you started.

DESIGNING WITH THE FREE SHAPES

There is no purchase necessary to enter the contest, but the free shape collection is a great place to start because the shapes are so versatile.

MORE TO COME

The best is yet to come!

What’s in Part 2 and Part 3?

a new EQ5 project file!
a PDF with a sample quilt you can sew with the free shapes,
including step-by-step instructions for designing it in EQ5

Monkey hasn’t decided yet which is Part 2 and which is Part 3. We’ll let you know when you come back, okay?

Part 1, 2, and 3 will show you how easy it is to create your own design for the contest, whether you use the free shapes or any of the others.

We think you will be gobsmacked by how easy it is to design with 1.32 inch squares and 1.86 inch triangles! Who’d a thunk, eh?

You can trust Monkey and EQ Mouse on this one.

A NOTE ABOUT EQ5

The new EQ5 project file can be opened with EQ5, EQ6, or EQ7.

I used EQ5 this time in order to include more quilters. I hope you appreciate it <LOL> because it was hard to go back to the olde tools. I have been spoiled by EQ7.

Electric Quilt has come a long, long way since EQ5 was released 10 years ago.

ARE YOU TEN YEARS OUT OF DATE?

A couple of quilters have told me that they only have EQ5 and can’t upgrade right now. Oh! No! The contest rules require EQ6 or EQ7. Don’t worry, there’s still hope.

If you design a quilt in EQ5 and want to enter it in the contest, all you need to do is find a friend who has EQ6 or EQ7, email the project file to her and have her open it and save it in EQ6 or EQ7 format. She can then email it back to you, so you can email it to me for the contest. You won’t be able to edit it or open it in the newer format, but you could win the top prize!

STAY TUNED

I hope you will come back for Part 2 and Part 3. If you subscribe for email alerts (right sidebar), you won’t miss anything. There are other messages about the contest too, if you scroll down. The rules are here.

See you soon, okay?

Linda & Monkey

New to Inklingo? Order and download free shapes and start sewing in the next few minutes. Quick Start (Always FREE.) There are triangles, diamonds, and squares in the free collection—great for dozens of different blocks.

Inklingo for Beginners

Tilde’s 15 Minute Challenge

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Tags: Brenda Papadakis, Dear Jane, Electric Quilt, EQ5 project file, LeMoyne Star Quilt, Love the Lines Contest, tips for designing in Electric Quilt

Posted in Designing to a certain size, Electric Quilt, LeMoyne Star, LeMoyne Star FREE Collection, Love the Lines Contest | 5 Comments »

Seven Sisters à la Kaleidoscope!

Jan 12th, 2012 by Linda

This is so pretty! I love the kaleidoscope effect.

Monkey and I think you might want to use this technique in Electric Quilt for the Love the Lines Contest, but the instructions and tips apply even if you don’t have EQ.

Whether you call it kaleidoscope, One Block Wonder, Stack-n-Whack ®, or just fussy cutting, we want to show you how easy it is with Inklingo!

FABRIC

This fabric has been in my stash for at least 10 years. I think it has great potential for a kaleidoscope effect.

I want my kaleidoscope fabric to have:

pretty colors
a variety of shapes
no “background”
lots of movement and swirls
size of design appropriate to the size of the shapes

Is the size of the design right for 2 inch 60° Diamonds?

TIP! I printed a page of diamonds from Inklingo on ordinary paper to make a window template and placed it printed-side-down to see what the diamonds would be like.

The size of the shapes in the fabric seems to suit, don’t you think?

(Click for larger view.)

The page in the Catalogue of Shapes for Diamond Layout A gives me suggested custom page sizes for 6 or 12 diamonds at a time.

There are 4 different layouts for diamonds (A, B, C, D) in the Inklingo 60° Diamond – 2 inch shape collection. All of them are suitable for this method.

PRINTING

I decided to start by printing 6 diamonds at a time, so I cut the freezer paper (FP) 5 x 9.5 inches.

Fussy cutting always wastes some fabric, but this doesn’t look too bad.

I need to print 6 sheets to have enough identical diamonds for each star.

If there seemed to be excessive waste, I would try another Inklingo diamond layout or another size of FP to see if it worked better with the repeat of the design in this particular fabric.

(When I print the rest, I will cut the FP 7.25 x 9.5 for 9 diamonds per sheet because there will be less waste with this particular fabric. Live and learn. Also, there would be less waste if I printed strips of 60° Triangles to make hexagons.)

Notice where to position the corners on the design.

Iron each sheet of FP in position, making sure the design in the fabric is the same where the corners of each FP sheet are positioned.

I cut with scissors at the ironing board (tips in an earlier message).

TIP! Don’t cut around the first sheet until you have ironed the next one in position. That way, the first one is a handy reference to make sure the second one is positioned identically on the design.

Use a hot, dry iron. No steam!

TIP! Most jams are caused by the freezer paper separating from the fabric in the printer. Jams should be very rare if you wash the fabric to remove the sizing and use a HOT, dry iron.

Press on the fabric side and the FP side to get a good bond.

With the right amount of heat, you can avoid jams—and the freezer paper should peel off neatly, so you can use it over and over again.

Six identical sheets all ready to print, each with 6 diamonds!

TIP! I must make sure that each sheet is printed identically, so I put a mark on each sheet of FP indicating which end should feed into the printer first.

Click to see the perfect lines!

Printed! Ultra-fine lines. No templates! No measuring!

6 sheets of 6 diamonds for 6 stars

Every diamond is printed perfectly with cutting lines, stitching lines, matching marks, and precision corners, so there is no measuring, and the diamonds line up perfectly.

CUT AND SEW

Remove the freezer paper, use a rotary cutter or scissors to cut the diamonds apart, and stack them in 6 identical piles.

There are tips for rotary cutting several layers at a time in an earlier blog post, including video.

No machine has as many advantages as cutting with Inklingo:

Every shape is perfect without measuring.
You can use scissors if you want a portable project.
Every diamond has precision corners.
There are stitching lines and matching marks on every diamond!
You can sew by machine or by hand because of the lines on the fabric.
Use the tools and printer you already have!

Sort 6 identical diamonds into 6 piles and start playing with the shapes!

Arrange a set of 6 diamonds in the star shape. There are two options for the center, depending on which way the diamonds are turned.

I can hardly wait to see how these will look! This step is fun.

WHICH IS BETTER?

Here’s a good example of the surprising effects.

The star on the left has the diamonds positioned with the pink end toward the center. The star on the right has the same pieces of fabric turned so the pink end is toward the outside.

Isn’t it amazing how different they look?

I like to try both ways before deciding which point of the diamond looks best in the center.

Sometimes it is very hard to decide—because they both look fabulous!

TIP! You may find that a digital photo of each option will help you make up your mind.

When you decide, pin each set of 6 together.

TIP! I insert the head of the pin closest to the point I have decided to place at the center of the stars (above).

Machine piece or hand piece?

I was not in the mood to get the machine out, so I hand pieced while I watched TV with Russ. Hand piecing helps me relax—especially when I know everything fits so perfectly!

If I felt like machine piecing, of course I could, and everything would line up because every shape is perfect and there are precision corners and matching marks on every diamond.

Click for a larger view!

PRESS

These press perfectly!

All of the seam allowances in this star are pressed counterclockwise around the center.

Notice how this eliminates the bulk in the intersections! Your stars will look their best and be easier to quilt.

TIP! If you press all of the stars identically (all clockwise or all counterclockwise around the center), when you add the rest of the diamonds, the pressing will be perfect over the entire quilt top.

This method works with One Block Wonders by Maxine Rosenthal.

However, I probably don’t have enough fabric and it says 1999 in the selvage, so there is no hope of getting more. I can make a bigger quilt by adding the gold background fabric to set the stars as Seven Sisters.

Note to Self: When you love a fabric, buy the bolt because you never know. . .

I love the way this is turning out!

OTHER SHAPES

There are several other Inklingo shapes which would work just as well as these diamonds.

60° Diamonds 3 inch
60° Triangles 3 inch (perfect for One Block Wonders!)
Dresden Plate Blades (pieced or appliqué)
Orange Peel
Yin Yang
and more!!

By the way, there are 8 other messages on the blog related to fussy cutting. (Select Category in right sidebar.)

EQ HINT FOR THE CONTEST

Seven Sisters could be your choice for the Love the lines Contest because there are many sizes of Inklingo 60° Diamonds.

TIP! Monkey suggests that you start with the Baby Blocks Quilt Layout and take the Fussy Cut tool for a spin! The Fussy Cut Tool is a Quilt Worktable tool in EQ6 and EQ7, but it is not in the toolbar by default. To add it, click the Customize Toolbars button > Add/Remove Buttons > add the check mark. Click away from the list to close it—and prepare to have some fun!

YOUR PHOTOS

Every fabric is completely different when it is used this way. I would love to see photos of your kaleidoscope blocks, so please share them on your blog and let me know, okay? If you don’t have your own blog, you can share photos on the Inklingo Projects Blog and in the Inklingo Yahoo Group.

I can’t get enough of these! Don’t you just love playing with fabric?

Linda & Monkey

Inklingo for Beginners

Tilde’s 15 Minute Challenge

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Tags: 6-pointed stars, Fussy Cutting, Kaleidoscope quilt, Maxine Rosenthal, One Block Wonder, printing on fabric, Seven Sisters

Posted in Cool Inklingo Tips, Electric Quilt, Fussy Cutting, Love the Lines Contest, Seven Sisters, Seven Sisters Quilt | 8 Comments »

Double Wedding Ring Quilt in Electric Quilt

Jan 10th, 2012 by Linda

The response to the “Love the Lines” Contest has been great so far!

We’re back with more tips and a project file for using Inklingo Double Wedding Ring in Electric Quilt.

Monkey says this message might give you some ideas for a design for the contest—no matter which Inklingo shapes you plan to use!

Continuous Pattern or Block to Block?

Double Wedding Ring is an overall or “continuous pattern” and that is more difficult to draw in EQ than a block-to-block design. We have discussed this before for Joseph’s Coat.

A few quilters have submitted DWR designs for the LTL contest using the DWR blocks in the EQ block library, but they do not have the same divisions in the arcs.

That means the coloring or shading is not close to what you could actually make with the Inklingo Double Wedding Ring Shape Collection—in other words, not Inklingo-able.

I absolutely hate to reject a design for the contest, and it makes Monkey sad, so I have created 8 different DWR blocks which you can use as a starting point. It makes it easy for you and easy for me!

Inklingo Choices!

an arc which is all one piece
an arc with one piece plus two arc ends
an arc with 4 pieces plus two arc ends
an arc with 8 pieces plus two arc ends
Pickle Dish

None of these are in EQ already, so I imported my own Inklingo drawings as .jpg files and used the amazing EQ trace feature.

It is necessary to turn the DWR circle (continuous design) into blocks to use in EQ, so when they are placed side by side, the rings are completed.

The blocks are included in my free EQ7 project file.

(Note: My EQ blocks are adequate for design purposes, but would not be accurate for templates. I will use Inklingo to print the shapes on fabric, so I did not worry about that kind of ultra-precision when I was tracing.)

By the way, my EQ7 project file does not include all of the options for different Inklingo centers. You can have fun with those yourself!

Special Considerations for Double Wedding Ring

EXTRA SEAMS IN MELONS
Unfortunately, this block-to-block layout makes it look as if each of the melon shapes is pieced, but that option (half melon) is not included in the Inklingo shape collection.
However, your design will be accepted as “inklingo-able” in the LTL contest if both halves of that shape are colored identically. Please make a note on the notecard that the melons would be cut and sewn as one piece—just in case your design is one of the top 25!
EXTRA SEAMS IN CORNERS
There is the same effect on the corners—extra seams. The extra seams make the corners look like pinwheels, but that is not an effect you get with Inklingo. . .

. . . so I colored them black and white in my sample quilt to show them as corner shapes.
BLOCK SIZE
As usual, to make the design inklingo-able, your EQ layout must be set for the correct block size on the Layout tab.

Inklingo DWR is 12 inches (rounded from 11.83).
For the block-to-block layout, the measurement is approximately 8.25 inches. (That was not obvious from the website.)
You must use 8.25 on the Layout tab (example below), so the dimensions of the quilt will be accurate in Electric Quilt.

NEW TO EQ?

If you are new to Electric Quilt, there are many simpler ways to get started. Continuous designs like DWR, Joesph’s Coat and others are trickier than the usual block-to-block designs. You can create something spectacular in EQ without using Double Wedding Ring!

MORE ABOUT BLOCK SIZE ! ! !

The point of the contest is to use Inklingo shapes, so it is essential to use the correct block size.

I review each contest entry to make sure the shapes are Inklingo-able.

The first thing I check is whether the Inklingo shapes would actually produce the block size in the layout.

DWR layout uses 8.25 inch blocks.

In some cases, like Drunkard’s Path, Feathered Star, Orange Peel, School House, Storm At Sea, Sunflower and others, the sizes are obvious from the website. (DWR is an exception. The 8.25 inch block was not obvious. I’m sorry!)

However, if you build a new block from Inklingo shapes and need help deciding on the block size for your layout, please don’t hesitate to ask. I am happy to help.

There is even a listing of 6 inch Inklingo blocks on the website! That makes it even easier to design in EQ.

NO Electric Quilt?

You need Electric Quilt for the LTL Contest, but if you don’t have it—yet—and you suddenly find yourself interested in Double Wedding Ring <grin>, Inklingo Design Books include worksheets!

The Inklingo Double Wedding Ring Design Book ($10 or free) includes everything you need to know to Print, Cut and Sew a Double Wedding Ring quilt, including:

notes about all the variations
fabric selection
rotary cutting tips
strategies for fussy cutting
design notes AND how to count the shapes
fabric requirements for many quilt sizes
hand piecing instructions
machine piecing instructions, including my favorite precision tips
detailed, step-by-step assembly instructions
an innovative pressing guide
pressing instructions that might surprise you, but make your quilt look its best
notes about finishing with a straight or curved edge
worksheets

There are sample pages of the design book on the website.

(Click for a larger view)

Since the cutting and stitching lines are printed on the fabric, you get perfect shapes without measuring and you can sew by hand or by machine! (There is no sewing for the contest, but you are going to want to sew these designs!!)

If you have EQ tips or tricks to share, please leave a comment or write to the Inklingo Yahoo Group.

EQ7 PROJECT FILE click to download
“Love the Lines” Contest
Official Rules for LTL Contest

I have more EQ related messages planned for the blog during the contest, but what would you like to see next?

Thank you for visiting!

Linda & Monkey

Inklingo for Beginners

Tilde’s 15 Minute Challenge

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Tags: continuous pattern or block pattern, Double Wedding Ring, Double Wedding Ring Quilt, DWR, Electric Quilt, Inklingo Design Book, Love the Lines Contest, Pickle Dish

Posted in Double Wedding Ring, Double Wedding Ring, Electric Quilt, Machine Piecing | 6 Comments »

Contest Tips – Love the Lines!

Jan 2nd, 2012 by Linda

Happy New Year!

It’s time to get busy creating quilts with Inklingo shapes in Electric Quilt software for the Love the Lines Contest!

I have a few simple tips to get you started.

Block Library
Add Borders
Alt Click
Ctrl Z
Add to Sketchbook
Fabric Library
Swap Colors

This quilt in the Drunkard’s Path Design Book (free download from Inklingo!) seems to get more attention than the others.

It is easy peasy to design in EQ.

Inklingo Sizes

The first thing is to identify the sizes which are available in Inklingo format.

Inklingo has 6 sizes so far!

Units are 2, 3, 3.5, 4, 6, and 7 inches.

You can see all of the available sizes on the website, either in the Index of Shapes or on the Main Drunkard’s Path Page.

Size of the Blocks

With 2 inch units, these are 4 inch blocks.
With 4 inch units, these are 8 inch blocks.
With 6 inch units, these are 12 inch blocks.

Are you with me so far?

Find it or Draw it!

This block is already in the EQ block library, so I don’t even need to draw it! It has been waiting there patiently for me, looking green.

How did I find it? I just scrolled through Libraries > Block Library > Classic Pieced > Drunkard’s Path, and there it was. The colors are not what I want, of course, but the outline is great. If I had known the name of the block, I could have used the Search button. (Libraries >Block Library > Search > By Notecard > Baseball)

I add it to the Sketchbook (button on bottom right).

Note: The size of the circle in relation to the square might be slightly different than the actual Inklingo shapes, but it won’t matter for this design. We are just designing in EQ. When it’s time to print and sew with Inklingo, it won’t make any difference. (In some cases, it would.) I have not even bothered to check. It looks similar, and that’s enough.

(Notice that the Project Sketchbook has different tabs for Quilts, Blocks, Fabrics, etc. I’m on the Blocks tab.)

Re-color it!

Sketchbook > Blocks > Edit, and I can create the two color variations I want to start with. That is just a few clicks of the mouse, then add to Sketchbook.

Making progress!

My blocks are ready, so from now on I will be in Worktable > Work on Quilt.

Start in the Middle

Since I see this quilt as a series of borders, I start in the middle and add one border after another, choosing the border Style “blocks” from the dropdown menu, and using the 4, 8 and 12 inch blocks. (The ones made with 2, 4, and 6 inch units, shown above).

For a quilter who has played with EQ a bit before, that is probably all you need to know.

Step by Step?

On the other hand, if you haven’t used EQ for a little while, here are a few hints:

Worktable > Work on Quilt

Quilt > New Quilt > Horizontal

Layout > 8 x 8 and Finished size of blocks 4 x 4

Layer 1 > Set Block > Sketchbook Blocks opens > Alt-Click to set one coloring of the block.

Click sets the block in one space.
Alt-Click sets the block in every other space.
Ctrl-Click sets the block in every space.

That is such a cool thing to know! Monkey has to take a deep breath and think about it. We love the way EQ speeds up the process!

Alt-Click on the other coloring to complete the checkerboard. Of course you can click in each space individually, but Alt-Click is magical!

There is more magic too: The block in the Sketchbook is size-less. Its size is determined by the space in the quilt layout where you put it. It’s just plain brilliant!

Stop and think a minute, if you like. We’ll wait.

MY VERY BEST TIP? Ctrl Z

If you make a boo-boo, use Ctrl Z to “undo.”

This is something I use all day long no matter what software I am using. Its not just for Electric Quilt. Since this shortcut works in just about ALL software, it is worth learning. I even used it when I was writing this paragraph!

You can undo 10 steps in EQ—or even 20 steps, if you change the default settings (File > Preferences > General). I leave mine set at 10 undos. Funny word for a great, great tool.

Add to Sketchbook

By the way, this is a good time to “Add to Sketchbook.” I do this a lot. I end up with several unfinished layouts in my Sketchbook, but they can be handy if I lose my way in a design and realize I want to start over—without going all the way back to “square one.” The extras are easy to delete at the end.

It’s good practice to click “Add to Sketchbook” often!

Next? Borders!

I am going to use 6 borders. Each border is numbered out from the center by EQ. When you add a border, it is added outside the one that is currently highlighted in gray. You can click on another border to insert a border between others.

After you have done one or two borders it makes complete sense, but here are the numbers I used:

Borders > 1 > Blocks > 8 – 8 – 8 – 8 (Use the slider to change them all at once.) and Blocks in border 4 x 4. (Notice how that makes them squares.)

Add to Sketchbook? Good idea!

Borders > Add > 2 > Style Blocks > 8 – 8 – 8 – 8, Blocks in border 6 x 6

Add to Sketchbook

Borders > Add > 3 > Style Blocks > 4 – 4 – 4- 4, Blocks in border 16 x 16

Add to Sketchbook

Borders > Add > 4 > Style Blocks > 12 – 12 – 12 – 12, Blocks in border 6 x 6

Add to Sketchbook

Borders > Add > 5 > Style Blocks > 12 – 12 – 12 – 12, Blocks in border 8 x 8

Add to Sketchbook

Borders > Add > 6 > Style Mitered > 0.5 – 0.5 – 0.5 – 0.5 (This represents the binding.)

Add to Sketchbook

The whole layout is ready and waiting to be filled in with blocks!

Set Blocks

Layer 1 > Set Block > click to fill in all the spaces.

Remember that if you put the wrong coloring in one of the spaces, you can use Ctrl-Z if you notice it right away. Otherwise, you can just click on the correct coloring in the Sketchbook and click again to replace it. EQ is very forgiving.

Add to Sketchbook

Layer 1 > Paintbrush to fill the final border. Ctrl-Click fills the same color on all 4 sides at once.

Add to Sketchbook

Clean it up

When you submit a design for the contest, you must have only one quilt in the Sketchbook.

I saved 7 times in this example, so I would have to clean it up. That is all described in “the rules.”

I don’t consider this design to be finished. It is just a starting point. It could be scrappy or multi-colored, and the borders could be in a different order, and I could use more shapes, as long as the sizes match Inklingo sizes.

It is such a bold design that if I was sewing it for our bedroom, I think I would like to see it in all neutrals, low contrast, curvy, and relaxing—maybe replacing the white with several different ivory fabrics, and replacing the red with several different beiges and taupes. What would you like to see?

Fabric Library

There are fabulous choices in the Fabric Library—including real fabrics you can find in your local quilt shop!

Northcott is providing wonderful prizes, so let’s check the Northcott folders first:

Libraries > Fabric Library > By Manufacturer > Northcott > Stonehenge Ooooooh! Be still my heart!

Swap Colors!

I can change all the white to ivory and all the red to blue by using the “swap color” tool.

Two or three clicks—and done!

I’m going to keep playing with this one. When I’m finished, Inklingo will show me exactly how much fabric I need.

Inklingo curves are the easiest ones you will ever sew, thanks to the perfect shapes and matching marks printed on the fabric!

It is all described in the Drunkard’s Path Design Book—free for a limited time only! There are dozens of designs to get you started too.

The fantastic prizes from EQ, Northcott, and Inklingo should be enough incentive to enter a design in the contest, and you will feel great when you learn how to use the wonderful EQ tools you already have!

New Year’s Resolution

Learn more tricks for designing with Inklingo shapes in Electric Quilt, okay?

Monkey and I have more tips for the LTL Contest with different Inklingo shapes, but please let me know what you are most interested in learning, okay? Support at EQ is fabulous too.

It’s going to be a great year for quilting, don’t you think?

Linda & Monkey

Inklingo for Beginners

Tilde’s 15 Minute Challenge

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Tags: Drunkard's Path, Drunkard's Path Quilt templates, Electric Quilt, free Drunkard's Path Design Book, Love the Lines Contest, Northcott, pattern for Drunkard's Path, Stonehenge

Posted in Designing to a certain size, Drunkard's Path, Drunkard's Path, Electric Quilt, Love the Lines Contest, Machine Piecing | 7 Comments »

Contest! Love the lines. Quilt more!

Dec 23rd, 2011 by Linda

Use Inklingo Shapes to Design with Electric Quilt

The contest is called “Love the lines. Quilt more!” or LTL for short.

It was first announced when Penny McMorris interviewed Monkey and me. In that interview, I told you the “official rules” would be published before Christmas, so this is it!

Monkey even dressed up for the occasion.

The rules are very similar to ClubEQ Challenges by Barb Vlack, but with big prizes.

What? Submit EQ6 or EQ7 designs which use Inklingo shapes/sizes. (Exceptions noted below)
By using Inklingo shapes, we know that these quilts will be easy to sew when the contest is over. There are no other limitations—any size, any fabrics, any colors, pieced or appliqué.

Example? There is already an example on the blog (here), and there are a few EQ project files to get you started too.

When? Only files submitted between January 1 and February 14, 2012 will be considered. By announcing the rules now, quilters can start playing with Inklingo shapes and designing during the holidays, but please do not send your file early!

Entry fee? None, but please see the note about multiple entries below.

Prizes? Please see the details in the Interview in the EQ December Newsletter (here).

Please note! Everyone will receive the project files for Barb’s Top 25, but if you use EQ6, you will not be able to open any which were prepared in EQ7.

OFFICIAL RULES

1. Only use Inklingo shapes and sizes, as described in the Index of Shapes and in the Shop on inklingo.com.

Exceptions: Since Inklingo quilters sometimes combine Inklingo and non-Inklingo shapes, there is an exception for squares, rectangles, sashing strips, and long border strips which quilters would be more likely to rotary cut than to print. Follow the blog in January for examples and tips.

2. Email an EQ6 or EQ7 file to linda@lindafranz.com (NOT TO EQ) using the following guidelines.

ONE quilt per project file.
Name the project after yourself with your first and last name. My name is Linda Franz, so my project would be called: LTL_LindaFranz. If I submit a second project it would be LTL_LindaFranz_02, etc.
The following info is required on the notecard as your “quilt label.”

- Quilt name
- Your name
- Where you are from (city/country) (no restrictions)
- Your e-mail address and/or website
- Which Inklingo Shape Collections have the shapes you used
- Whether or not it is an original design, or source/inspiration
- Any other notes you would like to include
- Anything else you would like us to know

Please do not submit any copyrighted work that should not be shared. If the design you are submitting has appeared elsewhere and/or is not of your own creation, please acknowledge where the design came from and/or the original designer.

Submit the file by attaching your project file to an email to linda@lindafranz.com, NOT to Electric Quilt. Please include the words Love the Lines in the subject line and in the body somewhere. Otherwise, the attachment could look more like a virus email than an EQ project file. Please send small files. (Under 300KB is amazing, under 600KB is ok, anything 700KB-1MB is a bit excessive, and anything over 1MB is too much.) See the tips for small file size below.

If you project does not meet one of the criteria, I will try to contact you so you can correct it. For example, if you send a project with 2 quilts, I will let you know that one must be deleted. If the problem is not solved, the file will not be entered in the contest.

3. When I receive the file, I will check to make sure the shapes are “inklingo-able” and save it with a different file name (a number) and remove personal info from the notecard before sending the file to Barb Vlack, so the judging will be anonymous.

4. Barb Vlack will judge the entries. She will choose the Grand Prize Winner, 3 runner ups, and the top 25 designs.

5. The Grand Prize Winner and the three runner ups will be announced on February 28.

6. Barb’s top 25 entries will be displayed on the Inklingo website in March. Only those who entered the contest will have access to the project files for the top 25 designs, but everyone will be able to see images of the top 25.

ONE ENTRY FOR EVERYONE

You do not have to buy anything and there is no entry fee, as described in the first announcement. Inklingo and EQ are used in dozens of countries and everyone is included.

MORE THAN ONE ENTRY ???

If you wish to enter additional project files (one design in each), please consider making a donation to AAQI on this special donation page. The story of AAQI is on the blog here. Every $5, $10, $15 is put to good use by this all-volunteer organization.

Donations are on the honor system. If you cannot make a donation, you can still enter more than one design, but we hope that this will raise money for a very worthy cause. You will feel good. We won’t know if you don’t donate, but please let us know if you do. Of course, you might decide to make a donation for your first entry too.

It’s easy to donate with a credit card, and we love it if you do, but if you send a check, AAQI does not have to pay bank fees. That means your donation is worth a little more.

Small enough?

TIPS FOR SMALL FILE SIZE

Eliminate excess info before sending your file, okay? I like to save my working file first including everything and with “working file” in the name, and then save it again with the a new project name (above), so that when I delete stuff I will still have the original file, just in case.

Please delete:

all quilts other than the ONE you wish to submit
(separate project file for each entry)
unused quilt blocks
unused block colorings
unnecessary scanned fabrics
unused fabrics

Keep the number of fabrics (scanned or otherwise) to a minimum and make sure they are in the 8-bit/256-color bitmap format. There is no need to delete anything from the colors tab.

NEED HELP?

I will be posting tips and ideas for designing with Inklingo shapes all during the month of January. I hope you will subscribe to the blog so you don’t miss anything. Get an email every time there is something new.

The Inklingo Yahoo Group is a great place to ask questions about using Inklingo. It is a very friendly place.

Electric Quilt Support has a fabulous reputation—for good reason. They are available to help will questions related to EQ, but questions specifically related to using Inklingo should be addressed to me or the Inklingo Yahoo Group.

PRIZES PRIZES!

Thanks to Northcott Fabric, Electric Quilt and Monkey, the prizes are wonderful. Monkey and I are going to do everything we can to make this contest fun.

Go ahead! Inspire us with what you can do with EQ and Inklingo together!