Learn how to create AccuQuilt Halloween coasters using BOOtiful fabric and AccuQuilt's die set. Quick, easy, and perfect for seasonal décor.
Learn all about the Accuquilt GO! Fabric Cutters and find free Accuquilt patterns and tutorials, as well as information on Accuquilt dies.
You guys, remember how in my last post I was wishing that the Electric Quilt software company would get together with the Accuquilt company to create a block library for EQ8 containing all of the 72 blocks that I can make with my Accuquilt Qube dies? Well, I changed my mind. I'm glad they DON'T have a library available to download, because creating my own Accuquilt block library in EQ8 has turned out to be a really good learning exercise. I'm going to show you how to do it in today's post. Disclaimer right up front: I have no affiliation with either the Accuquilt company or the Electric Quilt company. I'm just a satisfied customer sharing what works well for me. However, as disclosed elsewhere on this blog, I do participate in the Amazon Affiliates program. If your local quilt shop sells Electric Quilt software and/or Accuquilt products, by all means -- support your LQS! But if you choose to make purchases on Amazon via the links in my blog posts, I'll be compensated by Amazon for the referral at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!) To recap, Accuquilt GO! is a fabric die cutting system that significantly speeds up the process of cutting out quilt pieces while also delivering more accurate cuts than with template tracing or rotary cutting. There are several different sizes available, with the biggest one motorized (great for those with arthritic hands). Initially I'd bought the smallest cutter, the GO! Baby, but I recently upgraded to the regular size GO! pictured below so that I could use the larger dies that don't fit in the Baby sized machine. Basically, the die cutters work the same way that cookie cutters work. In the picture below, the gray rectangle with green sides has dies (very sharp cookie cutters that can cut cleanly through 6 layers of fabric) embedded in gray foam. Your fabric is like the cookie dough, and as you crank the handle on the side of the machine, the die rectangle with fabric on top is pushed through the machine with that big roller bar (the "rolling pin" that says accuquilt on it) pressing down hard enough to make contact with the die blades and cleanly cut out your fabric shapes. This is the Manual GO! Fabric Cutter I Purchased, available on Amazon here The benefits of the GO! die cutting system are speed and accuracy. The only downside is the high cost of the dies themselves and the fact that you can only cut shapes in the sizes that correlate to the dies in your collection. This is very different from rotary cutting, where one ruler, one cutting mat and one rotary cutter is all you need to cut out almost any block you can imagine, in any size you want. [NOTE to SELF: I just did a quick search on Etsy and found a couple of sellers who were offering pre-owned Accuquilt GO! dies at 40% below retail, such as the 12" Churn Dash block for $49.99 versus the $80 MSRP for a brand new one. I need to remember to check there first, especially for those specialty dies that I might only use for one or two quilts!] Another way to reduce the cost of building up a die collection is to purchase a bundled set. The Accuquilt company recently introduced the Qube system whereby quilters can purchase an assortment of eight dies that can be combined to create a wide variety of quilt blocks of a certain size. The Qube set that came with my Ready, Set, GO! starter kit creates 8" blocks, but I could also purchase the same Qube set of dies in sizes that will create 6", 9", 10", or 12" blocks. These Are the Cutting Dies That Come in the 8 Inch Qube Set Buying a bundled set of interchangeable dies in a Qube set is a good way to ensure that you have what you need to create lots of different quilt blocks -- 72 of which are depicted in the GO! Qube 72 Blocks PDF download. There is also a significant savings involved when you purchase the dies bundled together in a Qube set versus buying each of those dies individually. There are also two companion sets available for each Qube size, Angles and Corners, that allow you to create even more blocks with your Qube dies. I plan all of my quilt projects in Electric Quilt software (currently EQ8). In order to make it easier to plan quilts that will work with my Accuquilt die collection, I wanted to put all of those 72 Qube blocks into one folder or "block library" within my EQ software. That way when I'm designing a quilt that needs to come together quickly and I want to use my GO! cutter, I can go straight to that one library in EQ8 and know that any quilts I design with these blocks can be cut out lickety-split with my GO! cutter using dies that I already own. Copying Existing EQ8 Blocks Into a Custom Library in My Favorites Want to create your own custom block library in EQ8? Here's how to do it: First, you need to create that custom block library so you have somewhere to put your blocks. Navigate to the Block Library within EQ, and click on My Favorites. Click Create Library. Type a name for your new library. Mine is called Accuquilt Blocks. Then you put how many "styles" or subfolders you want within that custom library folder. You can always add more later if you need them. I named my first Style subfolder Qube Blocks. Now it's time to hunt down those blocks! I always try the Search feature first, because sometimes I get lucky and I already have the block I'm looking for, either in the standard Block Library that came with EQ8 or with one of my add-on libraries, such as the Blockbase libraries. So I'll type in the block name, or part of the block name, and see if the Accuquilt Qube block I'm looking for comes up in my search results. If it does, just click on that block in the block library so it's highlighted with a box around it, and then click on Copy at the lower left hand side of the Block Libraries window. Now that you've copied your block, it's time to go back to the new library you created and paste it in. Click on My Favorite Blocks in the upper left corner of the Block Library window, and you should see the Accuquilt library and the Qube Blocks subfolder (or whatever you named yours) highlighted. Click Paste (lower left corner of the window), and you should see your block appear in the preview window for your new library. Ta da! Now -- very important -- click on Save Library at the lower left. But what about those Qube blocks that are NOT already found in the EQ block library, or they might be there but you can't find them because they're listed under a different name, or maybe there's a very similar block in the EQ library but it's not identical to the ones you can cut out with your Qube dies? For these blocks, it's best to create an EQ8 Project file where you can work on editing existing blocks and drawing new blocks from scratch, and then import them from the project file into your custom library. This Block Wasn't Already In My EQ8 Library, So I Drafted It Myself Here are the steps for modifying existing EQ8 blocks, saving them to a Project Sketchbook, and then importing the new blocks into your custom block library: Create a new EQ project. Mine is named Accuquilt Qube Designs. Open up the Block Library and locate a similar block to the one you're trying to recreate from the Accuquilt Qube 72 Blocks brochure. Click on the block to highlight it like we did with the other block in step 4 above, but this time click on Edit to Block Worktable (near the top of the window). Now you see a vector line drawing of that block in EasyDraw mode, where you can select lines you don't need and delete them as well as draw new lines in order to create a block that looks just like the one in the Accuquilt pamphlet. When you think you've finished, click on the Color tab at the top left side of your screen. For the purposes of what I'm doing today, I'm coloring my blocks just like they are colored in the Accuquilt pamphlet. For one thing, it makes it easier for me to tell if I've recreated the block correctly -- sometimes I think I've got it but then I notice an error when I start coloring the block to match the pamphlet illustration. Using the same colors as Accuquilt will also help me to locate the correct block quickly if I want to make one of the quilts in their brochure. (Another reason to always color your blocks in Block Worktable before adding them to your project is that sometimes your lines don't meet exactly where they should and the software doesn't recognize that your line is supposed to be a seam between two patches. This error is immediately obvious (and quickly corrected) when you click on the Color tab, because an incomplete seamline will result in adjacent patches that can't be colored with different fabrics). Once the block is edited properly and colored to look like the block in the brochure, click on Add to Sketchbook (the red book with a blue plus sign, on the upper left side of the screen). At this point, your new block is in your Project Sketchbook and the block is available for you to use on any quilts that you are designing within that project file. But we want to put the block in the custom block library we created so that we can access the block at any time, for any project we may be working on. So go back to the Block Library and this time, click on My Favorites to bring up your custom Accuquilt library. You should see any of the blocks you copied in previously (unless you forgot to click on Save Library)! At the bottom of the window, click on Import because we want to import the block we created in step 4 FROM the project sketchbook TO the custom block library. A window comes up showing your most recent EQ project files. Double click on the project file that has your new block in it. Now you should be looking at a preview of all of the blocks in that project file. Click on the new block you created to select it. Next, click on Notes (at the bottom of the window) and give your block a name. If you skip this step and you don't name your block, it isn't going to come up in search results when you're looking for it some other day! I'm naming these blocks with the same names that Accuquilt has given them. Click the X at the upper right corner of the Notes window to exit -- it saves automatically. Now click your block again to select it, and click on Copy at the lower left corner of the window, just like we did in step 5 with the block that we copied from the EQ library. Just like before, it's time to go back to the new library you created and paste in the block that you copied. Click on My Favorite Blocks in the upper left corner of the Block Library window, and you should see the Accuquilt library and the Qube Blocks subfolder (or whatever you named yours) highlighted. Click Paste (lower left corner of the window), and you should see your block appear in the preview window for your new library. Ta da! Now -- very important -- click on Save Library at the lower left. Creating the custom library for my Accuquilt Qube blocks is giving me good practice creating and saving to a custom library. I tried making a custom fabric library once before but I wasn't looking at the manual, just clicking things and hoping I'd figure it out on my own. The steps for creating a custom library are exactly the same whether it's a Block library or a Fabric library. I can see myself wanting to create a custom fabric library containing all of my favorite Kona Solids, or all of my Kaffe Fassett prints, for instance. Editing a Quilt Block With EasyDraw on the EQ8 Block Worktable Also, editing these blocks in EasyDraw is giving me a great refresher and plenty of practice on the Block Worktable features. Remember math class, how the teacher would demonstrate something in class and then assign homework so you could practice and reinforce at home? Electric Quilt is easy like math is easy, but if someone shows you how to do something and you don't practice it right away, it's easy to forget if months or years go by before you sit down at your computer and try to remember "How the heck did we do that in class?" Coloring My Block With Fabric on the EQ Block Worktable As of right now, I've got 39 of the 72 Accuquilt Qube blocks in my custom block library. Like math homework, it gets easier and more automatic with each block. I should point out that, although I'm creating this custom block library with my 8" Qube dies in mind, EQ software automatically resizes blocks to whatever size you want when you use them to design a quilt. So this same block library that I've created for my 8" Qube can be used to design quilts using any of the other Qube block sizes that I might purchase in the future. Sidenote -- I really wish that Accuquilt had allowed quilters to choose their own Qube block size for the Ready, Set, GO! bundle. I would never have chosen 8" blocks. I'd have either gone with 6" blocks, because those make better use of my small scraps, or else 12" blocks, because those would make up into faster quilt tops for longarm quilting practice and would showcase some of my larger scale prints really nicely. Of course, different sized blocks can be combined in the same quilt, too, like the Moda Modern Building Blocks Sampler WIP that is calling my name... I'm headed to Appalachian State this weekend to visit Lars-of-Ours, but first I'm linking up with: WEDNESDAY · Midweek Makers at Quilt Fabrication THURSDAY · Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation FRIDAY · Whoop Whoop Fridays at Confessions of a Fabric Addict · Beauty Pageant at From Bolt to Beauty · TGIFF Thank Goodness It’s Finished Friday, rotates, schedule found here: http://tgiffriday.blogspot.ca/p/hosting-tgiff.html SATURDAY · UFO Busting at Tish in Wonderland
The GO! Whirlpool 9" Block utilizes the GO! Half Square Triangle-2¼” Finished Square (55147) to make cutting easy and accurate. Combine the GO! Whirlpool 9" Block with other Mix & Match blocks to make your own Sampler Quilt.
One thing you very quickly realise when you own an AccuQuilt is that you want to cut anything and everything with it! So, I thought it would be a useful post to share how you can use an AccuQuilt for any quilt pattern. Well, just about any quilt pattern! I’m using one of my most […]
The Accu-Quilt Go people have a new die for their cutting machines: Carpenter's Wheel. They asked me for a little pattern history. I found several variations in The Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns and BlockBase+, different arrangements of diamond shapes and triangles---and triangles combined into squares. I did a little looking around for actual examples. And was surprised to find several versions in the beautiful Prussian blues of the 1840-1860 period. I didn't realize it was that early, but it's simple geometry. Smithsonian Institution https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_556392 Attributed to Jane Winter Price (1818-1899), Maryland about 1849. The International Quilt Museum has a terrific example from 1840-1860. New England origins. https://quiltindex.org//view/?type=fullrec&kid=36-34-306 The earliest published pattern so far is 1891 in The Prairie Farmer periodical, where they called it Double Star. Patterns were often published after that. Here are some early sources for names. We tend to call it Carpenter's Wheel because Ruth Finley used that name in her 1929 book. Classic North Carolina quilt from their project and the Quilt Index by Fannie Eliza Eason. The triple strip sashing and nine-patch cornerstone is a favorite set there after 1880 or so. Online auction I showed two with borders pieced of the same diamonds cut for the star. Here's another with the same border by Orphah Wilfong from the West Virginia project & the Quilt Index. Now, my first thought in considering making this striking border is "Whoa! That's a lot of diamonds to cut!"--- But that's the point of the Go! machine. It cuts, you sew. Here's how you would shade the blocks. Dark in two corners, medium in the other two. Set side by side you get a secondary pattern where the corners meet. Another border idea from an Indiana Amish quilter and the Quilt Index. Shading With a secondary pattern. You can watch a video of my 5 minute slide show here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEbyUdgiUv0 I begin about 27 minutes into the show so you can drag the red dot to the right and cut straight to MOI!. But watch the whole thing. Pam and Erica will show you how efficiently the Carpenter's Wheel die will cut the pattern.
All you need to piece this easy star quilt pattern are AccuQuilt Go! dies for half-square triangles. Plain white background squares and colorful half-square triangles create a traditional stretched stars design in the Bright Stretched Stars Throw.
Free large hexagon quilt pattern & template. Make a simple hexagon quilt with no Y seams with our tutorial. Uses half hexagon quilt pieces.
Many FREE jelly roll (pre-cut fabric strips) quilt tutorials and patterns! This saves so much time on cutting and makes BEAUTIFUL quilts!
For our February Mini Quilt of the Month we decided to venture into the world…
You might also be interested in some other ways to use up your fabric scraps... If you are anything like us, you probably have loads of small scraps of fabric that you just don't know what to do with. You don't want to toss them out but they are too small to actually do anything with. That's where the crumb quilt technique comes into play. With this technique you can use up all of those small bits of fabric to make beautiful, colorful fabric that you can use to make quilts, cushion covers, applique, bags, table runners and more. Watch
How To Bind A Quilt by Machine is a step-by-step tutorial that teaches quilting beginners a simple way to bind a quilt by machine.
Inspiration, tools and techniques for beautiful quilts
As soon as I saw Elizabeth Hartman's latest pattern, Penguin Party, popping up on my Instagram feed, I knew that I would have to make it...
Double Pinwheel & Peeping Cats Quilt Blocks. Free Pattern and Tutorial
In just two contrasting colors, this rail fence quilt pattern has a stunning geometric pattern. Use AccuQuilt dies to cut strips of orange and white fabric and then combine them in the pattern shown to create the Rail Fence Pizzazz quilt.
Learn how to take your square fabrics and make pictures and quilts with them. With pixelated quilt patterns, you'll love how your quilt turns out. Drop in a heart, apple or animal - there are so many options.
I have compiled a list of free Sew-Alongs for 2023. A free sew-along just means you don’t have to run out and buy the pattern. The pattern is given to you for you to create and do with what you like. I have broken these into a couple of categories below. You will understand why as
The disappearing nine patch is a deceptively simple quilt block, perfect for beginners and a great shortcut block with tons of variations
I’m so excited to share with you a baby quilt that I made from this gorgeous new collection, The Waterhole, designed by Gabrielle Neil Design. This collection is great for quilting, apparel and home decor. The prints feature…
The twisting rail fence block is quick and easy. Create alternate patterns in your quilt by how you arrange this fun quilt block.
Learn how to make a storm at sea quilt block using the AccuQuilt Go! cube and their triangle in a square die. It's easier than you think!
EASY Grandmother's Garden Quilt - TUTORIAL Hi Quilty Friends! Today I'm sharing my EASY Grandmother's Garden Quilt (keep on reading for the free tutorial) with the gorgeous Wild and Free Collection designed by Gracey Larson for Riley Blake Designs. The Wild and Free Main print (below) is my FAVORITE because Gracey has drawn all 50 state flowers!!! This collection is both beautiful and educational! PS- the Wild and Free Panel is a must as it is a map of USA with all the states and their flower! I knew I wanted a to make quit a with a floral design and I love a Grandmother's Garden Quilt, but hand sewing hexagons together would take me forever and sewing y-seams is stressful. So I used my AccuQuilt GO! Half-Hexagon die to make my quilt EASY with no hand sewing or y-seams! EASY Grandmother's Garden Quilt Tutorial 53.5" x 63.5" Quilt Supplies: (12) 1/2 yards : Wild and Free designed by Gracey Larson (5) 1/4 yards: Wild and Free designed by Gracey Larson 0.625 yard binding: Wild and Free designed by Gracey Larson 3.5 yards Backing OR (1) Wild and Free Panel with extra (1) yard of Wild and Free Main Print plus left over fabrics AccuQuilt GO! Half-Hexagon 4 1/2" sides die AccuQuilt GO! Cutter (if using AccuQuilt GO! die for cutting) Note: If you do not have an AccuQuilt GO! or GO! Half-Hexagon die – try using Lori Holt Hexie Half Ruler Set. Just use the larger size ruler. Your quilt size may vary slightly from mine. Cutting Instructions Cut each 1/2 yard print into (3) 4 1/2" x WOF strips, then cut (12) half-hexagons with your AccuQuilt GO! Half Hexagon 4 1/2" Sides Die from each print. (Total of 144 half-hexagons) Each 4 1/2" x WOF Strip will cut (4) half-hexagons Cut each 1/4 yard print into (1) 4 1/2" X WOF strip, then cut (4) half-hexagons with your AccuQuilt GO! Half Hexagon 4 1/2" Sides Die from each print. (Total of 20 half-hexagons) There will be a total of 164 half-hexagons cut. Quilt requires 162 half-hexagons. Each full flower requires (12) half-hexagons for petals and (2) half-hexagons for flower center. Don't worry - it's super quick to cut the half-hexagons as your AccuQuilt GO! Cutter does all the work for you! Plus you can cut 6 layers of fabric at a time - yay! Cut (6) 2.5" x WOF binding strips. Note: If you do not have an AccuQuilt GO! or GO! Half-Hexagon die - try using Lori Holt Hexie Half Ruler Set. Just use the larger size ruler. Your quilt size may vary slightly from mine. Quilt Assembly Arrange your half-hexagons in your desired layout. Don't worry about the hexagon edges on the quilt sides, we will be trimming them off. No need to panic- it's just a tiny bit of trimming off so there isn't much waste at all. Layout should be (9) half-hexagons across (horizontal) and (18) half-hexagons down (vertical). Sewing Begin sewing horizontal rows together. Sew (2) half-hexagons short sides, right sides together with 1/4" seam. AccuQuilt has already trimmed the corners of your blocks so they are easy to line up and sew together. Continue until entire horizontal row has been sewn together. Row 1 Row 2 Continue sewing all (18) horizontal rows as shown above. Be careful to pay attention to placement of half-hexagons. Next sew Row (1) and Row (2) together with a 1/4"seam. I did pin each point as I like perfect points :). Repeat sewing rows together in numerical order until quilt top is complete. Trimming Quilt Using a ruler - trim the edges of the hexagons on the left and right edges of the quilt. I trimmed at the intersection of the two fabrics. This will give your quilt straight edges and it will be so much easier to bind. See diagram below. EASY Grandmother's Garden Quilt will measure 53.5" x 63.5". OPTIONAL (but awesome): Pieced Backing The Wild and Free Panel is AMAZING! Plus I love a double sided quilt so I chose to use my left over fabrics for a fun pieced backing! I think this is a fun (and pretty) option to learn US Geography!!! Quilt and Bind as desired You did it! Now you have an EASY Grandmother's Garden Quilt with the gorgeous Wild and Free fabric to enjoy!!! Plus hooray for NO y-seams or hand sewing!!! I can't wait to see your quilt! Do you know your state's flower????? Be sure to follow me on Instagram @ABitofScrapStuff and on my A Bit of Scrap Stuff Blog for more fabric fun! Have a great day and happy sewing / quilting! Melanie This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting A Bit of Scrap Stuff. My family appreciates it!
Easy quilts to make in a day. A lot of beautiful patterns, designs, and quilt ideas for you to make in one day only and the tips to finish it
Free large hexagon quilt pattern & template. Make a simple hexagon quilt with no Y seams with our tutorial. Uses half hexagon quilt pieces.
Add More Blocks for a Larger Quilt! Choose a favorite combination of 2 1/2″ jelly roll strips for this charming quilt. It’s a quick project that’s easy to make, even for beginners. The finished quilt is baby or lap quilt size. However, it will be easy to make a quilt of any size. Add more …
Our Half Square Triangle (HST) Challenge is concluding at the February 20th meeting. Members accepting this challenge were asked to create a quilt using any design, pattern or layout they choose ju…
An original modern quilt pattern for any quilter from beginner quilters to advanced. This pattern is developed with the idea of making use of leftover fabric, or scraps. PDF pattern includes yardage requirements, cutting and assembly instructions. The sizes include throw pillow, wall hanging, baby, throw, large throw, and bed. Since this pattern is block-based, you have the versatility to adjust sizes to your preference. Use yardage, scraps, charm packs, or fat quarters to make your own quilt. Skill Level: Beginner Sizes Pillow - 16" x 16" Wall hanging - 24" x 24" Baby - 46" x 46" Throw - 60" x 60" Large Throw - 74" x 74" Bed - 86" x 109" Please message me with any questions.
[Edited on January 13, 2020] I am always looking for quick quilts I can make for a friend or family member to celebrate a special occasion. Handmade gifts are the best except, at times, we need to be able to whip them up very fast! I am showing you today two Quilts you can make …
Here are the last 3 blocks in my quilt guild's Block of the Month. These blocks make up the bottom row of the pattern, Jeni Baker's Half Square Triangle Sampler: Now I need to choose a background. I wanted to go with a colored fabric, rather than the white as shown in the pattern, and I thought I had found the perfect green: I put the first 9 blocks against the green background and lived with it for a while as I made the last 3 blocks. I began to think that although the green was a perfect match, it was overpowering the blocks. These blocks are only 6 inches, so the background has a bigger impact. I went back to the drawing board and found a lighter, less saturated green and tried again: It's a subtle difference, but I think the second choice helps the blocks stand out a little more. Here are the two fabrics side by side: And here are the 12 finished blocks, with the darker green background under the top 6 and the lighter green background under the bottom 6: This has been a lot of fun seeing how much variety can be achieved with just 16 Half Square Triangle blocks.
If you're looking for a more efficient way to cut fabric for quilting, you should consider using a fabric cutting machine.
Inspired by a quilt that my friend Mary shared with me from Pinterest, I decided to design an Ombré HST quilt mathematically. This was the result. I chose to use a gradient of eight different values, numbered 1-8 from lightest to darkest. I began by drawing a 7 by 9 rectangle in my graph notebook and ...continue reading →
If you are planning on making a quilt with your old blue jeans then these tips for quilting with denim jeans will help you out.
One thing you very quickly realise when you own an AccuQuilt is that you want to cut anything and everything with it! So, I thought it would be a useful post to share how you can use an AccuQuilt for any quilt pattern. Well, just about any quilt pattern! I’m using one of my most […]
