Making Quilts in Electric Quilt

This just might be the last official Electric Quilt Brand Ambassador post of the year. Not only is the year coming to a close, but my computer is very much out of room (literally only 22gb remaining). Somehow I was able to delete enough "stuff" to get this post put together for you. I've had so much fun experimenting with the Electric Quilt Company Block Spotlight each month and decided this time to screen record it. This month is the Amaryllis Block which is perfect for the Christmas season, but also works great for the spring time too, especially when Easter rolls around.If you haven't tried making a quilt and uploading it to the EQ8 Block Spotlight post, you really should give it a go!

When I am working with a block and trying to figure out a quilt layout, I treat it the same as sketching in a notebook. I just start and keep going to see where I end up. Remember though, it's so important to save each quilt as you go along so you can go back and look at them all, and select your favorite to sew together when you are done.

The first picture I posted above is actually the last quilt I designed. It feels super modern and geometric for a flower, but also directional and sharp which was very different than my first below.

I was trying to stay away from symmetry, but my ambidextrous self has a hard time doing that. I added some rows and columns and made it symmetrical and also rectangular. Here you can see with rotating the blocks, the star really pops and become the focus of this design.

When you start playing with color and even the oh so fun "Randomize" button, you get a whole entirely different looking quilt, with a very different focus.

Experimenting further but now as a more pictorial quilt, I tried using the Amaryllis block to look like the Amaryllis plant with it's long thick stems.

Once I had this layout, I wanted to try the other colors most typically seen with the Amaryllis plant, of white and yellow. It would make a beautiful Easter wall hanging I think. Perfect for spring decorating in your home. You could easily add one more Amaryllis block in a smaller scale in that very center square that is created with all four corners.

Now that you've seen all of the blocks, watching my video below (or on YouTube) will allow you to see the steps I took to get to each design. Be sure to subscribe to my Kid Giddy YT channel for new videos in the future.

What do you think? Do you have a favorite layout? Have you tried experimenting with the Electric Quilt Block Spotlights each month? It's a great exercise and great practice to get to know the program, so if you haven't already, I highly recommend you challenge yourself to give it a go!

I just want to add before signing off, that I am truly so grateful to be able to work with great companies like the Electric Quilt Company, especially while being one of their Brand Ambassadors this year. I have been using their product for many years now, and still find something new when I break out of my own box and pick a new tool I haven't used before. (Which reminds me - while visiting the EQ website, if you want to add anything to your stash, you can use the code "EQ8Kerry" to save 20% off your purchases before the code expires at the end of the year).

With that said, I am also truly so grateful for each and every one of you that has supported me in my pattern making and design work. I appreciate when you give me credit for the patterns of mine you are using, because it allows me to see how you interpret them and how much fun you are having with them. It also further supports me by helping your friends know where they can get the pattern too. Thank you from the top and bottom of my heart for every time you've read a blog post, every like or comment on social media, every purchase and share of one of my patterns. You all inspire me every day with your excitement and enthusiasm. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas, a belated Happy Chanukah, or Joy in the holiday you celebrate. May you all have a wonderful, safe and prosperous Happy New Year!

Disclosure: As a brand ambassador for Electric Quilt Company, I have received the EQ8 product for free, but the opinions and comments provided are always my own. This is not an affiliate code. Thank you.

Introducing the Sew Plush Planner

Many of you have seen my newest pattern the Sew Plush Planner on my Kid Giddy Instagram feed and some of you lucky folks got a glimpse of it at Glamp Stitchalot! But now I'm sharing it over here with some more details on how this started as the Bullet Planner Page Blocks I designed in Electric Quilt EQ8 program and became so much more!

The Sew Plush Planner started out as a two Foundation Paper Piecing blocks I designed in Electric Quilt EQ8 program, that represented planner pages and tabs (or pages with tab dividers) for bullet journals and planners.

What started as two blocks or "pages" for a placemat or "keyboard rug", became 4, and then 6 and then a whole quilt worth of pages and tabs and inside covers (because the EQ8 program makes it easy to make all the various blocks so quick)!
I went down a really fun rabbit hole of "well if this tab is flipped over here, then this side would be less tabs than it started with". Then "if all the tabs were on this side, the front inside cover would look like this, while the back inside cover would look like this if they flipped to the other side". I couldn't stop until finally I was done and ran out of the basic options. Of course there are so many more options and hacks, but I wanted to stick with this here and see what more you all come up with to add to my pattern.

As I began sewing the first two blocks, I immediately thought I want to have little tabs to actually pick up to turn the pages. This one little thought started me down a whole new rabbit hole, now lovingly called the #SewPlushPlanner! Here's a quick little video of it you can see in action.

There are so many options and different opportunities to mix and match and only make the "pages" you really need and want. Since designing it and putting it out and during (the many) conversations with my twin sister Sue @MossandLotus, we've decided it would make a great Plush Baby Book, a Plush Quiet Book (as we have always wanted to design and make since our kids were babies), Plush Memory Book and so much more! Make it plush, stick stuff inside and take it with you, or store it in a hope chest (if filled with memories).

Use fun fabrics to really convey the message you want to send...I loved using the Trixie fabrics (and Kinder letters) from Heather Ross and the Jot fabrics from Heather Givans (both for Windham Fabrics).

The little add ons for each page (or spread) are so fun and can be used for Sewing, Cross Stitching, Needle work, Scrapbooking, Planner Accessories and so many other things. What will you use your SewPlushPlanner for? What will you stash inside? Do you have a favorite page? Let me know in the comments below or join my Kid Giddy Facebook group and share away! 

Thanks so much for stopping by and thanks so much for all the love on this new pattern of mine. So many of you have purchased it already and I'm looking forward to seeing all your #SewPlushPlanners! If you have a great add on hack idea - please be sure to share it with me so I can see and enjoy it! As I am one of the Electric Quilt Company Brand Ambassadors this year, they have given me a special treat for you...if you are interested in getting EQ8 for yourself or anything else on their site - please feel free to use this discount code "EQ8Kerry" to save 20% off your purchase (not an affiliate code).

Disclosure: As a brand ambassador for Electric Quilt Company, I have received the EQ8 product for free, but the opinions and comments provided are always my own. This is not an affiliate code. Thank you.