Last Updated: 02/07/07	NEWSLeTTeR Vol. VII, No. I, JAN., 2007 (Updated monthly.  Not available by subscription)  GREETINGS! -----
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EQ6 is HERE!!!

I finally built up the courage to install my Electric Quilt 6 upgrade a couple of days ago....I really get nervous doing so, as it seems I tend to "lose" files or get things misplaced each time I upgrade it.  Well, so far, nothing lost, but I'm still not looking forward to moving the various libraries involved.

I really haven't had time yet to explore the many, many facets and new features on the newest version.  I've just been "playing" with the basics (all this in just one short afternoon session).  Here's what I've learned so far:

DON'T LIKE:

1.  First of all, it wouldn't install until I changed the screen resolution setting higher.  Doing this makes it harder to read the tiny little words.  :-)  However, I found that after installing and restarting, I could change the screen resolution back to my standard 800 x 600 (yes I know that's out of date, but it's EASIER for me to READ) and EQ6 seems to function fine at that resolution, so far anyway.

2.  There's no such thing as a "snapshot" anymore.  Now it's called a "image marquee" and is located on the file menu instead of a handy toolbar.  Same is true of the function for metafiles (standard designing tool for exploding images for instructions/handouts).

3.  Extensive work involved to get access to (link to) previous project files and all the fabric libraries and what happened to palette libraries?  This I'm sure is just a matter of spending an hour or so reading the manual and moving things around.  Least I hope so.  I've got a lot of time invested in personal fabric libraries and personal block libraries and by the time I get them all moved and accessible, it will be time for the next EQ7 upgrade?!

4.  The "plain block" tool on the quilt worktable has been replaced with an "erase block" tool.  Haven't found it yet, but there is suppose to be an "add plain block" function within the sketchbook instead. 

DO LIKE:

1.  Quick Quilt Templates!  Before you even start a project, there are LOTS of sample projects already done for you!  Takes a lot of the design time out and SO HANDY!  You can start with a sample quilt already with blocks and borders and colors, then simply change your layout and fabrics and you're done!

2.  I discovered a selection of WHOLE TOP design blocks as template projects!  See the above illustration for a Giant Dahlia???????  That is a single block from the whole top block library selection.  What would have taken 2 or 3 days of design work to draw accurately, is there at a single click!  This is great!  Those hard-to-figure design settings are easily accessible.  Too cool !

3.  The fabrics will scale properly when the blocks are set into a quilt setting!  Now a big polka-dot fabric will be smaller and scaled properly when you view the entire quilt (instead of one or two big dots per block, lol).  For example, in the Dahlia image above, the purple background is actually a purple pin dot print.

4.  Ooooh, all the new fabrics and new blocks added!  I was especially impressed with all the New York Beauty blocks now available in the paper-piecing selections.

5.  Images will "save as" jpgs and gifs and tiff's now, not just in bitmap form as before.

6.  There is suppose to be a "free-hand" tool in the patch draw worktable.  Haven't found it yet, but I'm still looking for that.

7.  There are even more GREAT selections in pieced borders now.

All these things will become ordinary after a few days, weeks, months, I hope.  First thing to do is READ THE MANUAL.  Follow along experimenting as I go.  I'm sure Quilt University is (or has already) forming a class with Fran Gonzales.  That is a lot of fun to do "in jammies".  I haven't had a chance to read all my digest mail from the Electric Quilt Forum in weeks, but that would be a good start also.

What Am I Working On?

Well, I haven't been in my sewing room for at least a month or two.  GASP!  Hard to realize it's been that long.  Life gets in the way-- a lot.  My mom just underwent a triple bypass operation in OKCity.  Then there was all the holidays and grandchildren and shopping and general things.

 So, I'm still working on another scrappy star top for a client.  I still haven't started on the mourning quilt for my mother-in-law.  I've not been working on the hand quilting on Bob's quilt in the floor hoop.  Progressing none.   Still have the appliquéd star cluster quilt for myself, and the butterfly block collection to assemble for a client, and a penguin block quilt to assemble.  And the peacock quilt still remains in the hand quilting frame and now has been moved once again to another room for storage where it is gathering dust..

The Quilt Shoppe Forum News:

Not much happening on the forum front this month.  Holidays are taking up everyone's time mostly.

We have another scramble going on  now called "Simple & Scrappy Squares".  Lynn's Twisted Mystery II is going strong now.  And Karen has started a couple of new swaps.  LeAnn has been very busy finishing up all the Quilts of Valor. (see last month's newsletter)

 To join in the fun go to:  http://forums.delphiforums.com/quiltshoppe 

Free This Month on the BOM Page:

We'll be sharing the Toy Box Baby Quilt with you for the next few months.  

Our Christmas Mystery has concluded and will be removed from the page before February 1.  Here's a picture of one of our good friends' finished quilt top.  DLee Hammond.  Thanks!

Site-Seeing
(sites open in new window)

(Sorry, I haven't been surfing lately to find any sites to share.  Will have plenty next month for you!)

Tag Line of the Month

Without geometry, life is pointless.

:-)

  May you always have a quilt in the hoop,

  January 1, 2007

    ARCHIVES:  (Please note that some of the links on past newsletters on the Site-Seeing Categories may have expired and are no longer available--in other words--It's Not My Fault!!)
August, 2001- Premiere Issue:  Explanation of Website Categories, Picture of Author
September, 200l - Eden Mennonite Sewing Society, Oklahoma MCC Relief Sale Link, New House Hunting Pattern, New Ozark Mountain Night Pattern, Call for Guest Gallery
October, 2001 - Plett's Plot, Sewing Society Follow Up, New Quilter's Alphabet Pattern, New My Stars & Bars Pattern, Free Block of the Month Project - House Hunting
November, 2001 - HenryCat, My Stars & Bars Free Block of the Month, New Easy Eights Pattern, Granny's Tip of the Month
December, 2001 - MCC Relief Sale, Enid, Oklahoma; Quilter's Corner, Auction Bay, Featured Quilt, Other Quilts, 10,000 Villages, Twilling, Finished Simply Amish Quilt, Free Block of the Month - Easy 8's, New Heart Trio Pattern - Appliqué 
January, 2002 - New Year's Resolution;  Website Reviews: Bead Creative, Quilting with a Passion, Webshots, Lancaster Gen. Store, others; Quilters Mall Crawl; Free Block of the Month - Calendar Blocks
February, 2002 - Grandma's Buttons Lap Quilt, weather box, Quilt University.Com, Fran Iverson Gonzalez, Hawaiian Ice Breaker, Paypal Added, Connecting Threads, New Pattern - Proud Mamas, Free Block of the Month - Heart Trio Table Runner
March, 2002 - Twilling Quilt Update, Quilt Car, Worm Song, Alex Anderson's Chat Room, Out with Henry, In with Frosty, Free Block of the Month - Simple Scrappy Pleasures.
April, 2002 - Finished Shadow Quilt Top, Yoyo Site, equiltessence.com, Snoopy Dance, What Muppet are You?, Free Block of the Month - Proud Mamas, In the Works - Train Quilt & 9-Patch Wonders
May, 2002 - Nite-Nite Express Quilt & new pattern, Mr. Skunk, Frosty Update, End of the Internet Site, Sewing Genie Review, Ground Zero Quilt Site, Internet Bumper Stickers Site, What Simpson are You?, Crazy Horse Site, 9-Patch Wonders new pattern and free BOM, New Logo
June, 2002 - Eden Mennonite's Broken Star, Stack & Slash Tutorial, Gauge your Age, T-Shirt Quilts, What Storybook Character are You?, Holiday/Birthday List Link, Vacation Notice, Quilt Index. Com Mall Crawl
July, 2002 - Our mention in Quilters' Newsletter Magazine, Diana's 9-Patch Wonder Recipe #3, Diana's Simple Scrappy Wall Hanging, Fractal Quilts Link, What Vegetable R U?, Smiley Reference Link
August, 2002 - Homeland Pride Quilt, Winsome Wildflowers Quilt, Gag Gifts Link, What's Your Inner Flower?, Quilters' Survey, Fireworks Link, WWQP Pattern Search Link, Funny Valentine Link, Kansas Trouble Quilt Pattern
September, 2002 - Simple Scrappy Pleasures Finished Quilt, Sharon Caligan's Simple Scrappy Quilt, Friendship Basket Exchange Block, Nickel Cobblestones New Pattern, Kansas Troubles New free BOM Project, Mini Munchkin land Link, Useful Items Link, Quilt Costs Link, Useless Quiz Link, Jeanne Prue's Guest Gallery Link, The Mom's Dictionary Link
October, 2002 - Book One--the First Collection, Basket Luncheon Set, Friendship Basket Swap, Baby Cobblestone in Progress, Site-seeing, 3 Barns Kansas show
November, 2002 - Cobblestone Finished, Another Nite-Nite Baby Express Finished, Jungle Lone Star Finished, Site-Seeing Links:  Kaleidoscope toy, Funky Chicken, Quilt Lid Boxes, Telephone Game, Which Villain Are You?, Weird Eyeball, Pickup Truck Cover, Quilt Block Design Interactive, Movie Physics;  Simple Scrappy Wall Hanging new Free BOM Project;  Bird Hunting and Pieced Flowers In the Works.
December, 2002 - Thirteen Flowers Finished, 4th Nite-Nite Express Finished, Pat Katnik's Nite-Nite Express, Site-Seeing Links:  Quilts Stolen, Paint by Number, Sarah Mylchreest, Snowmen, Giggles, Mugshots, Canon Cards, Twelve Flowers New Free BOM Project, Snowball Poem
January, 2003 - Bird Hunting Pattern and Quilt done, Site-Seeing Links:  Google View Search & Bill Coleman's Photographs.  Addition of Guest Gallery, Beaded Egg,  Scrap Quilts in the Works
February, 2003 - Nancy Adams' quilt, Juliana Winegarten's quilt, Tulsa Volunteer Blocks, Site-Seeing Links:  71 Reasons to Buy Fabric, FBI Watching You, The Weedeater Quilt
March, 2003 - Just Quilt It! Feature Story; Site-Seeing Links:  12 Flowers Block Swap, Quilt Judges, & Where words come from; Plaid Mad in the Works, & Peacocks in the Works
April, 2003 - Pretty-Boy Peacocks Finished; Site Seeing Links:  Owl Cam, Eagle Cam, Old-Fashioned Living, People/Dogs, Armed Services Banner;  What's New Decisions/Decisions
May, 2003 - Muskogee Quilt Show, 2003; Site Seeing Links:  Leather Thimble, Evil Squirrels, The Weird Chronicles, Iraqi Information Minister, What's New Ducks in a Row, My Stars & Bars free block of the month.
June, 2003 - Penguin Quilt, Site Seeing Links:  QuiltMaker program, Baby crib quilt racks, Quilter signs, Carjacker raccoons, Avoid alien abductions, EQ4/5 Tutorials, What's New Lone Star Basics Pattern
July, 2003 - Darcy Ashton in T-Town, What's New Caddo River, Appliqué Wall Hanging Top, Site-Seeing Links:  Easy Circle Cathedral Window, Falcon's Bird Cam, Snowflakes, Lunch Boxes, Invisible Thread Review
August, 2003 - Lone Star Appliquéd quilt, Site-Seeing Links:  Classic Couches, Digital Clock, Singing Horses, Stress Test;  What's New:  Shopping Cart, ShortnScrappy Pattern, Picture Frame New BoM project, Buster Licking
September, 2003 - Precut Kits, Other Kits, What's New Toy Box Baby quilt coming up, Site-Seeing:  Fly Swatter, What Kind of Storm Are You?, Interactive Kitty
October, 2003 - Eden Mennonite Church Fall Country Festival, The Spellchecker Paragraph, Site-Seeing Links:  Wrap them in Love, EtchASketch, Marie Webster Story, Interactive Shapes Board Site, Car Handbags, More Fractals, Urban Legends Detector Site; What's New Toy Box Baby Quilt Pattern free, Patches/Scrappy Photos.
November, 2003 - Short & Scrappy Photos, Site-Seeing Links:  Test Results of Fusible Web, Terrell Designs, Clean Your Sewing Machine; What's New Baby Steps
December, 2003 - The Buttonhole, Sew Natural, Henfeathers, Site-Seeing Links:  Marsha McCloskey, Porky Sings Christmas, Daily Devotional Site, Which Biological Molecule Are You?, Nice Christmas Card
January, 2003 - Bandana Quilt, Site-Seeing Links:  Dancing Paul, ZeFrank.com, Chicken Purse
February, 2004 - Absolute Beginners' Series, Fine-Toothed Comb, Site-Seeing Links:  Color Trends, Quilters' Husband, Hand Quilting Frame, Hypnotizing Balls
March, 2004 - Absolute Beginners' Series completed, Site-Seeing Links:  Kameleon Quilts, Note Pad Graphics, The Original Laughing CAT; Christine's Cat Scan..ner
April, 2004 - Mary Covey Feature, Site-Seeing Links:  Fling the Cow, Owl Cam is Back, Tomato Pincushion, Paint a Wall quilt
May, 2004 -Muskogee 2004 Quilt Show, Site-Seeing Links:  Batting in a Can, Many uses of Freezer Paper, Senses Test, Chiseled in Cloth. com, Boy Scout songs, Pass the 3rd Grade, The Wedding Dress Guy;  What's New:  Mystery Free
June, 2004 - Pups N Pails, Site-Seeing Links:  Serial Quilter, John Flynn's Backing Formula, Are You As Old As You Feel?, Computer 101 Lessons, Office Supplies Attack, Snoopy Happy Dance;  What's New?  Mystery of the Half Moons
July, 2004 - Quilt Frame Corner Stands, Site-Seeing Links:  Marvin the Martian, Organizing Tips, Scouts Crafts for Summer, Baby Shade Tent, Liberty Fireworks
August, 2004 - Nine-Patch Wonders II, Site-Seeing Links:  Bargello Design Program, Freezer Paper Project, HP Fabric Printing, Cow Tipper Game, Penguin Game, Paper Snowflakes, Timed Typing Test, Penguin Slapping
September, 2004 - Inola Independent article, Big MOVING day arrived, Site-Seeing Links:  More kids' craft projects, Every Cat Picture that Ever Was, Quilting Stencil Super Site, National Quilting News Site.
October, 2004 - Workroom curtains; Missing Scrappy Cat;  Mystery Solved;  Site-Seeing:  Curtains 101, Craftgard products, Curtain Instructions, Photo stamps, quilt index ORG.
November, 2004 - Site-Seeing:  Handkerchief Magic, EQ challenge album, Amish Country Lanes quilts for sale, Quilt Bus Halloween quilt story, The Boring Site
December, 2004 - Christmas Cactus quilt top; New Starlight Sampler in the works; Site-Seeing:  Mt. St. Helens watch-cam, Bizarre Star Dance site, Painted Barns, Hummingbird nest; Whitehouse Pan-cams; Carola Forsberg's Webshots Album
January, 2005 - Home Sweet Mobile Home; Starlight Sampler 2005; QI Mall Crawl; Site-Seeing:  Lost Frog, the Real Story about the Frog, Super Stencil Site, quilt fiction, hieroglyphics, colorful eye candy
February, 2005 - Carola's Square Dance; New Mystery--Granny's Road Trip; Forum news; Site-Seeing:  Cat Screen-saver, Interactive quilt design creator, Dianne Johnston products, Home projects site, Little Village Eye Candy, Road to California Show Winners, Club Q's Star Challenge Entries, More Painted Barns
March, 2005 - Dutch Blues; Quilting By the River, 2005; Forum news; Anilee's Mystery Travelers; Site-Seeing:  Paducah game, Wild Salmon on Parade, Patches the Horse, Granny's Road Trip Online, Kona Coffee Contest, EQ's January Challenge Results
April, 2005 - Baby Hearts, Quilting By the River 2005, Forum news,  Site-Seeing:  New Quilting Channel, Penguin Cam, Dover Weekly Sampler 
May, 2005 - Nickel Nines, Forum News, Favorite Things, Site-Seeing:  Pretreated Fabric by the Yard, the Dark Room, Buzzwhack, Shaken Faces, Po'boy Long Arm, Bubble Wrap, AQS 2005 Winners
June, 2005 - Sisters In Stitches, Jenks Quilt Show Link, Forum News, Site-Seeing:  Normal Test, Bear Pyramid, Photo Stamps Again, Genuine Smile Test, Skunk Formula, Mercury Template, Country Music, AQS Contest.
July, 2005 - Memorial
August, 2005 - Jenks Quilt Show Pictures, Site-Seeing:  Interactive Dancing Skeleton, Excuse List, Texture Color Wheel, Men In Coats!, Duct Tape Clothing, Dog Humor Links
September, 2005 - Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts, Site-Seeing:  Ice Cream Quiz, Find the Real Penny, Hoffmans 2005 Challenge, Goodwill Auction Site
October, 2005 - Eden Day in the Country, Uncle Sam & Regina, Site-Seeing:  EQ Contest; Fractal Katrina Images; HP Learning Center; NOAA Satellite Imagery; Forum "netiquette"
November, 2005 - Eden Mcc 2006 quilt top, Site-Seeing:  Claudia Hieber's QNN Episode; Aunt Grace Challenge 2005 Winners, Interactive Pumpkin Carving; Hurrican Name Facts.
December, 2005 - Claudia's Nickel Bricks quilt, Baby Nickels Quilt #8, Site-Seeing:  Block Central Blogs, Porky Singing Again, The Daily Kitten, Shark Cam, Jos Ley's Fractile Image Gallery
March, 2006 - Starlight Sampler Finished, Library Fund Raising Quilt, Site-Seeing:  Snowglobe, Snowflake Creator, Sunbonnet Sue Quilt Club, Art Quilt Tahoe, Quilt Shops Map, The Toymaker.com, Alex Anderson's Podcast, FBI eyes, Road to California Winners, Irena's Webshots, Moving Jigsaw Puzzle
April, 2006 - Mary's Log Cabin top, Ella's Basket top, Heart Scramble block, Site-Seeing:  City Data, Auctionfabric.com, EQ Challenge, Elm Creek Sequel, Reproduction Chintz Fa brics, The Juggler, The Owl Cam, Real People Phone Numbers, LeAnn Weaver's New Site.
May, 2006 - Some baby quilts, Site-Seeing:  More Amazing Juggling, Quilt University's Glossary of terms & techniques, Wikipedia.com, Camille Allen Baby Sculptures.
June, 2006 - Starred & Feathered, Site-Seeing:  Paducah Winners, Paper  Dolls, Hmong/Amish Quilters
July, 2006 - Bob's Mourning Quilt, Tulsa Show, Site-Seeing:  Kaleidoscope, Russian Quilt Site, Penguin site, Stabilizer for String Piecing,
August, 2006 - Pryor Quilt Show, Triplets Quilts, Site-Seeing:  Quick Change Artists
September, 2006 - Twisted Mystery Quilt (LOST!), Site-Seeing:  Christmas Day Counter, Hoffman Challenge Winners, Quilts of Valor, Parking Game
November, 2006 - Lost Mystery Quilt, Site-Seeing:  UFO Donor Site, National Park Tour, Dover Sampler, EQ6 Arrived, Dawn Stewart's Clip Art
December, 2006 - Snowstorm, Quilts of Valor, Site-Seeing:  Back to the 60's, Christmas Songs, Christmas Traditions

(Copyright © 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Claudia E. Plett, all rights reserved)

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