Quilting & Technology with Becca!

I love tech. I love gadgets. And, I love quilting. There's not much area where Quilting and Technology overlap - but when it does, it seriously makes my heart happy. In today's blog post, I want to share a bit about a few things where these two worlds collide and how they can make your life a lot easier.

Electronic Quilt Design

None of these applications will write a pattern for your, or even give you cutting instructions. But they will help take a vision from your head to paper - and figure out how much fabric you'll need to make your quilt.

• Electric Quilter 8 (aka EQ8). This is a desktop application that you purchase for a one time fee and install directly on your computer. It can run on Windows or Mac computers (so either one works!). It can be a little tricky to understand at first - I'm not a fan of the user interface, but it does function. Since this is a desktop application - you'll want to consider finding a way to save your design files to the cloud or thumb drive if you want to take them with you (and, you may need to pay for the software to be installed on additional computers).

• Prequilt.com: This is a web based software - so all of your projects and files are stored in the cloud - they go everywhere with you. It's not as robust as EQ8 is, but it's still plenty powerful enough. You can use the demo version for free, but in order to use the full product - you will need to purchase a plan. You can choose the 'Basic' or 'Market' plan. Karen Brown from Just Get It Done Quilts did a lovely video on what this software is if you want to learn more!

• Quiltography: This is an app for iPads. Admittedly, I have it install on my iPad, I just never remember that it's there. Hmmm, maybe I should give it a go?! Between a yardage calculator, a stash manager (want to inventory your fabric?!), a large block library, and tools to design your own blocks - it seems to be pretty beefy! And it's much easier to carry around your iOS device than your computer, right?!

Quilt Help Apps

• Color Wheel Apps: There are a ton of them out there - and I love having one on my phone! It's so much more practical to carry around over the traditional paper copies. I use an iPhone and prefer the 'Pocket Color Wheel' app myself.

• Block: This is an app from MSQC that brings those beautiful 'Block' magazines straight to your device. Just sign in with your MSQC account, and the editions that you've bought (either digital or paper copy) are already stored in your account. And...if you're missing one, you can always buy it! (Oh yeah, and did you know other magazines, like All People Quilt, offer digital subscriptions so you can look at those magazines right on your phone or tablet?!)

• MSQC Quilt Tutorials: We all know about the MSQC YouTube channel - but did you know that they take each of their Friday videos and put them in an app to make it easier to find, and watch, those tutorials?! I love to browse their YouTube library through this app and 'heart' the quilts I'd be interested in making in the future.

• Robert Kaufman Quilting Calculator: Ok, I'm pretty sure you all know about this one. This lovely app, from Robert Kaufman, helps us with all those pesky math formulas that seem to make quilting feel so daunting. ;)

• Quiltful: This is a new find for me, and I'm *LOVING* it. It's basically a project organizer that helps you keep an eye on all of those WIPs and UFOs you have! And...when the year's over it's SUPER easy to go back and see what you started and finished that year, and even go on a little journey down memory lane as you revisit the photos!

Connecting with Quilters

No one likes quilting alone...and sometimes the friends (both new and old) that we want to quilt with aren't close. Or perhaps we just want to make more friends. That's where these apps/websites come in handy. You can use them to find and connect with other quilters so you don't have to sew alone, unless you want to. You do you, boo!

• Zoom/Skype/FaceTime: Sometimes we really want to sew with someone that lives on the other side of town/state/country. Using a video conferencing app allows you to bring a friend right into your sewing room so you can tackle projects together! The pandemic has shifted how we handle things, even in the Quilting world - and companies (like Cotton Cuts) are leveraging these apps to host classes, retreats, and sew-ins. (Did you know Cotton Cuts PMQ Detectives can join a monthly Zoom to sew their clues with others?!)

• Instagram: I love scrolling through IG once in a while and just looking at Quilter's pics and stories. It's so inspiring to see what others have done, and it often times convinces me it's time to get off my butt and get to work. :) You can even connect with folks on IG via direct messages and video calls. (So yeah, you can chat with someone on your phone without having to give them your contact info!)

• Facebook: I know some of you out there are going to immediately toss this one out - but...hear me out! Just because you have a Facebook account does NOT mean you have to give any of your private information. If you're really concerned about it - give yourself a fun name. I have a few friends that use their first name and then their middle name for their last name, or something else equally fun! Facebook has a ton of groups that will help you get connected - things like the Mystery Quilts, my own Facebook group, sewing organization tips, or just a plain old destash!