This month we are learning to use Corel Draw to design quilts. Our challenge was to create a twin size quilt, with several requirements. They needed to include rectangles, circles, triangles (at least 2 varying sizes for each), pieced blocks, and applique shapes. Adjacent blocks, needed to be different colors. The pieced blocks needed to be the individual pieces and colored. We also needed to have a 4 inch border with cornerstones, and a 2 inch border with mitered corners.

This challenge has kept me very busy! I love the ability to create both pieced blocks and applique pieces. For my six port hole blocks, I am hoping to add embroidery as we move along in class. For the 4 side blocks, next to the flying geese, I am still trying to decide what I would like to do.

I found entering my block sizes and “playing in a sandbox” the best way to work on ideas. For my sand dollars and starfish I played with some of the ‘effects’, ‘object tools’, and ‘property tools’. I have not used a graphic software prerviously and found this software to be intuitive. The trickiest part is trying to keep all the blocks aligned so the quilt will be square. This one still needs some tweaking but I am happy with my first attempt.