Saturday, November 22, 2008

Using the Computer in Quilt Design


This is a quilt I designed on Corel Draw to use the special fabric I dyed that gradates from dark to light and back to dark.
What you are seeing is the computer image.
After I designed it with the computer I had no desire to create it in fabric. The satisfaction I get designing was fulfilled.
Corel Draw and Corel Photo Paint are my graphics programs of choice.

Generally I just play with them and sometimes I come up with something that gives me the spark I need to create a quilt.

I have found if I design a quilt with Draw once I try to translate it into fabric it just doesn't work the same way. Unfortunately most of the things I have done with Draw can't be saved in a format that will allow me to post them here for you to see.
If anyone knows a way around this I'd really appreciate knowing about it.

I like to work directly in fabric. Sometimes I have a general idea what I am trying to achieve and sometimes the fabric just leads me.


I tried to design this quilt with Corel Draw and had what looked good on the computer. I chose fills for each section that resembled the fabrics I was working with. I started by making the Tulip units. When I put them on the design wall in the original configuration it just didn't work at all.
Fortunately I was able to rearrange the units I had already made and add other units to make the quilt work.
It was definitely another good lesson for me.
Another way I use Corel Draw is to create black and wite designs that I then have made into thermofax screens.
The other graphics program I find I enjoy using is Electric Quilt. Again, I use it more for ideas. Once I've seen a diagram of a completed quilt I have no interest in making it.

Since so many of you are enjoying the puzzles I have a version of the first quilt for you to solve as a puzzle.
Click to Mix and Solve
I consider this a relatively easy puzzle.

3 comments:

Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson said...

You and I are so much alike. I guess I like to be surprised by what I am making with "design as you go". I will sometimes draw a rough idea for a quilt on graph paper that I eventually make, but never color it in. If I have already seen it in color, I don't need to make it.

Anonymous said...

It's been a long time since I've used Corel Draw, but you can save the cdr files as an eps, then open that in Photoshop and save as a jpeg. You may also be able to open the eps in Photo Paint, but I'm not positive about that. You can also check and see if Corel will export the cdr file directly as a jpeg...like I said, it's been a long time.

I work as a graphic artist, and since I'm on the computer all day I tend to design my quilts on paper! It's a nice break.

Diana said...

I finished this puzzle in 11:13 and enjoyed it! Diana