Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Quilting With Inkscape


Today I published the first of a series of videos on Quilting with Inkscape.  Inkscape is a very powerful and FREE drawing program that you can download here.  With Inkscape you can design your quilts, make patterns and templates and with the help of a cutter like the Silhouette Cameo, you can even cut your fabric pieces.

The series is going to show you how easy it is to do all of those things with Inkscape so you can use the money you would have spent on those things to buy more fabric!  The first video shows you how to make a quilting grid with lines and angles that you can print onto a transparency.  By the end of the 9 minute video you will have the skills you need to start exploring Inkscape on your own.  Nevertheless, I plan on having videos on:

  •  making quilting templates and rulers, 
  •  designing quilts, 
  •  making patterns,
  •  designing pieces that you can cut fabric with the Cameo without any fusible web or interfacing, 
  • and how to make and cut paper for English Paper Piecing.  


Installing Inkscape on Windows and Linux is easy.  Mac users will need to make sure your computer is able to download apps from the web.  To enable that feature go to System Preferences-> Security and Privacy-> General and click on "Allow apps downloaded from... Anywhere".  If it is greyed out, click on the lock at the bottom left side of the page.  You will then have to put in your login password.  You can always set it back again after you have installed Inkscape.

Here is the first video, if this gets you interested, please subscribe to my channel.  You can download the finished project by clicking one of the links on the bottom of the page.




Quilting with Inkscape Making a Quilting Grid













3 comments :

Hobbygirl Dolls said...

Thanks for creating these lessons. They are so needed.

pigtailpat said...

Nancy - I am THRILLED that you are doing tutorials about quilting and inkscape. This is NEEDED. I am particularly anxious to learn about making templates and how to design channel cuts, so that the negatives are retained in the media for true templates (I use a plotter too).. Additionally, if you can do it, how to scan cuts made from rotary cutters (a la sizzix big shot or the accuquilt machines), and then how to take those .jpegs (after converting to .svg of course) to use in designing quilts on the grid in inkscape. I would love to be able to do this, but the big guys (EQ and quilt-pro) refuse to add .svg import support, so the only option is inkscape. Please keep up the fantastic work!!!! I will put out the word as much as I can of what you are doing.

GeekyNancy said...

Thanks for your support!! I have been doing other stuff but I really do intend to get back to doing the tutorials. Right now I am working on a program to make actual fabrics as pattern fills. You can do that now by hand but I am automating it. I am also setting up a Quilting With Inkscape website, so I have been busy. Your encouragement will push me to get back to doing the tutorials. I love your ideas.