EQ8 teacher | Lori Miller Designs

Hello Quilty friends. I am excited to share that I am back this year teaching EQ8 classes. EQ8 is Quilt design software that allows you to design beautiful quilts and quilt blocks.

I use EQ8 myself to design all of my quilts. It is the leading quilt design software in the world. As a full-featured software, it lets you see your quilt on the screen before you even cut a piece of fabric. You can swap and rotate blocks, add borders, and play with different colorways and fabrics.

EQ8 is perfect for beginner or professional quilters with computer skills of all levels and is available for PC and Mac.

If you have your software, but have not cracked it open or just need an in person class to pick up those skills, these classes are for you! I specialize in my beginner class that will help you navigate the software and build confidence to design on your own. I hope you can join me.

Over the next 3 months, I have a full array of classes at the following shows and dates. Full descriptions of the classes follow below.

AQS Daytona 2025
Ocean Center, Daytona Beach, FL
February 19 – 22

Feb 19 – EQ8 Getting Started
Feb 20 – EQ8 I want to Learn more
Feb 21 AM – EQ8 Fabulous Framing (sashing and borders)
Feb 21 PM – EQ8 Fun with Fabrics
Feb 22 – EQ8 KickStart Mini Beginner

EQ Academy 2025
Perrysburg, OH
March 27 – 29

March 27-28 Getting Started with EQ8
March 29 AM Adding Fabrics and Photos to EQ8
March 29 PM Design with EQ8 and AccuQuilt GO!

AQS Paducah 2025
Schroeder Expo Center, Paducah, KY
April 23 – 26

April 23 EQ8 Start at the Beginning
April 24 EQ8 I want to Learn More
April 25 EQ8 Fabulous Framing (Borders and Sashing)
April 25 Design with EQ8 and AccuQuilt GO!
April 26 EQ8 KickStart Mini Beginner

Class Descriptions

EQ8 Start at the Beginning

Build your EQ confidence! Tour the workspace and begin designing a variety of beautiful quilt styles. Search the EQ8 libraries for the perfect block or fabric to turn your quilt designs into reality. You can even add fabrics from your own stash. Learn how to print yardage estimates, rotary cutting charts, and more. Nicely paced and encouraging workshop for those who want to understand and practice the basics. Windows and Mac users welcome

EQ8 I want to Learn More

Take the next step learning EQ8. Learn to draw or edit your own blocks to place in your quilt creations. Explore appliqué and stencils to better understand the three layers of the quilt in EQ8. Take a deep dive into borders and Auto Borders. Create personal libraries, use text and photos, and explore free-form quilt settings. By the end of the workshop, you will have the confidence to design your own beautiful blocks and quilts. Windows and Mac users welcome.

Design with EQ8 and AccuQuilt GO!

In this class, we will combine the power of EQ8 quilt design with the ease of fabric die cutting. The AccuQuilt GO! Qube system is made up of building blocks in a four-patch design grid that make up some of the most common blocks already available in Electric Quilt. Use those blocks to design beautiful quilts, try colors and fabrics and then when you are ready, use your AccuQuilt GO! Cutter to cut your fabric. The new AccuQuilt add-ons are not required for this class. The concepts covered in class will make working with EQ8 and AccuQuilt easier, with or without the add-on products.

Please note: This class will focus on the EQ8 design process for compatible blocks and quilts. No die cutters will be used.

EQ8 Fun with Fabrics

This half-day class will show you how simple it is to add your own fabrics and panels to EQ8. Learn how to import fabrics, straighten, scale, crop, and add the fabrics to your Favorites library! Discover the differences between fabrics and panels and how to edit them for your design.

Using photos in your quilt is very similar to how you would use fabrics. Learn the difference between photos and fabrics, import photos for use in a photo quilt, and discover new ways to use photos that you may not have even imagined.

EQ8 Fabulous Framing (Borders and Sashing

Are your borders simply boring? Do you just slap on strips of fabric to add length and width to your quilt? Is your sashing simple? Take your borders from blah to beautiful and your sashing from sad to stunning with the built-in tools in EQ8. This fun workshop explores a variety of borders and border styles from pieced, Flying Geese, appliqué, checkerboard, and more. Use borders to jazz up a panel or medallion quilt. Discover creative sashing with pieced blocks and clever design ideas. Your quilts are limited only by your imagination. NOTE: This workshop moves at a faster pace than beginner EQ8 workshops. PC and Mac Users welcome.

EQ8 KickStart Mini Beginner

Are you brand new to EQ8? This is the perfect workshop to get to know your exciting new quilt design software. This workshop will go over the basics for beginner EQ8 users needing an overview of the EQ experience. Take an in-depth tour through the software to get a better understanding of the three worktables, the Project Sketchbook, and how to navigate the entire workspace. We will start designing quilts right away using EQ8 as your virtual design wall. Study the many pattern-printing options available and learn how to find yardage estimates. The best way to learn is by doing! This workshop is nicely paced for beginners. Windows and Mac users welcome. Please note, this workshop is designed for brand new EQ8 users and is focused on EQ8 basics. If you have taken the full day beginner workshop, this workshop covers similar topics.

I am looking forward to seeing you in class!

A wonderful thing happened about five years ago. I discovered a fabulous software program that has changed my life and took me in surprising and fun directions. Electric Quilt was a computer software program to design quilts. It was perfect.

Me at age 11

Let’s take a step back. I decided to retire early in 2012 and do something with all my creative energy. I had been a sewist since age 11 and had sewn clothing, home decor, halloween costumes and most recently quilts and small quilty gifts. I was designing with pencil and graph paper. I wanted to design more quilts and had an idea to submit to quilt magazines. I needed something more efficient. I found Electric Quilt 7 quilt design software.

I bought the software, I tried to use it, it was a comprehensive program. I was squeaking out a few things when I discovered what turned out to be the first EQ Academy in Ohio. I lived in Michigan, not a bad drive from where I lived so I invested in myself and attended classes. So truth be told, it was a perfect match. I started my career as a computer programmer and ended up as a Director of Information Technology in the Automotive industry. Mixing my technical background with my love for quilting made Electric Quilt the perfect choice.

I was off and running after those first classes, I was designing my own original patterns. I made beautiful quilts for friends and family. I submitted designs from EQ8 to magazines with success and started my own independent pattern business.

I loved it so much, I started to teach the software to others. I started out teaching my husband, he is so supportive and was my first student. I began to teach at a local quilt shop and to teach at local quilt events.

I had a wonderful opportunity come up a few years ago to teach for Electric Quilt at one of their EQ Academies. I really enjoyed it. I especially enjoy teaching beginners, it is so rewarding to see the light bulbs come on and to have them get excited about designing that perfect quilt they have been thinking about.

It is rewarding to help others be able to design and be creative using this unique, comprehensive software.

I continue to build my knowledge and teach others. This year I will be teaching a lot of new users, maybe you will be one of my students and learn the joys of designing in EQ8.

Here is my current EQ8 2020 Teaching Schedule:

Postponed to a future date March 26-28 Decorative Stitch Quilt Shop, Shelby Township, MI

CANCELLED See you in the Fall April 2-5 Sprng EQ Academy, Perrysburg, OH

Sep 17-19 Decorative Stitch Quilt Shop, Shelby Township, MI

Oct 1-3 Fall EQ Academy, Perrysburg, OH

I hope you can join me for one of those dates. Invest in yourself and take a class, you will learn so much.

I also travel to teach at shows, guilds and shops. Check out my Classes page for my current offerings.

Happy Designing!