Using Adobe Illustrator to plan out quilts

I've been using Adobe Illustrator for several years, having first learned how when I was in graduate school. Then, I was building figures for manuscripts and creating meeting posters. Then I bought a Silhouette machine and used it to design stencils. I've been dabbling with quilting for a while so it's only natural that I eventually started playing around with quilt designs in Illustrator. One of the coolest features is being able to create fabric swatches using screenshots of fabric from the internet.

Here's one, using a Tiny Tiles Aqua from Cotton + Steel. One thing that I discovered is that without the fabric in front of you, it can be hard to make sure that patterned fabrics appear the correct size. It took some trial and error, and make sure you take your screenshot from a website that includes a ruler in the image.

This is a 45 x 59 in. quilt, including binding. Certainly a weird size, but would likely work as a kid's throw blanket. I definitely need some more practice, but it's fun to play with color combinations!

I'm a sucker for a good mustard yellow.

You can also play around with just building a single block. I love this one, but it would likely need to be bigger than initially designed since the center square only ends up being 0.5 x 0.5 in and the border of the log cabin piece is even narrower. Might work for foundation paper piecing though. Hmmm....

Paper piecing blocks are super easy to make too. I wish my sewing machine wasn't already packed up or I'd give this a try. Here's the little 4 inch center of the above block. Should be a 4.5 in square with the seam allowances. Let me know what you think!

Download here. Or a slightly larger block (7 1/8 in square)

So pretty in Cotton + Steel Sprinkle Peaches!!

EDIT: I realize that posting a pattern for others to use without trying it yourself is a terrible idea. I didn't expect any issues, but just to be safe, I threw together a quick block using some scraps. I think it'll make a great potholder or trivet.

Fat Quarter Shop castle pillow cover

I saw this adorable pillow cover on Pinterest a week or two ago and I knew I needed to give it a try. I'm still very much a beginner quilter, so I thought it would be a good practice project. I went with the pink/purple colors used in the blog, but there is a good example of using patterned fabrics from She Quilts A Lot.

I pre-washed the fabrics but still had a moment of panic after I washed it, thinking the pink had bled. It may have been my imagination; after a second wash it looks perfect! I will be more careful next time to trim any pink threads that might be visible under the white fabric. This is with a 16 inch pillow form inside- I think it needs something a little bigger so I'll try an 18 inch one once I get to Joann's.

EDIT: 18 in pillow form was a much better choice. It fits perfectly!

You can find the link to download the pattern here and a brief Youtube video tutorial. Love free patterns!!

Other recent projects (please forgive the poor photos!):

Pin cushion caddy

Doll quilt