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Getting Started

Print off these instructions from your internet browser by clicking FILE > Print. Follow each step of this lesson to begin making your “EQuinox” Mystery Quilt.

Colored blockOpen the EQuinox.PJ5 or .PJ6 File

  1. Open EQ6 (EQ5).
  2. Click the Open an Existing Project tab (it appears immediately when you open EQ6 or EQ5).
    Or
    On the menu bar, click FILE > Open.
  3. Click on EQuinox.PJ6 (or EQuinox.PJ5 in EQ5).
  4. Click OK. The Sketchbook opens.

Edit the Quilt Layout

  1. Click the Quilts section to find your mystery quilt layout.
  2. Click the Edit button. Your quilt appears on the Quilt worktable.

border paletteCreate Border One

  1. Click the Borders tab.
  2. Under Select a border style, click the down arrow to display choices.
  3. Click Blocks.
  4. In the sizing area, lock your borders so they will all move together by putting a check next to the “All” box.
  5. Drag the slider bar for Left (or click directly on the slider bar) to make the border 2.50 (6.35cm x 6.35cm). Since you have the “All” box checked, all border sides should change at once as you drag, so they are all now 2.50.
  6. Under “Blocks in border,” click the up arrow to put a 4 in each box. Note: The corner blocks are not counted — only the blocks inside the corners. You will actually see 6 blank blocks along each side.

quilt 1

Get a Block from the Library

  1. Click the Layer 1 tab.
  2. On the menu bar, click LIBRARIES > Block Library.
  3. In the EQ Libraries list, click to open “3 Foundation Pieced” (3 Paper Piecing in EQ5).
  4. In the list, click on Geometrics.
  5. In the Geometrics style, click on the 5th block: Diagonal Stripes 2 to select it.
  6. At the bottom of the library window, click the Add to Sketchbook button (click the Copy button in EQ5). TheDiagonal Stripes 2 block disappears as it gets added to your Sketchbook.
  7. Click the Close button to close the library.

library

Name the Block and Erase the Color

  1. Click the View Sketchbook button. The Sketchbook appears.
  2. Click the Blocks section.
  3. Click the Diagonal Stripes block, to select it.
  4. To rename the block, click the Notecard button. The notecard for this block appears. A typing cursor appears just in front of the block name on the notecard.
  5. Use your keyboard Backspace or Delete key to erase the old block name, so the Name line of the notecard is empty.
  6. Type the name: Rays.
  7. Click the close (X) button at the notecard’s top-right.  Don’t close the Sketchbook yet.

Did you know?
All library blocks have 2 colorings.
Coloring 1 of 2 is the grayscale version.
Coloring 2 of 2 is the color version.

An uncolored block has 0 of 0 colorings.

  1. With the colored Rays block showing in the Sketchbook, click the Delete button on the Sketchbook. A message appears, asking, “Delete this coloring. OK?
  2. Click Yes. You have deleted the colored version of your block, revealing the grayscale coloring.
  3. Click the Delete button again. Click Yes again when asked if you want to delete the grayscale coloring. You are left with an uncolored block.
  4. Click the Edit button on the Sketchbook to send this uncolored block to the Block worktable.
  5. Click the Color tab at the bottom of your screen.
  6. Using the Paintbrush tool paintbrush, recolor the block in black and white (from the Solids/Colors tab) as pictured as below:

bandw

  1. Click the Add to Sketchbook button (Save in Sketchbook in EQ5) to save this coloring.

quilt 2Set Blocks into your Border

  1. On the menu bar at the top of your screen, clickWORKTABLE > Work on Quilt.
  2. Click the Set Block tool Set Block (Set tool in EQ5). The Sketchbook Blocks palette (Blocks palette in EQ5) appears.
  3. Click the Rays block you just got from the Library. Let’s set it into your border.
  4. Holding down the CTRL key on your keyboard, click on an empty block space inside the border other than the corner blocks. Blocks inside your border will be filled. Your border corners will remain blank.

quilt 2Rotate Blocks in your Border

  1. Click the Rotate Block tool Rotate Block (Rotate tool in EQ5).
  2. Click slowly on each block the number of times shown in the diagram. Here is how to rotate the blocks:

Notice the zig zag this forms. Following the diagram, rotate the other blocks the number of times indicated in the diagram.

Set and rotate corner blocks

  1. Click the Set Block tool (Set tool in EQ5).
  2. Holding down the CTRL key on your keyboard, click on a corner block in the border. All four corner blocks will fill with the Rays block.
  3. Click the Rotate Block tool (Rotate tool in EQ5). Rotate the corner blocks as follows:
    quilt 4
  • Don’t rotate: top-left corner.
  • Once: bottom-left corner.
  • Twice: bottom-right corner.
  • Three times: top-right corner.
  1. Click the Add to Sketchbook button (Save in Sketchbook in EQ5) to save your quilt.
  2. Click the Paintbrush tool. Color your quilt border. (See tips below)
  3. Click the Add to Sketchbook button (Save in Sketchbook in EQ5) to save your quilt coloring.

EQuinox color and fabric tips

If you are sewing along with us during the lessons, remember EQuinox is a scrap quilt. It uses a large variety of colors and values. The Sun is the quilt’s center block.

The zig zag Rays border surrounds the Sun. Think in terms of sun rays, slightly varying the colors and values in each border strip to reflect seasonal color and light changes:

  • Top Border = Spring
  • Right Border = Winter
  • Bottom Border = Fall
  • Left Border = Summer

To print out a copy of a Rays block, click the Select tool Select tool.
Click on a block in the border to select it.
From the menu bar, choose FILE > Print > Templates or FILE > Print > Foundation Pattern.
Be sure you put a check in “size from quilt”. (It’s on the Options tab for Foundation Patterns.)

If you’d like to strip-piece them sew 1+3/8″ strips together for each of your 4 color patterns. When the blocks are finished, they will measure 2.50″.

You’ll need 4 Spring blocks, 4 Winter blocks, 4 Summer blocks, 4 Fall blocks and 4 unique corners.

colored quilt
  1. On the menu bar, click FILE > Exit.