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“How do I make pieced sashes?” is a common EQ question. The super-easy lesson below resulted from a specific tech support query about making sashes forming Ohio Stars. Even if you want a different sash look this lesson will teach you two points applying to any sash block:

Point #1) You can set any pieced block into a sash space. The block will stretch to fill the space. In many cases this will not give you the desired look. But experiment with Rail Fence to make a striped sash (and rotating), and you’ll see possibilities.
Point #2) You can draw your own sash blocks, as we’ll see in the following example:

STEADY? READY? GO!

  1. Open EQ7.
  2. On the Create a new project tab, name your project Ohio Star Sashes.
  3. Click OK. Now that you’re working in a named project, each time you click Add to Sketchbook whatever you add is automatically saved to your hard drive.

SET UP YOUR QUILT

  1. Click WORKTABLE > Work on Quilt.
  2. Click QUILT > New Quilt > Horizontal.
  3. Click the Layout tab at the bottom of your screen.
  4. Input the following settings:
    Number of blocks
    Horizontal: 3
    Vertical: 3

    Finished size of blocks
    Check Keep width and height equal
    Width: 12.00
    Height: 12.00

    Finished size of sashing
    Check Include sash border
    Check Keep width and height equal
    Width: 6.00
    Height: 6.00

    TIP: You can choose whatever block size and number of blocks you want. The IMPORTANT part (only important for this particular Ohio Star sash) is making the sashing size 1/2 of your block size.
    For example: if you chose 9″ for block size, make the sashing 4.5″. (For other sash settings you could choose any sash width you’d like.)

DRAW THE SASH BLOCK

  1. Click WORKTABLE > Work on Block.
  2. Click BLOCK > New Block > EasyDraw Block.
  3. Click VIEW > make sure you have a check mark next to Precision Bar.
  4. On the Precision Bar, input these settings:


    Block Width: 12.00
    Block Height: 6.00
    Snaps Horizontal: 12
    Snaps Vertical: 6
    Graph Paper Cells: ON (pressed down)
    Horizontal: 2
    Vertical: 2


    Snapping Options:
    Snap to grid: ON
    Snap to node: ON
    Snap to line: OFF

  5. The Line tool will automatically be selected. Following the picture below, draw a vertical line down the block at the 6″ mark, dividing the block into 2 squares.
  6. Next draw x’s in each square, as shown.
  7. Click the Color tab at the bottom of the screen.
  8. Color the block as you’d like, using any two colors, as shown.
  1. Click Add to Sketchbook.

SET THE BLOCK INTO SASH STRIPS

  1. Click WORKTABLE > Work on Quilt.
  2. Click the Layer 1 tab.
  3. Click the Set Block tool .
  4. Hold down your keyboard CTRL key as you click on any horizontal sash space in your quilt. All horizontal sash spaces will fill, and the block will look fine.
  5. Now CTRL+click on any vertical sash space. These blocks will look odd, because they need rotating.
  6. Click the Rotate Block tool .
  7. CTRL+click on any vertical sash in your quilt. All vertical blocks will rotate at once.
  8. Click the Paintbrush tool . If you don’t know what color you used in your quilt, use the Eyedropper tool to find the color for you. This Ohio Star sash setting makes a good setting for a plain block, for photos, or embroidered blocks. You can recolor each Ohio Star to emphasize the different stars, as shown.