Welcome to the Block 1 post for the EQ7 Summer Drawing Series! We’ll start each month with a drawing lesson that focuses on one of the drawing styles available on the Block Worktable. Then, at the end of the month, we’ll have a link up post where everyone can show off a photo of their sewn block. That’s right, we’re not just drawing in this series, we’re SEWING too!

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Block 1 is drawn on the EasyDraw Block Worktable. EasyDraw is the simplest way to draw a pieced block in EQ7. You can draw straight lines and curved arcs in EasyDraw. The one rule you have to follow when drawing in EasyDraw is to make sure that your lines and arcs touch one another OR the block outline.

If you’d like to read more information about the basics of EasyDraw, I highly recommend checking out the EQ Lesson titled EasyDraw Blocks: Lesson 2: Understanding the EasyDraw™ Basics. You can find the EQ Lessons by clicking HELP on the main menu bar of EQ7 and choosing EQ Lessons (PDFs).

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Let’s get started with our block!
(Want an easy-to-print version of this lesson? Click here to download the Block 1 Lesson PDF file.)

  1. Open EQ7.
  2. On the Create a new project tab in the Project Helper window, type “EQ7 Summer Drawing Sew Along”. Click OK.
    We’ll keep all of our sew along blocks in the same project file, so each month we’ll open this project before drawing a new block.
  3. Click the Work on Block tool . You are now looking at the Block Worktable.
  4. Click Block > New Block > EasyDraw Block.
  5. Make sure your Precision Bar is visible by clicking VIEW and then looking for the checkmark next to Precision Bar. If there isn’t, click to put a checkmark there.
  6. Now we’ll set up the Precision Bar to make drawing easier. Input the following settings:
    Block Width and Height: 12
    Snaps Horizontal and Vertical: 48
    Graph Paper Cells: ON
    Graph Paper Horizontal and Vertical: 2
    Snapping Options: Snap to Grid ON, Snap to Nodes ON, Snap to Drawing OFF
    Proper snap settings are the key to drawing pieced blocks. These settings give us snap points every ¼”.

  1. Click the Line tool . When drawing in EasyDraw, click at the starting point of the line and hold down the mouse button as you drag your mouse to the end point of the line and then release the button.
  2. Draw a vertical line at the 4.5” mark by placing your cursor at the top outline of the block at the 4.5” mark. Click, hold, and drag your cursor to the bottom of the block, keeping the line as straight as possible. Release the mouse and the line will snap into place.
  3. In the same manner, draw a vertical line at the 7.5” mark.
  4. Draw two horizontal lines at the 4.5” and 7.5” marks.
  5. Click the Grid tool .
  6. Click the small red box on Grid tool to make the Grid Setup box appear. In the Grid Setup box, set the Columns and Rows to 3.
  7. We’re going to draw 3×3 grids in the four corners of the block. Starting at the top-left corner of the block, click, hold, and drag your cursor to the first intersection of the vertical and horizontal lines.
  8. Repeat for the other 3 corners.
  9. Click Add to Sketchbook . Not only does this save our in-progress block, but it also creates nodes where all those grid lines cross. We’ll use these nodes for the next lines we draw. (If you don’t see these new nodes, click the Refresh tool  to redraw your screen.)
  10. Click the Line tool .
  11. We are going to create half-square triangles in the grid squares that touch the outline of the block. In the upper-left corner, draw diagonal lines as shown below:
  12. Now draw these diagonal lines in the other three corners.
  13. Click the Pick tool . We’re now going to delete some lines to create larger squares in the four corners.
  14. Click on one of the lines of the inner “four patch” in the top left corner of the block, to select it.
  15. Press the DELETE key on your keyboard and the line will disappear.
  16. Repeat for the other three lines.
  17. Now delete those four lines in the other corners.
  18. The drawing is complete! Click Add to Sketchbook .
  19. Click the Color tab at the bottom of the screen.
  20. Use the Paintbrush tool  to color your block. You can use fabrics or solid colors. Color the block however you like—get creative!
  21. Click Add to Sketchbook .
  22. Click View Sketchbook . Click the Blocks section on the left and click the last, colored block to select it.
  23. Click the Notecard button. Your cursor should be blinking on the first line of the notecard next to Name. Type “EQ7 Summer Drawing: Block 1”. If you’d like to add more info to the Notecard, click beneath the word Notes to move your cursor there and type.
    Adding information to a block’s notecard helps to keep us organized, especially if you keep lots of in-progress drawings in your Sketchbook. The name that you type on the notecard will appear on your pattern printouts too!
  24. Click the X in the top right corner of the notecard to close it. Then click Close to close the Sketchbook.
  25. Now we need to print our pattern so that we can get to the best part of the design process—sewing! Click the Print button .
  26. The menu appears with the available printing options for this block. You can choose to print whichever pattern style you prefer to piece this block. For more information on printing, refer to Chapter 10 of the EQ7 User Manual. For this lesson, we’re going to take a closer look at Rotary Cutting, so click on that option.
  27. The Print dialog box appears. Remember that in EQ7 you are working in finished sizes (the final size of your block after all the seams have been sewn). EQ7 adds the seam allowance for you when you print the patterns.
    For this sew along we’ll be drawing all the blocks at 12” and that’s the size I’ll be sewing my blocks too. But you can choose to print and sew your blocks at any size. Type in the finished size for the width and height. Click the Preview button.
  28. Let’s take a closer look at the rotary cutting chart. Here’s the chart for Patch A:

    This means:
    Cut a strip 2-3/8” wide.
    Cut 2-3/8” squares from the strip.
    Cut the squares diagonally to make two triangles.
    You’ll need 20 white triangles and 20 yellow triangles for this block.
  29. You can click Print to print the Rotary Cutting Chart, or Close to return to the Print dialog box (click Close again in the dialog box to return to the Block Worktable).
  30. After you’ve printed your patterns, click Save  to ensure all your work is saved. Now close EQ7 and start sewing!

Come back on May 31 to post a photo of your sewn block!

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Want to see this lesson in action? Watch the video below!

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Would you like a little extra EasyDraw homework? Try out the other EasyDraw lessons available in EQ7 by clicking HELP on the main menu bar and choosing EQ Lessons (PDFs).

And if you’d like even more drawing practice, check out Patti Anderson’s book EQ with Me: Pieced Drawing! You’ll be a block drawing expert in no time!