Are you ready to jump in? I am! This is Block 1 of the Jump Start Sew Along. Today we’re going to set up a basic quilt and print the pattern for our first block.

Let’s get started!
(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 “Jump Start Sew Along”. Click OK. We’ll work in this same project for the entire sew along.
  3. Click the Work on Quilt tool . This is the Quilt Worktable. Take a moment to look around your screen. See the diagram below for the important stuff to know.

    We’ll set up a basic quilt layout. But don’t worry–you don’t have to make this quilt. We’ll talk more about quilt layouts later in the sew along.
  4. On the top menu bar, click QUILT > New Quilt > Horizontal.
  5. Click the Layout tab at the bottom of the screen.
  6. Input these settings:
    Number of blocks, Horizontal and Vertical: 2
    Finished size of blocks:
    Check Keep width and height equal
    Drag slider to 9.00
    About Block Size: You don’t have to make the blocks 9”. This is EQ7 afterall—you can print the patterns any size you like! But to make your life easier, I’ll give you this advice:
    All of the sew along blocks are based on a nine patch grid. Pick a block size that’s a multiple of 3 (3”, 6”, 9”, 12”, etc.) so that you’re working with easy-to-measure numbers.
  7. Click the Layer 1 tab. We’ve got a nice, simple quilt waiting for blocks. Let’s go get some blocks from the Block Library.
  8. On the top menu bar, click LIBRARIES > Block Library.
  9. Under 01 Classic Pieced, scroll down and click Nine Patch.
  10. If you hover your mouse over a block, the name will appear. Find the block named Eccentric Star. Click on it to select it. It will have a blue outline around it.
  11. Click Add to Sketchbook. It will disappear, indicating it has been added to the Sketchbook.
  12. Scroll further to the right until you find the block named Rolling Stone. Click on it and then click Add to Sketchbook.

    Rolling Stone
  13. Scroll some more until you find Greek Cross. Click on it, click Add to Sketchbook.

    Greek Cross
  14. On the left, click the style called Nine Patch Stars.
  15. Find the Twin Star block and Add to Sketchbook.
  16. Click Close.
  17. Now we’re back at the Quilt Worktable. Click the Set Block tool  on the right. The Blocks palette will appear and you’ll see the four blocks we copied from the library.
  18. Click on the Greek Cross block in the palette. It will have a light blue line around it, letting you know it’s the selected block.
  19. Move your cursor over to the top-left block space in the quilt and click to place the block there.
  20. Click Add to Sketchbook  to save our in-progress quilt.Now we’re going to print the pattern for this block. In this lesson I’m going to show you how to print the Rotary Cutting chart. If you’d prefer to piece the block a different way (using Templates or the Foundation Pattern), feel free to use those print styles instead.
  21. On the right toolbar, click the Select tool .
  22. Click on the block in the quilt to select it (it will have a green outline).
  23. Click the Print button  on the top menu bar, and choose Rotary Cutting from the drop-down menu.
  24. The block size that we set in Step 6 (9 inches) will automatically be selected in the Print dialog. If you’d like to make the block a different size, click the circle next to Custom block size and type the new size in the Width and Height boxes above.
  25. Click the Preview button. A preview of the rotary cutting chart will appear on screen.
  26. Let’s take a closer look at how to read the rotary cutting chart. Here’s the chart for Patch A:

    This means:
    Cut a strip of fabric 3-7/8” wide.
    Cut 3-7/8” squares from the strip.
    Cut each square diagonally to make two triangles.
    You will need 4 red triangles and 4 yellow triangles to make one block.
  27. Click the Print button at the top of the screen to print the chart, or click Close if you do not want to print at this time (then click Close again to return to the Quilt Worktable).
  28. Click the Save button  and then FILE > Exit to close EQ7.

We’ve made it through our first block! Now hit the sewing machine and we’ll meet back here on Friday, May 16th to share our blocks.

Note: We didn’t use any of the coloring tools this time, but feel free to get creative in how you use fabrics when you sew the block. Don’t feel like you have to keep the lights, mediums, and darks in the same patches as the block shows. Part of the fun of a sew along is to see how each sewist interprets the same block differently.
We’ll dive into the Fabric Library in the next sew along lesson!

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