It’s a festive time of year, maybe you are feeling inspired by pretty candle-lit stained glass windows and imagining how to design them as quilts?

Did you know there are 88 stained glass blocks already in EQ8?

  1. On the home screen click Design a Quilt from Scratch
  2. Click NEW QUILT >  Horizontal
  3. Click the LAYOUT tab
  4. Under NUMBER OF BLOCKS enter…
    Horizontal: 4
    Vertical: 4
  5. Under FINISHED SIZE OF BLOCKS enter…
    Width: 12
    Height: 12
  6. Under FINISHED SIZE OF SASHING enter…
    Width: .5
    Height: .5
  7. Click the DESIGN tab
  8. Click Block Tools
  9. Click Open Library
  10. Click the plus sign + next to 03 Foundation Pieced and scroll down to Stained Glass Grids
  11. Click Select all Blocks
  12. Click Add to Sketchbook
  13. Click Close
  14. Click Set Block and click to place whichever blocks you would like in the quilt.
  15. Click the Fabric Tools
  16. Click Swap Color
  17. Click on the black swatch and click on any uncolored patch of the quilt.
  18. If you would like click the Randomize tool
  19. Choose Map to fabrics and click on the quilt.
    All of the solid colors will be switched to the closest fabric in your sketchbook.
    As you can see the sashing size matches the width of the black strip in the blocks.
  20. To check this you can click the PRINT & EXPORT tab
  21. Click on a block and click Rotary Cutting.
  22. Click Preview. Note the size of the black fabric. In this case it is 1 inch.
    Remember in step 6 we entered .5 inches for the sashing but that is the finished size. The rotary cutting directions are include the seam allowance.
  23. Click Close.
  24. Click on the sashing and click Rotary Cutting.
  25. Click Preview. Note the size of the black fabric. In this case it is also 1 inch.
  26. Click Close.

    If the sashing does not match the black fabric strips within the blocks you can either change the size of the block or the size of the sashing to make it the same.
  27. Click Add to Project Sketchbook.    If you haven’t named your project yet, EQ8 will prompt you to do so. (To be saved, your item needs to be in the Sketchbook AND your project needs to be named. Here is more information.)


    An easy way to add a frame to a block is with the Serendipity tool.

  28. Click Block Worktable
  29. Click Block > Serendipity > Frame Block…
  30. Choose a frame from the left.
  31. Choose a block from the right.
  32. Click Add to Sketchbook to save a block.
  33. Click Close when you are done.
    You can color these blocks and use them in quilts just like any other block.


    Next, let’s make an existing block into a stained glass style block.

  34. Click Quilt Worktable > DESIGN tab > Block Tools
  35. Click Open Library 
  36. Under 01 Classic Pieced > Antique Mosaic click on Mosaic, No. 3 (2) as shown and click Edit to Block Worktable All blocks that are included in EQ8 will open to the Block Worktable with the settings they were originally drawn with. So, the size of the block and snap setting should already be set to something that works well for the block. In this case a 6 x 6 block with 24 x 24 snaps.
  37. Make sure Snap to grid points on worktable and Snap to nodes of drawing are on.
  38. Click the Line tool and draw four lines as shown. The new lines should snap to the snap point one away from the original lines.
  39. Draw four more lines as shown.
  40. Click Add to Sketchbook which will add nodes to all the places the lines intersect.
  41. Click the Pick tool and delete the lines as shown.

  42. You may need to zoom in to see the lines more clearly.
  43. Click the COLOR tab > Fabric Tools and recolor as desired.
  44. Click Add to Sketchbook
  45. Click Quilt Worktable > Block Tools > Set Block and place the blocks as you like. The example is using a On-Point layout.
  46. Click the Fabric Tools > Paintbrush and recolor as desired.
  47. Click Add to Sketchbook when you are finished.

    The previous examples deal with the black stained glass lines as part of the pieced quilt. If you want to applique bias tape onto the quilt to create the stained glass look you would want to use a plain block on Layer 2 and use the Adjust Tool to move and resize the block.

    If you want to post images of the blocks you’ve designed from this lesson, here is how to export the images.

    To post your image click to comment on this post. Fill in your info and then click Browse.Go to: Documents\My EQ8\Images

    I can’t wait to see what you’ve done! I hope you enjoyed the lesson! If you have questions about the lesson feel free to post them below. If you have questions about something else EQ related, please contact techsupport@electricquilt.com. If you have suggestions for new Design & Discover lessons feel free to comment below or email Heidi@electricquilt.com