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Design & Discover

Design & Discover – Copying Elements of Blocks

Posted 03-01-2022 by | Posted in: Design & Discover

This month we’ll be copying and pasting elements from one block to another. Most of the examples show part of a block being copied to another existing block but elements of blocks can also be copied to new blocks. There are six different types of blocks in EQ8. The type of block you are working with determines whether or not you can copy the elements and if so, how to do it. You will see what type of block it is listed above the Drawing Tools or at the bottom-right corner of the worktable. In the example below you can see that it is currently an EasyDraw block. Click Block > New Block to see all six of the different types of blocks to choose from. Click Block Worktable Pieced Blocks EasyDraw is the easiest and fastest way to draw a pieced block. You just drag the mouse to draw

Design & Discover – Labels with an Image of your Quilt

Posted 02-01-2022 by | Posted in: Design & Discover

For this lesson we’ll be using one of the free monthly projects to start with. Download Various Valentine’s HERE. You can find more label ideas here. Open the project and click Edit. If you would like, click the DESIGN tab > Fabric Tools > Paintbrush and recolor. You may want to add more fabrics. Click the Layer 2 tab at the bottom of the screen Click Text Tools Click Set Text When you click on the Set Text tool the first time, EQ8 will read through the list of TrueType fonts (typefaces) on your computer and load those fonts into the palette. The first time this happens you may experience a bit of a delay as EQ8 reads the fonts, depending on the number of fonts installed on your computer. The last fabric used will be the text color, so you may not see it if you’re typing on a

Design & Discover – Quick Changes

Posted 01-01-2022 by | Posted in: Design & Discover

This month we’ll be learning some options for making quick changes to quilts that may inspire new designs. Open EQ8 and click Design a quilt from scratch Click the LAYOUT tab Click Horizontal Under NUMBER OF BLOCKS enter Horizontal: 6 Vertical: 6 Click the DESIGN tab Click Block Tools Click Open Library Under 01 Classic Pieced click Classics Click the first block, Log Cabin Click Add to Sketchbook Click Close Click the Set Block tool Click on the Log Cabin block Hold down the ctrl/cmd key on your keyboard and click on a space on the quilt. Click the Symmetry tool Click on the quilt to see 16 different layouts! Click Add to Project Sketchbook  for any of the layouts you’d like to save. 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

Design & Discover – Stained Glass Blocks and Quilts

Posted 12-01-2021 by | Posted in: Design & Discover

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? On the home screen click Design a Quilt from Scratch Click NEW QUILT >  Horizontal Click the LAYOUT tab Under NUMBER OF BLOCKS enter… Horizontal: 4 Vertical: 4 Under FINISHED SIZE OF BLOCKS enter… Width: 12 Height: 12 Under FINISHED SIZE OF SASHING enter… Width: .5 Height: .5 Click the DESIGN tab Click Block Tools Click Open Library Click the plus sign + next to 03 Foundation Pieced and scroll down to Stained Glass Grids Click Select all Blocks Click Add to Sketchbook Click Close Click Set Block and click to place whichever blocks you would like in the quilt. Click the Fabric Tools Click Swap Color Click on the black swatch and click on any

Design & Discover – Designing for Pre-Cuts

Posted 11-01-2021 by | Posted in: Design & Discover

In this lesson we’ll learn about planning block sizes for pre-cuts including Jelly Rolls, Mini Charm Packs, and Charm Packs. precuts pre-cut precut In EQ8, you are always working with finished sizes. When planning your patch/block sizes in EQ8, subtract ½” from the pre-cut size to account for seam allowance. For example, if you want to make a strip quilt using a Jelly Roll (2.5” x 44”), set your strip size to 2” x 43.5”. Here is a lesson about Strip Quilts in general, but let’s make one specifically for pre-cuts. Click Design a quilt from scratch You should be on the NEW QUILT tab, so click Vertical Strip. Click the LAYOUT tab Under STRIP STYLE AND SIZE enter… Width: 2 Length 43.5 Click on the remaining strips and change each width to 2 inches. Check the box for Clone the selected strip and click on a strip to select it

Design & Discover – EasyDraw

Posted 10-01-2021 by | Posted in: Design & Discover

You may think you know EasyDraw but this month we’re going to talk about some tricks that you may not be aware of! First, the main rule of EasyDraw is that all the lines must touch each other or the edges of the block. In the first block the lines do not touch the edges. In the second block lines are added. In EasyDraw think of your lines as pieced seams. You couldn’t piece the first block, so you can’t draw it that way in EasyDraw either! For our first block we’ll draw a Mariner’s Compass block.  Let’s start with a circle. Click Block Worktable Click NEW BLOCK > Pieced > EasyDraw On the Graph Pad make your block Width and Height: 10 x 10 Make your Snaps Horizontal and Snaps Vertical: 50 x 50 Under Snapping Options turn Snap to Grid Points on Worktable ON Click the Arc tool

Design & Discover – Using Layer 2 to Design Quilts

Posted 09-01-2021 by | Posted in: Design & Discover

When you think of Layer 2 you may think of using it for applique and motifs, which is correct. However, you can use Layer 2 for elements of your quilt design as well. For example, to design a quilt with a block on-point in the center with blocks around the center. Click Design a quilt from scratch Click On Point Click the DESIGN tab Click Block Tools > Set Block Click on Layer 2 Click on a block and drag in onto the quilt. Click the Adjust tool. Place a check mark next to Preserve aspect ratio while resizing Type in the new size for your block (in the example it is 18 x 18) Enter the Block Rotation degree: 45 Click Center Vertically Click Center Horizontally Click on Layer 1 and place the rest of your blocks as desired. Click on the Fabric Tools and recolor any way you

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