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Benni Harper Mystery Lesson 7: Seven Sisters

quilt design by Tina Davis

The Seven Sisters quilt pattern, like so many others, was most likely designed from an observation of nature. The Seven Sisters, or Pleiades, is a fairly loose grouping of stars in the constellation Taurus. Although seven stars can be seen with the naked eye, binoculars or telescopes reveal it actually consists of several hundred more. The quilt pattern itself, as single six pointed star surrounded by six identical stars, has been seen as early as 1845. It became popular again during the Depression era, when hand-piecing difficult and challenging patterns was popular. It is also known as Seven Stars, Evening Star, and Seven Stars in a Cluster. An interesting phenomenon of the Seven Sisters star cluster is though they appear to be close together, they are, in fact, quite far apart.

Download the Seven Sisters project

This block is a tricky one to draw, so we'll start by downloading the Seven Sisters project with the block drawn for you. Download the project, if you haven't already, by clicking on the underlined words below. Choose the Save option.

Download the Seven Sisters Project

• A "Save in" box appears. Click on the down arrow beside the "Save in:" box. A list drops down.
• Scroll to find the hard drive where you installed EQ5 (typically C:\). Click on this hard drive name. This puts the hard drive name in the "Save in:" box. You see a list of folders below.
• Double-click on folders and got to the My Documents - My EQ5 - PJ5 folder.
• Click the Save button. Your project will be saved right into the PJ5 folder for EQ5 to find easily.

Open the Seven Sisters Project

1. Open EQ5.
2. Click the Open an Existing Project tab (it appears immediately when you open EQ5).
   OR
   On the FILE menu, choose Open.
3. Find "Benni-Seven" in the Existing Projects list.
4. Click OK.
5. The Sketchbook opens. The Quilts tab shows "No quilts." Click the Blocks tab, displaying a Star block. One of the names this block is known by is Seven Sisters.
6. Click the X to close the Sketchbook.

Make a quilt layout

7. Click WORKTABLE on the main menu bar and choose Work on Quilt.
8. Click QUILT on the main menu bar, point to New Quilt and choose Variable Point. (You could also use On-Point, but we want to show you how Variable Point differs from point. Read on...)
9. Click the Layout tab.
10. Set the number of horizontal and vertical blocks to 1
11. Make the size for the width and height: 8.00.

    Notice that Variable Point can have a different width and height, making a tall skinny diamond or short fat diamond. On-Point diamonds are always squares on-point.

12. Make the sashing width: 1.00
13. Click the Borders tab.
14. The Mitered Style is selected. We'll use that. Size: 1.00 for all sides.

Set the Seven Sisters block into the quilt

15. Click the Layer 1 tab.
16. Click the Set tool. Click on the green colored Seven Sisters block to select it.
17. Click the forward arrow beneath the block, if necessary, to display the block in a coloring.
18. Position your cursor over the center of the on-point square in the middle of your quilt. This Seven Sisters block will set automatically with a click.

Set, resize and locate motif blocks in Layer 2

19. Click the Layer 2 tab.
20. Click the Set tool. Select the Daisy for placing in the quilt.
21. When you move your cursor over any part of the quilt screen, it will no longer be an arrow, but a small dotted cross.
22. To set the Daisy, point toward the center star of your quilt, hold down the left mouse button while dragging the mouse diagonally toward the bottom-right hand corner. A box forms as you drag. Release the mouse button and the block will pop into your quilt. Don't worry about size yet.
23. Now we need to see the Graph Pad. Across the top of your screen you will see File, Edit, View, and many more on the navigation bar. Click once on View, so that the drop down menu displays. Be sure there is a check beside Graph Pad. If it is not checked, move your cursor over the option Graph Pad and click it, to put a check there. The Graph Pad is the small bar that appears at the bottom of the screen, just above the Windows taskbar.
24. Click the Adjust tool (on the right-hand toolbar). This tool is used for Layer 2, to do all resizing and moving of blocks.
25. Click on the Daisy in your quilt. It becomes selected. The Graph Pad lights up.
26. Look at the numbers in the center of the Graph Pad. These show the block size.
27. Click the arrows beside these size numbers to make your Daisy size: 2.00 x 2.00.
28. Look at the numbers at the left of the Graph Pad. These show the block location.
29. Click the arrows beside these location numbers to make the numbers: 7.00 x 7.00. Your Daisy block will move to the bottom-right corner of your quilt.

Set, resize and locate the remaining motif blocks

30. Click the Set tool. Select the Daisy to place in the quilt again.
31. Point at the center of the quilt and drag the mouse toward a different corner to set another Daisy block. Repeat this two more times to set the last two Daisy blocks in the other corners. Again, don't worry about placement or size.
32. Click the Adjust tool.
33. Click on the first Daisy block you drew in the bottom right hand corner. It becomes selected.
34. Hold down your keyboard SHIFT key as you click on the three other Daisy blocks. All will become selected.
35. Click the Same Size button on the Graph Pad. All the Daisy blocks will now be: 2.00 x 2.00.
36. Click away from the blocks, to deselect them.
37. To reposition each of the blocks: Click on a Daisy block. It becomes selected. Then click the location (left) arrows on the Graph Pad. Here are the location numbers for each Daisy:
    • 0.00 x 0.00
    • 0.00 x 7.00
    • 7.00 x 0.00
    • 7.00 x 7.00
    You should now have a Daisy in each corner of your quilt.

Rotate each of the Daisy blocks

38. Click the Rotate tool.
39. Position your cursor over a Daisy. Click on this Daisy until the stem is as close to the corner as you can get it.

    Note: There will be a very tiny space between the end of the stem and the corner because of the way the Daisy is drawn.

40. Rotate each Daisy until the stems are all as close to the corners as you can get them.

Coloring the quilt's background, borders, and sashes

41. Click the Layer 1 tab.
42. Click the Paintbrush tool
43. Color the border, sashes, and triangles behind the daisies as you would like.
44. If you like a color used in the Seven Sisters block, you can use the Spraycan tool to "pick up" these colors into the color palette. To do this click on the Spraycan tool. Position it over the color you like and click. Next, click on the Paintbrush tool. You can now color with the color you just "picked up".

    Note: To "pick up" colors from the Daisy you will need to click on the Layer 2 tab. "Pick up" the color with the Spraycan tool, click back on the Layer 1 tab, and then color with the Paintbrush tool.

Choosing Quilting Stencils from the Block Library

45. Click the Layer 3 tab.
46. At the top navigation bar, click on Libraries and pull it down to Block Library. The Block Libraries window will appear on your screen.
47. If there are no sub-directories showing under "EQ Libraries", double-click on "EQ Libraries" so that they appear.
48. Double click on "7 Quilting Stencils (Layer 3)".
49. Click on "Boxes". Stencils will now appear in the right hand side of the Block Libraries window.
50. Click on the "Copy" button in the bottom right corner, to copy th first stencil.
51. Click on "Close", to close the Block Library window, and you will be returned to your quilt layout.

Adding Quilting Stencils in Layer 3

52. Now to place a stencil on your quilt, click on the Set tool.
53. Click on the first stencil in the Sketchbook Blocks palette.
54. Position your cursor near the top left corner of your quilt and drag toward the bottom right hand corner. A box forms as you drag. Release the mouse button and the stencil will pop into your quilt. Don't worry about size yet.
55. Click on the Adjust Tool.
56. Click on the stencil in your quilt. It will become highlighted. Make the size (middle set of numbers): 11.00 x 11.00
57. To move the stencil to the correct position, click on the arrows to the right of the first set of numbers, until the position is: -1.00 x -1.00.

    Note: This is what a quilting stencil would look like if it were placed over the entire quilt. But now to spice it up, let's do something new. Read on...

Placing Blocks as Quilting Stencils in Layer 3

58. Change the stencil size to 9.00 x 9.00.
59. Change the location to 0.00 x 0.00.
60. Click on the Set tool.
61. Click on the Daisy block, to highlight it.
62. Position your cursor over the top section of the Mitered border. Drag out a Daisy on the border just as before. A box forms as you drag. Release the mouse button and the block will appear on your quilt border. Don't worry about size yet.

    Note: Layer 3 is used for Quilting Stencils. Notice how the Daisy appears as line drawing and not a coloring of an applique. You have just used a block from the Block Library as a stencil, you know what that means? You can use all the blocks in the Block Library as quilting stencils, and not just blocks. Imagine the possibilities.

63. Click on the Adjust Tool.
64. Click on the Daisy in your border, so it becomes highlighted.
65. Make the size 3.00 x 1.00 and position it at 0.00 x -1.00 by clicking on the arrow buttons to the right of the numbers. This Daisy now takes up a third of the top of the border.
66. We want 3 Daisies across, so click on the Set tool.
67. Now drag out 2 more Daisies in the top of the border, as well as 3 Daisies on each of the remaining sides. Don't worry about size yet.

    Note: If the box appears as you drag, but no Daisy pops up, have no fear; you aren't dragging the boxes large enough.

Rotating and Resizing Stencil Blocks in the Border

68. Click on the Rotate tool.
69. Position your cursor over a Daisy and click it until the stem is facing the center of the quilt.
70. Repeat this for each Daisy in the border.
71. Click on the Adjust tool.
72. Click on the first Daisy we placed on the left side of the top border. (Daisy "A" in the picture of Step 81.)
73. Hold down your keyboard SHIFT key as you click on the other two Daisy stencils in that section and the three other Daisy blocks in the bottom section of the border. All the stencils in the top row and the bottom row will become selected.
74. Click the Same Size button on the Graph Pad. These Daisy blocks will now be: 3.00 x 1.00. Click away from the Daisie to deselect them.

    Note: The key to using the Size Buttons or Align Buttons on the Graph Pad is to always select the one that is the correct size or aligned correctly first. Then use the SHIFT key to select the other ones afterwards. Otherwise, you will mess up the size or alignment of the one that you corrected.

75. Now click on the top Daisy in the left border section. (Daisy "G" in the picture of Step 81.)
76. Make it's size 1.00 x 3.00 and location -1.00 x 0.00 by using the arrow buttons.
77. Hold down your keyboard SHIFT key as you click on the other two Daisy stencils in that section and the three other Daisy blocks in the right section of the border. All the stencils in the left column and the right column will become selected.
78. Click the Same Size button on the Graph Pad. These Daisy blocks will now be: 1.00 x 3.00. Click away from the Daisies to deselect them.

Locating Stencil Blocks in the Border

79. We will now move the Daisies to where they need to go. In the top section, the Daisies should be at:
    • 0.00 x -1.00
    • 3.00 x -1.00
    • 6.00 x -1.00
80. To move them there click on the Daisy and change it's location by using the arrow buttons to the right of the numbers or by double clicking on the numbers so they turn blue and typing in the new number on your keyboard
81. Change the Daisy locations in the left column border in the same manner as in Step 79 to:
    • -1.00 x 0.00
    • -1.00 x 3.00
    • -1.00 x 6.00
82. Now for the trick to save yourself the time of moving the Daisies in the other two sides of the border... Take a look at the picture below:
    • Click on Daisy "A", hold down SHIFT, and click on Daisy "B". Then click on the Align Left button. Click away from the selected Daisies, to deselect them. Repeat this for C & D, and E & F.
    • Now for the pair G & H, do the exact same thing, but use the Align Tops button instead. Repeat this for the pairs I & J, K & L.
83. Next, the Daisies BDF, and HJL may not be lined up with respect to each other so here's how to fix that: Click on Daisy "B", and make its location: 0.00 x 9.00
84. Hold down your SHIFT key, and click on Daisies "D" and "F", so all three are highlighted, and click on the Align Tops button.
85. Now click on Daisy "H", and make its location: 9.00 x 0.00.
86. Hold down your SHIFT key, click on Daisies "J" and "L", so all three are highlighted, and click on the Align Lefts button.

Change the Color of the stencils

87. Click on the Thread Color tool on the right hand side, and choose a dark grey color from the color palette.
88. Click on each of the Daisies and the stencil in the center of the quilt. This will change their color.
89. Click the Layer 1 tab.
90. Click the Paintbrush tool.
91. Color the border, sashes, and triangles behind the daisies as you would like.
92. If you like a color used in the Seven Sisters block, you can use the Spraycan tool to "pick up" these colors into the color palette. To do this click on the Spraycan tool. Position it over the color you like and click. Next, click on the Paintbrush tool. You can now color with the color you just "picked up".

    Note: To "pick up" colors from the Daisy you will need to click on the Layer 2 tab. "Pick up" the color with the Spraycan tool, click back on the Layer 1 tab, and then color.

93. When you're happy with your coloring, click the Save in Sketchbook button.
94. Click the Save button.
95. Your Seven Sisters quilt is now complete, and saved on the hard drive.

Print the blocks (optional)

96. To print templates for the blocks, be on Layer 1; for the flowers, on Layer 2; and for the stencils on Layer 3. Click the Layer tab of the layer you want, and then click the Select tool. Click on the item you want the template for on the quilt.
97. Click FILE - Print - Templates. Click the Size from quilt box. Click Print.

Seven Sisters, designed by Tina Davis. Tina played with applique motifs and a variation on the Seven Sisters block in this quilt.

to be continued with another Benni Harper mystery quilt