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Kaleidoscope Collection by Andrea BishopKaleidoscope Collectors

January - Foundation Fundamentals PART 1

by Andrea Bishop

Welcome to the club! If you have EQ5 or EQ6 and the Kaleidoscope Collection add-on CD installed, you'll be able to follow along. This is the third of twelve Kaleidoscope lessons that will go through October 2009.

So let's start this month's lesson! It's a 2-parter. We're going to draw like crazy.

I want to make sure you all understand how foundation patterns work and why. This will help you immensely when you go to draw your own blocks... no matter if they are kaleidoscopes or not.

This lesson is going to be packed full of drawing tips, so don't worry if some of the harder stuff doesn't make sense at first. With a little practice on your own, you'll see why I documented all the tips.

First, in foundation piecing convex is good, concave is bad. A section can go on forever as long as it stays convex. The moment you hit one of those "whoops" spots (like where a rectangle goes into an "L"), the pattern breaks off into a new section. (The rectangle is the end of section one and the bump in in the "L" is the beginning of section two.)

convex vs concave

Examples

So, look at the animated images below and watch why these sections work. Each piece adds on to the next, staying convex the whole time.

convex vs concave

Example 1

The first row fills out lengthwise then moves out into a kind of triangle/pentagon shape. After that the star points are added. Then the ending triangle is put on each end forming the complete Half-Square Triangle section.

 


convex vs concave

Example 2

This one is very similar to the previous one. The first row fills out lengthwise then has a plain stripe added to either side. After that the ending triangle is put on each end forming the complete Half-Square Triangle section.

 


convex vs concave

Example 3

Once again, the smallest piecing starts in the first row as it fills out lengthwise. Then triangles are added, keeping the convex shape until the ending triangle is put on each end forming the complete Half-Square Triangle section.

When Drawing - it's in Reverse

When you draw a foundation pattern, you're actually subtracting pieces from the whole. So as long as the slices you make are along the entire edge and don't make any concave bumps, you can keep slicing.

Start a New Project

  1. Open EQ5 or EQ6.
  2. Start a new project and name it Foundation Fun.

Get Blocks from the Library

  1. get 5 blocksWe're going to get 5 blocks from the library. They are pictured on the right for your reference. Click LIBRARIES > Block Library.
  2. Go to Kaleidoscope Collection > Star Corners > 01 Basics.
  3. Let's get the first two blocks:
    EQ6 Users - Click Add to Sketchbook two times.
    (EQ5 Users - Click Copy two times.)
  4. Scroll down and go into Star Corners > 04 Flowers.
  5. Click to select Amethyst 1 and click Add to Sketchbook (EQ5 Users click Copy).
  6. Scroll down and go into Star Corners > 10 Striped.
  7. Click to select Gazebo 1 and click Add to Sketchbook (EQ5 Users click Copy).
  8. Scroll down and go into Star Corners > 11 Triangles.
  9. Click to select Daydream 1 and click Add to Sketchbook (EQ5 Users click Copy).
  10. Click Close to put the library away.

Edit Amethyst 1

  1. Click the View Sketchbook view skb button.
  2. Click the Blocks section.
  3. Click on the Amethyst 1 block to select it.
  4. Click Edit. You'll be on the block worktable now.

Pause: Let's make sure our worktable is set up correctly. (For now, we're going to work with Snap to Grid on. Many times though, you may want to turn it off and just work off the nodes.)

EQ6 Users:

  • Turn on the Precision Bar if you haven't already. (Click the VIEW menu. If Precision Bar doesn't have a check next to it, click on those words to turn it on. If it does have a check, just click away from the list so you don't turn it off.)
  • Make your Precision Bar match mine (see picture below). My shorthand for this stuff will be the TAB order. So if you double-click on the Block Width, type in a new number, and press TAB, the numbers would be: 6, 6, 24, 24, 2, 2
    Then, Graph Paper Cells ON, Snap to Grid ON, Snap to Node ON, and Snap to Drawing OFF.

precision

EQ5 Users:

  • Change your Drawing Options in Preferences. (Click the FILE > Preferences. Click the Drawing Options tab. Put a check in the top two. Click OK.)
  • Make your Drawing Board Setup match mine (see pictures below).
    Click BLOCK > Drawing Board Setup.

    On the General tab, make your snaps 24 each and your block size 6 for both directions:
    precision

    On the Graph Paper tab, make your divisions 2x2 and set the style to be Graph paper lines.
    precision

    On the EasyDraw tab, make sure Snap to grid is checked, Snap to nodes is checked and Snap to lines and arcs is clear.
    precision

    Click OK.

  1. Click the Line Line tool.
  2. EQ5 Users only - there are nodes we need to see, so draw a floating line in the middle of one of the triangles. Click the Color tab and then click back to the EasyDraw tab. You should see some nodes in the center now.
    see nodes
  3. Let's watch foundation piecing in action... and see when it breaks out. We're going to work inside this top-left wedge (pink one) and draw some lines from node to node. With the Line tool, draw a line as in the picture below:
    draw lines
  4. Click FILE > Print > Foundation Pattern. Click Preview (yours may look different if you have Mirror turned on - don't worry). Look at the wedge and the way the sections are grouped. Yep, it's still one triangle. Let's keep going. Click Close once to close the preview and Close again to close the Foundation window.
    draw lines
  5. Still with the Line tool, draw a parallel line to match the one you just drew:
    draw lines
  6. Click FILE > Print > Foundation Pattern. Click Preview and look at the wedge this time. We're still good. Let's keep going. Click Close, then Close again.
    draw lines
  7. Draw a line across the bottom of the two lines you drew:
    draw lines
  8. Click FILE > Print > Foundation Pattern. Click Preview and look at the wedge. It's still in one section. Let's keep going. Click Close, then Close again.
    draw lines
  9. Draw a diagonal line inside the box you formed:
    draw lines
  10. Click FILE > Print > Foundation Pattern. Click Preview and look at the wedge. It's still in one section. Let's keep going. Click Close, then Close again.
    draw lines
  11. Draw the opposite diagonal line inside the box you formed:
    draw lines
  12. Click FILE > Print > Foundation Pattern. Click Preview and look at the wedge. Whoops.

    Why did this break? Well, let's follow it. Start at A1 in the image below. We can go to 2, 3, 4, 5, but adding H4 makes it concave.

    What about A1 through 5 and then add H3... nope, still concave. That's why it broke out into more than one section.

    Since A and H can't go together, they have to be separate sections.

    Why the J1, you ask? Add J plus H... that's concave. What about J plus A... nope, that's concave too. So J needs to be separate from H and A.
    draw lines
  13. Now, click Close, then Close again to return to the drawing. So, just remember "X's" are bad.... don't draw them.
  14. Here comes the part I really want you to understand. As you're drawing... if you come across a section like that, sometimes you can move or delete lines and make it work again.... you'll see in a moment. Click the Pick Pick tool (Select tool in EQ5).
  15. Delete the line marked in red in the image below, by clicking on the line to select it and then pressing your keyboard DELETE key.
    delete a line
  16. Click FILE > Print > Foundation Pattern. Click Preview and look at the wedge. Well, how did that happen? The magic happens with A5. If A5 were any shorter, it wouldn't work. That piece stretches the length of A3 and A4 together... thus avoiding a concave piece. All the rest of the pieces A6 through A9, stretch the full length of the sides adding on until you get the full section.
    draw lines
  17. Take a look at the image below. You don't need to draw all these variations... just follow them to see why the section doesn't break off into multiple ones. Hopefully, you'll see some of these ways that more detail can be added. You can do:
    • parallel stripes parallel stripes

    • not-so parallel stripes not so parallel stripes
    • lines coming out from the same corner as the last patch same corner
    • get to know the "Y"... or backwards "Y's". (Remember, Y's work... X's don't.)Foundation Y
    • and you could even piece the outer star corner (I didn't):

where else can lines go

Do you see how it works now?

Grab a colored pen or pencil (something not black) and try drawing your own lines on this worksheet:
Print out your own worksheet (PDF format)

Next month, I will show you the rules for duplicating wedges and show you how to copy and paste lines.

OPTIONAL MYSTERY SIDE PROJECT - SEWING INVOLVED
MONTH 2 of Sewing Project

If you like where this month's drawing lesson is going, then you will flip when you see the finished sewing project I have planned.

Last month we picked a fun focus fabric,
3-4 multi-colored fabrics that go with the focus fabric,
colors pulled from the focus fabric,
values (lights, mediums, darks) of those colors,
and even some black and white.

Remember, throughout this whole process there is to be NO PEEKING with the previous work! Hide the block out of sight so it won't influence the design decisions you make in the other months.

Last month we picked our favorite block and did 8 loose wedges.

This month I want you to do the same for your 2nd favorite:

Pick your 2nd favorite STAR CORNER design in the whole entire Kaleidoscope Collection library.
Make it something fun for you.

Add to Sketchbook (Copy in EQ5).
Close the library.

View the Sketchbook > Blocks section.
Edit this block.

Choose FILE > Print > Foundation Pattern.
Go to the Sections tab.
Click the Start Over button.

Click on all the pieces of one wedge EXCEPT FOR THE STAR CORNER.
Click the Group button.
group one wedge

Click the star corner and click Group.

Go to the Options tab.
Make your block size 15.00 by 15.00.
Set the number of copies to 8.


Make sure the options are as follows:
Print numbering CHECKED.
Print as many as fit unchecked.
Separate units CHECKED.
Mirror - doesn't matter here... up to you.
Grayscale - personal preference I like it CHECKED.
Print block name CHECKED.
options

Click Preview.

Click the Delete button at the top of your screen.
Click on the corner you grouped and press your
keyboard DELETE key.
EQ5 Users - click on a the remaining full wedges and press your keyboard DELETE key after each.

What remains is the wedge minus the corner.

Click the Move button at the top of your screen.
Drag the section to fit cleanly on one page with no tiling onto the next page.

Click Print at the top of your screen.
8 copies of this wedge will come out.

Feel free to go to the Color tab and test out some color placement to see how to make the fabrics you've chosen really pop in the block.

Foundation Piece all 8 wedges, but do not sew the wedges together.

Put all 8 loose wedges in a bag or a box and label it so you know what's inside. Keep them with Month 1 somewhere you can find them both again, but not so you can look at either of them again until roughly 6-7 months from now.