EQ Lessons: Sashing Part Deux

by Andrea Poulimenos

Did you know you can set your Block Worktable to be the size of a sash? Well just take a look at what we came up with for all these sash ideas...

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Cornerstone

I know it doesn't have the same ring. In any case, we're going to work with star sashing this time. First let's make sure we are all looking at the same thing.

Open EQ and start a new project.
Name it "EQ Lesson -Sashing2".
From the top menu, choose WORKTABLE - Work on Quilt.
From the top menu, choose QUILT - New Quilt - Horizontal.
Click on the Layout tab at the bottom. Enter the following for your settings:

Number of Blocks: 4 horizontal, 5 vertical
Size of Blocks: 10" x 10"
Sashing: 2" x 2"
Sash border: no check
Click on the Layer 1 tab at the bottom of your screen.
Look at the Sash strips. They are 10" long by 2" wide. We'll draw sash blocks that size. First we'll change the size of the block we draw in.
From the top menu, choose WORKTABLE - Work on Block.
From the top menu, choose BLOCK - New Block - Easy Draw.
Then choose BLOCK - Drawing Board Setup.
Enter the following for your settings:
Snap to Grid Points: 40 horizontal, 24 vertical
Block Size: 10" horizontal, 2" vertical

Snap to Grid Points are important when Snap to Grid is enabled. These grid points "pick up" the lines when you draw. Setting the horizontal Grid points to 40 on a 10" block means we will have a grid point every 1/4". If the length of your block were not divisible by the number of Grid points you set, you would notice that the lines would "jump" or "snap" to the wrong places.
Click OK. Now the box you draw in is a rectangle the same size as your sash.
Click on the Line tool .

To draw a line, click and hold (with the left mouse button) in one spot on the block, move your cursor (while still holding) somewhere else on the block, then release. You need to draw lines starting from and ending in the following places:

Start Point		End Point

	0" in, 1" down		2" in, 0" down
	0" in, 1" down		2" in, 2" down
	8" in, 0" down		10" in, 1" down
	8" in, 2" down		10" in, 1" down

Note: if you don't know where in the world 0" in and 2" down would be, you probably don't have your Rulers turned on. Click on View i the top menu. Is there a check next to Rulers? If there is a check, just click on View again. If there isn't a check, move your cursor down to Ruler in that menu and click on it.

At the bottom, switch from EasyDraw to the Color tab.
Note: If you lose any lines after switching to the Color Tab, then the lines you drew did not meet up with the outline of the EasyDraw block well enough. Switch back to the EasyDraw tab and delete the line, then redraw it. To delete a line use the Select tool, click the line, then press your keyboard's Delete key.
Click on the Paintbrush tool .
Color the block as you wish, and click on the Save in Sketchbook button .
Note: Is the Color Palette in your way? You can either move it by pointing to where it says "Fabrics & Colors" and dragging the palette, or scroll your view by scrolling the scrollbar beneath the block.
From the top menu, choose BLOCK - New Block - Easy Draw.
Click on the Line tool .

This time you need to draw lines starting from and ending in the following places:

Start Point		End Point

	0" in, 1" down		4" in, 0" down
	0" in, 1" down		4" in, 2" down
	6" in, 0" down		10" in, 1" down
	6" in, 2" down		10" in, 1" down

Switch from EasyDraw to the Color tab.
Click on the Paintbrush tool .
Color the block as you wish, and click on the Save in Sketchbook button .
From the top menu, choose WORKTABLE - Work on Quilt.
At the bottom, click on Layer 1 (if you are not already there)
On the right toolbar: click on the Set tool .
Click on the first star block that we drew, so it is selected. Just under the enlarged block are what look like VCR play buttons ... click on the furthest right one to scroll to the colored version of the block.
Position your cursor over one of the sashes, hold down the CTRL key on your keyboard, and click (with the left mouse button) on that sash to set the selected block into all the sashes in that direction.
Hold down the CTRL key again and click on an empty sash to fill in the remaining sashes.
Right toolbar: click on the Rotate tool .
Position your cursor over one of the sash blocks that isn't going the correct direction. Hold down the CTRL key on your keyboard, and click (with the left mouse button) on that sash block to rotate it and also all the other blocks that it is similar to.
Click on the Paintbrush tool , and color in the cornerstone block (square block where the sashes meet).
Recolor as you wish.
Once you've found a coloring you like, click on the Save in Sketchbook button to save this quilt.
Click on the Set tool again .
Click on the 2nd block that we drew so it is selected. (Click the right arrow button to display the colored version of the block .)
CTRL + click to set the blocks, then rotate if needed as in Steps 27-30.
Note: It may look like you don't need to rotate the blocks when you set them in. If the star points look slightly longer in one than the other, then one set needs to be rotated.
Recolor as you wish , and save a copy in your sketchbook .

So, now we have 2 quilts in our sketchbook.

gives us

While trying to create this lesson, I accidentally put the "V" shapes in the wrong direction. (Ooops.) But I ended up with a pretty neat sash anyway.

gives us

To print out a sash block, click on the Select tool . Then click on one of the horizontal sash blocks.
From the menu at the top, choose FILE - Print - Templates.
Put a check next to "Size from Quilt", then click Print.

Now for some fun sash strips...

From the top menu, choose WORKTABLE - Work on Quilt.
From the top menu, choose QUILT - New Quilt - Horizontal.
Click on the Layout tab at the bottom. Enter the following for your settings:
Number of Blocks: 4 horizontal, 5 vertical
Size of Blocks: 10" x 10"
Sashing: 2" x 2"
Sash border: no check
Bottom tabs: Click on the Layer 1 tab.
Look at the Sash strips. They are 10" long by 2" wide. Imagine what could happen if you try some of the different blocks from the Block Library squished to that size.
From the top menu, click on LIBRARIES - Block Library - EQ Libraries.

Copy the following to your sketchbook:

1 Classic Pieced - Simple Blocks	Half-Square Triangle (1st in list)
	Four Patch (originally 4th down in the list)
1 Classic Pieced - Ladies Art Company	A Snowflake (3 from the end)
1 Classic Pieced - Orange Peels Etc.	Joseph's Coat (3rd across the top)

If you are unsure of the block name, hold your cursor over one of the blocks at the right. The name should appear as a tooltip. To copy a block from the library, just click on it so it is highlighted. Then click on the Copy button.

Click on the Close button to close the Block Library once you have copied those five blocks.
On the Right toolbar: click on the Set tool .
Click on the "Half Square Triangle" block, so it is selected.
Position your cursor over one of the sashes, hold down the CTRL key on your keyboard, and click (with the left mouse button) on that sash to set the selected block into all the sashes in that direction.
Hold down the CTRL key again and click on an empty sash to fill in the remaining sashes.
Click on the Rotate tool .
In case you didn't know, cornerstones are the resulting squares where your sashes cross. We want to focus on fixing the sashes around the top-left cornerstone.
Position your cursor over the first horizontal sash in the top-left of your quilt. (The left sash of the first cornerstone.)
Hold down the ALT key on your keyboard and click twice on that sash. This will rotate every other sash in the horizontal direction, so that you will start to see a "blue star" form around the top left cornerstone block.
Position your cursor over the bottom sash of that first cornerstone. Hold down the ALT key again. Click once.
Now the blue star should be showing, but it still looks a bit odd. Yes, we need to flip some of those blocks. Click on the Flip tool .
The easiest way to do this is to change the top sash block of our first cornerstone. Hold down your ALT key and click on that sash block.
The sash is done. Recolor it as you wish . When you are happy with a coloring, click on your Save in Sketchbook button to save that version.
On the Right toolbar: click on the Set tool again.
Click on the "4 Patch" block, so it is selected.
Position your cursor over one of the sashes, hold down the CTRL key on your keyboard, and click (with the left mouse button) on that sash to set the selected block into all the sashes in that direction.
Hold down the CTRL key again and click on an empty sash to fill in the remaining sashes.
The sash is done. (Hard to believe isn't it?) Recolor it as you wish , and don't forget to save a copy to your Sketchbook . This sash creates a really interesting "leaning" effect.
For something that won't make you sea-sick, click on the Rotate tool .
Click once on the left sash next to the top-left cornerstone. The sash is done. Wow, I bet you never thought it would be that easy. Recolor and save to your Sketchbook .
On the Right toolbar: click on the Set tool .
Try setting in the remaining blocks, rotating and recoloring as needed.
Don't forget to save the copies you like to your Sketchbook .
From the top menu, choose WORKTABLE - Work on Block.
From the top menu, choose BLOCK - New Block - Easy Draw.
Then choose BLOCK - Drawing Board Setup.
Enter the following for your settings:
Snap to Grid Points: 40 horizontal, 24 vertical
Block Size: 10" horizontal, 2" vertical

Snap to Grid Points are important when Snap to Grid is enabled. These grid points "pick up" the lines when you draw. Setting the horizontal Grid points to 40 on a 10" block means we will have a grid point every 1/4". If the length of your block were not divisible by the number of Grid points you set, you would notice that the lines would "jump" or "snap" to the wrong places.
Click OK. Now the box you draw in is a rectangle the same size as your sash.
Click on the small black square in the corner of the Grid tool . This will bring up the "Grid Setup" pop-up window.
Set Columns = 10 and Rows = 1.
Start with your cursor in the top-left corner of the block... click and hold with the left mouse button as you move your cursor from the top-left to the bottom-right of the block. Release your left mouse button.
Switch from EasyDraw to the Color tab.
Click on the EQ4 Spraycan tool .
Click on one of the patches of this new sash. All the patches should light up.
The EQ4 Spraycan tool changes all patches of one color to another color, when used on a block. When you first switch to the Color tab, all the patches are filled with white. If you use the Spraycan tool from the beginning, you can change all the patches at once.
Choose a light color or fabric (but not white) inside the Fabrics palette and click on it. All the patches should change to that color.
Click on the Paintbrush tool . Color every other piece black or another very dark color that goes with the first color choice you made.
(Note: Is the Color Palette in your way? You can either move it by pointing to where it says "Fabrics" and dragging the palette, or scroll your view by scrolling the scrollbar beneath the block.)
Click on the Save in Sketchbook button .
Switch to the Quilt Worktable. (WORKTABLE- Work on Quilt)
Click on Layer 1 (if you are not already there).
On the Right menu: click on the Set tool .
Click on the block we just drew, so it is selected. Just under the enlarged block are what look like VCR play buttons ... click on the furthest right one to scroll to the colored version of the block.
Position your cursor over one of the sashes, hold down the CTRL key on your keyboard, and click (with the left mouse button) on that sash to set the selected block into all the sashes in that direction.
Hold down the CTRL key again and click on an empty sash to fill in the remaining sashes.
Right menu: click on the Rotate tool .
The horizontal sashes are going the correct direction for the next look we want to achieve. So, position your cursor over one of the vertical sash blocks. Hold down the CTRL key on your keyboard, and click (with the left mouse button) on that sash block to rotate it and also all the other blocks going in that same direction.
Click on the Layout tab.
Change your sashing width and height from 2" each to 1" each.
Click on the Layer 1 tab.
You just made a "Checkerboard" sash.
This last sash shows an important concept in EQ. Blocks drawn at a certain size do not necessarily have to be set in a quilt at that size. We drew the block at 10"x2" because it is easier to see at that size during designing. We set the block in at 10"x1". Choosing the "Size from Quilt" option at printout time takes care of this change in dimensions.
Use your keyboard's ALT key and the Rotate tool to rotate some of the sashes, if you want same-colored patches around the cornerstones.
Click on the Save in Sketchbook button to save this quilt.
From the top menu, choose FILE - Save.

So, now we have 5 or more new quilt sashes in our sketchbook.

gives us

To print out a sash block, click on the Select tool . Then click on one of the horizontal sash blocks.
From the menu at the top, choose FILE - Print - Templates.
Put a check next to "Size from Quilt", then click Print.

Your second sash project is done. Next time you design a quilt, try adding some interest with your sashing.

Or, if you're looking for a good going-away present for someone, try a smaller version of these quilts as a signature quilt. Have everyone in the office sign a plain muslin square, and sew the sashing in between.

Check out these other EQ Lessons.

If you have any suggestions for EQ lesson topics, please email them to penny@electricquilt.com.

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