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EQ Lessons: Tracing Letters in PatchDraw

by Barb Vlack and Angie Maidment

Before drawing the letters in EQ5 we need to get them from Microsoft Word, edit them in Microsoft Paint, and then bring them into EQ5 and start tracing.

Setup

1. In Microsoft Word (or similar word processing program) start a new document and select Arial Black as the font style. Type the desired letter that you would like to trace. For this particular lesson we are going to trace an uppercase "O"
2. Highlight the letter and type in the font size to 200.
3. On the EDIT menu choose Copy or Ctrl+C to copy the selected letter to the clipboard.
4. From the START menu, click on Accesories, and then on Paint, to open MS Paint.
5. In MS Paint, on the EDIT menu choose Paste or Ctrl+V to paste the letter into MS Paint. A window appears that says "The image in the clipboard is larger than the bitmap. Would you like the bitmap emlarged?" Click yes and continue.
6. Click on the Fill coloring tool and click on a color other than black or gray on the color palette bar and click on the letter to change the color of the letter.
7. On the FILE menu choose Save. The letter can be saved as a 24-bit bitmap in the folder of your choice. If you plan on tracing many letters in EQ5, perhaps you would like to make a folder titled "AlphabetBitmaps" and save all your bitmaps in there. Just remember where you saved it!

Setup In EQ

8. In EQ5 open a new project and name it whatever you would like, perhaps "Letters."
9. On the WORKTABLE menu, click on Work on Block.
10. On the BLOCK menu, click on New Block, and then on PatchDraw.
11. On the BLOCK menu, click on Import for Tracing. Find the bitmap that you saved from MS Paint in Step 7 above and click Open.
12. The letter "O" should then appear on the worktable. Center the letter on the drawing board.
13. Click on the Patchdraw tab at the bottom of the screen and you are ready to begin tracing.

Tracing In EQ

I recommend drawing these letters-with-interior-openings in a special way so when you position them on your quilt as appliqués so the background will show through the interior opening. You will get the look of the interior opening if you draw it and position it on top of the outline of the letter, but you will essentially be placing a patch on top of another patch. These instructions are for drawing the opening as part of the entire letter. You will have a line splitting the letter. You'll see what I mean when we get there, I hope. This separation is not necessary for the pattern of the letter. It is only necessary for designing/coloring purposes.

14. Draw a rectangle from the Simple Shapes tool on top of the "O".
15. Click on the Bezier Edit tool and follow this sequence for positioning nodes from the Rectangle:
    1. Change the top horizontal line to a curve with the toCurve button.
    2. Change the bottom horizontal line to a curve with the toCurve button.
    3. Add a node to the top "line." It has 2 segments now.
    4. Add a node to the bottom "line." It has 2 segments now.
    5. Line up the top middle node with the inside middle of the bottom of the "O."
    6. Line up the bottom middle node with the outside middle of the bottom of the "O."
    7. Move the top left node to the inside middle of the top of the "O."
    8. Move the top right node to meet it.
    9. Click the right arc to select it. Move the handle for its top node to the right.
    10. Click the left arc to select it. Move the handle for its top node to the left. You should now see the inside of your "O."
    11. To make the outside, move the bottom left node to the outside middle of the top of the "O." (Make sure the "seam" is vertical.)
    12. Move the bottom right to meet it. (Make sure the "seam" is vertical.)
    13. Click the right arc to select it. Move the handle for its top node to the right and make sure it is horizontal.
    14. Click the left arc to select it. Move the handle for its top node to the left and make sure it is horizontal. You should now see the outside of your "O."
    15. Use the Zoom In tool and marquee a box around the area the top of your "O." Position the two outside nodes as close together as possible.
    16. Position the two inside nodes as close together as possible.
    17. Tweak the positioning of the nodes so they meet exactly so you won't have an overlap or a gap.
    18. Fit to Window button to return to normal view.
    19. Add a node to both the outside left and inside left arcs.
    20. Line up these new nodes with the bitmap edges.
    21. Click the new left outside node and set it to Symm.
    22. Click the new left inside node and set it to Symm.
    23. Repeat s-v for the right side.
16. Make sure all your nodes (other than the top 4 - 2 top outside, 2 top inside) are set to Symm. Click an arc and fix the handles as necessary to follow the curves on the bitmap.
17. Finish up the drawing by deleting the block outline, deleting the imported bitmap, resizing the letter, coloring the letter, and saving your final project.

Have fun and happy quilting!