Home    Products    Users    Retailers    Support    Forums    Blog    Media    Do you EQ? Artist
 
 
You are here: Home > Users > Fun Stuff > EQ Lessons > Previous Lesson List > Making Santa Blocks

EQ Lessons: Making Santa Blocks

by Erin Miller

Today, we are going to learn how to draw two new Santa blocks! One block wil be a paper-pieced Santa, and the other will be an appliqué Santa. Along the way, you'll improve your EasyDraw skills and learn how to edit PatchDraw blocks -- two very good skills to have. Come on and try this lesson, it's an easy and fun way to make some festive holiday blocks!

How To Make A Paper-pieceable Santa Block:

  1. Start a new EQ5 project, and name it: Santa
  2. Click WORKTABLE - Work on Block.
  3. Click BLOCK - New Block - Easy Draw.
  4. Click Block - Drawing Board Setup.
    Set the following on the General Tab: Snap to Grid Points: H=24 V=24
    Block Size: H=6 V=6
    Advanced Drawing Tools Users: Make sure you turn on Snap to Node and Snap to Grid.
  5. Click OK.
  6. Click the Line tool , and draw a line through middle of the block horizontally (at the 3" mark).
  7. Draw lines at the graph points for each section using the charts below. (V= Vertical and is the ruler on the left. H= Horizontal and is the ruler across the top. Use the black lines that move across the rulers as you move your cursor to help you place your lines.):

For the Beard:
H 0, V 4To H 1.5, V 6
H 6, V 4 To H 4.5, V 6 (mirror what you just did)
H 0, V 3 To H 1.5, V 4.5
H 6, V 3 To H 4.5, V 4.5 (mirror what you just did)
H 1.5, V 4.5 To H 4.5, V 4.5 (connect the two floating lines)

For the Nose & Moustache:
H 3, V 3 To H 2.5, V 4.5
H 3, V 3 To H 3.5, V 4.5 (mirror what you just did)
H 2.75, V 3.75 To H 3.25, V 3.75 (split the triangle horizontally at vertical mark 3.75)

For the Hat Brim:
H 0, V 3 To H 1.75, V 2.25
H 6, V 3 To H 4.25, V 2.25 (mirror what you just did)
H 1.75, V 2.25 To H 4.25, V 2.25 (connect the two floating lines)
H 0, V 2.5 To H 1.75, V 2
H 6, V 2.5 To H 4.25, V 2 (mirror what you just did)
H 1.75, V 2 To H 4.25, V 2 (connect the two floating lines)

For the Hat:
H 2.5, V 0 To H 0, V 2.5
H 4.25, V 0 To H 6, V .75
H 6, V 2.5 To H 4.75, V 1.5
H 4.75, V 1.5 To H 6, V 1

 

  1. Now you have the basic Santa shape, but we will need to add more lines to make the block paper-pieceable. Use the chart below for the line endpoints:

To Make Block Paper-pieceable:
H 1.5, V 6To H 1.5, V 3 (vertical line at 1.5 from 6 to 3)
H 4.5, V 6 To H 4.5, V 3 (repeat for 4.5)
H 1.75, V 3 To H 1.75, V 0 (vertical line at 1.75 from 3 to 0)
H 4.25, V 3 To H 4.25, V 0 (repeat for 4.25)
H 4.25, V 1.5 To H 6, V 1.5 (horizontal line at 1.5 from 4.25 to the edge)

  1. For Santa's hat tassel, use the image at the right to help you visualize the finished drawing:
For the Tassel:
H 5.75, V 1.5 To H 5.75, V 0 (vertical line at 5.75 from 1.5 to 0)
H 5.75, V 5/8 (node) To H 6, V .25
H 5.75, V 1 1/8 (node) To H 6, V 1.5

 

  1. Now we need to delete the two small lines inside the hat tassel, to make piecing easier. Click the Select tool. Click on a line inside the tassle. Press your keyboard DELETE key. Repeat for the other inside line. (Both marked in red.)
  2. Once all the lines for your Santa block are drawn, go to the Color Tab, and color him in! Then print out the foundation patterns and start sewing. Once you've finished sewing, you can use 2 small buttons for Santa's eyes. Have fun!

How To Make An Appliqué Santa Block from a Library Block:

To make Santa, we will be using a block from the EQ Block Library as our guide, altering pieces to give the block a new look. We'll take the original block and change it to let Santa hold his big bag of presents.

  1. Click Libraries - Block Library - EQ Libraries - 5 Contemporary Appliqué - Christmas.
  2. Click on the Santa block to select it.
  3. Click Copy, then Close.
  4. Click the View Sketchbook button, the Blocks tab, then the Santa block to select him.
  5. Click Edit. Now you can begin working with the block in PatchDraw.
  6. On the top menu, click Edit - Select All. This will select your entire block, including the background square.
  7. Hold down your keyboard SHIFT key and click on the PatchDraw block outline. This will deselect the background square, so just Santa is selected.
  8. Drag Santa while he is selected over a little to the left. (Roughtly 3/4" to the left, no need to be exact.) This extra space will give us room to draw in Santa's bag.
  9. Click outside the block outline to deselect Santa.
  10. Still with the Select tool, drag Santa's arm, coat cuff, and mitten patches off to the side so they will be easier to work with. (The arm that is near his belt, not the one that is waving.)
  11. To rotate the mitten, select the mitten patch and click the small black square in the Select tool Button , to see the Symmetry Box. Click the Rot 90 button.
  12. To rotate the coat cuff, select the cuff patch and click the Rot 90 button on the Symmetry Box.
  13. We want to draw Santa a new arm, one that fits better with his new pose. So, select his original arm patch and delete it, using the DELETE key on your keyboard.
  14. Next, click on the Simple Oval Tool , then click on the circle shape, and draw a circle about an inch and a half long.
  15. Use the Bezier Edit tool to make the circle an oval, then play around with the oval, adjusting it to look like a bent elbow, or a simple boomerang-type shape.
  16. Once all the pieces are drawn and rotated, you can now put them in their new places. Use the Select tool to move the mitten up to the top of Santa's shoulder. Now drag the coat cuff to the mitten.
  17. Use the Bezier Edit tool to adjust the coat cuff to fit around the mitten.
  18. Use the Select tool and place Santa's arm to fit right above his belt.
  19. Now we can draw Santa's bag full of presents. Use the Simple Oval tool again, select the second shape from the right, and draw a big bag that fits the way Santa is standing. You can adjust the shape of the bottom of the bag later with the Bezier Edit tool to make it look fuller and rounder.
  20. Use the Select tool to move Santa's Bag into his hand and the drawing will be complete. Now go to the Color Tab to check the order of the patch layers. Check that Santa's arm patches are layered in the correct order, with the bag handle under Santa's mitten.
  21. If any patches need to be layered differently, click the Select tool (above the Paintbrush). Select the culprit patch. Then right-click and use Send to Front or Send to Back commands to get it in the correct layer. (Send to Front and Send to Back can also be found under Block at the top.) Don't forget that the background PatchDraw block is also a patch. You may need to click on the background patch and send that to back if you can't see all your pieces.
  22. If you have extra time, you can also move Santa's boots closer to his pant legs, closing the gap that's on the original block. To do this, go to the PatchDraw Tab and click on one boot, then while pressing down the Shift key on your keyboard, click on the other boot. Now you can make the boots slightly larger by dragging out a corner of the selected area, and then you can move the boots into their new position.
  23. Now for the finishing ouches! Go to the Color Tab, and color Santa's bag, and change the background fabric, or the other patches' fabrics. Once you are finished coloring, you can print out your own templates and start making your new appliqué Santa quilt block!

 

Check out these other EQ Lessons.

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

 


  
   
 

^ Top :: All Content on these pages, unless otherwise noted is Copyright © 1991-2008 :: < Home
by The Electric Quilt ® Company and may not be reproduced in any form.