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Volume 8, No. 2, Winter 2001/2002
View Other Floppy Gazettes
 

CONTENTS: Announcements - Ask EQ - Free Stuff - Works For Me - Show & Tell - Quilt University - One-Patch Templates - Connecting Threads Round Robin Project.


Ask EQ
[EQ The Mouse]Our mascot, EQ the Mouse, answers frequently asked questions, with some help from EQ4 Magic author, Barb Vlack.

Drawing

Q:How can I get more than 32 Snap Points? If I choose Drawing Board Setup and choose more than 32 Snap Points I don't see more than 32 dots.
A: That's because EQ begins only showing you every other dot once you've gone beyond 32. It's to keep your drawing screen from being littered with so many dots that you can't see anything but dots. So, if the number of points is 32 or less, all dots are drawn. For horizontal and vertical settings of 33-64, every other dot gets drawn; units of 65-128, every 4; settings of 129-192, every 8th dot gets drawn. Draw as you normally would, knowing that the Snap Points are really there even though you don't see the dot.

Q: How can I draw a sash block?
A: See our Lesson of the Month for a sash block drawing lesson. Here are some basic steps: change the EasyDraw drawing board to a rectangle, and draw your sash block as a rectangle the same size you want your sash to be. To draw your block in a rectangle:
  1. Click on BLOCK - Drawing Board Setup. Make the block size be the same width and height as your sash strip (you can see the sash width on the Layout tab; the sash length will be the same as the block length). Click OK.
  2. You will now see that the drawing board has changed to a rectangle. Draw your block here.
  3. Save it in the Sketchbook. (Don't worry when you see the block in the Sketchbook – it will be square, and so will look distorted, but will look fine when you set the block into the rectangular sash spaces.)
  4. Set the block into the sash spaces. You will need to rotate some of the blocks to get them facing in the right direction.
Designing Quilts

Q: I'm new to EQ4. How can I learn more about using all the quilt design options?
A: Let me count the ways:
  1. For starters, work through the three easy lessons in the EQ4 Getting Started book.
  2. Work the free Mystery Lessons on this Web site. You'll practice setting and drawing blocks.
  3. Want more lessons? Try the book EQ4 Simplified, by Fran Gonzalez. Fran's easy lessons start with the basics and move to more advanced work, including the Wreathmaker, Country Set, and Layers.
  4. For specific lessons on popular quilt styles, plus drawing and secret tips, you might like Barb Vlack's book, EQ4 Magic. It includes the steps for designing these popular quilt styles:
    • Thousand Pyramids
    • Feathered Ohio Star
    • Feathered Variable Star
    • Feathered 8-Pointed Star
    • Grandmother's Flower Garden
    • Lone Star
  5. Enter a clubEQ challenge. These free monthly challenges are a fun way to try designing following a suggested theme.
  6. Take an EQ online class through Quilt University. Fran Gonzalez and Patti Anderson teach EQ4 design classes you can take at home on your own computer.
  7. Ask design guru Barb Vlack specific design questions on the EQ Forum. Barb's unstumpable!
  8. Join the free EQ maillist and ask fellow EQ users your design questions.
  9. Work through the Lesson of the Month on this Web site.
  10. Last, but not least, call us at 419 352 1134. We'll do our best to help you learn.
Q:How can I put sashing around four blocks set together?
A: To set a sash around four individual blocks you can do one of two things:
  1. Redraw the four blocks as one block divided into four sections, each with the design from one of the blocks. This may be the quickest solution if the blocks are simple blocks.
  2. Use Layers.Create a horizontal quilt layout that has sashes the size you want, plus blocks the total size of the 4 blocks you want to put together. For example, if the blocks you want to put together are six inches, make your block size tweleve inches square. On layer 1, color the sashes the color you'd like them. On layer 2, set your four blocks together on top of each empty square in your quilt between the sashes.


To do this you'll really want to use the Graph Pad to instantly resize blocks. If you've not used the Graph pad before, find out how by clicking on HELP - EQ4 Help - Designing a Quilt - Layer 2. Print out each topic listed here, and you'll have all the information you need on using the Graph Pad.

Q:How can I get four on-point blocks with four corner triangles?
A: Barb Vlack answers:
You could do your quilt layout in On Point, with one block in the center in Layer 1 and place your blocks on this guide on point in Layer 2.

OR you could set up the whole quilt in Country Set. If you need a guide for setting up the center medallion in Country Set, look for a block that has the configuration you want (such as Diamond in a Square) and use it in Layer 3 as a guide. You can easily erase it from Layer 3 later.

In Layer 2 and in Country Set (Layer 2 and 3 function very much like Country Set for positioning blocks), with your Set tool enabled, select a block and then use your cursor on the quilt to drag a box for the block to set into. Go into the VIEW menu and select Graph Pad. This will give you an additional toolbar at the bottom of your worktable. Click on the Adjust tool on the right toolbar and select your block. You can now use the number boxes in the center of the Graph Pad to size your block. The top box is always horizontal and the bottom box is always vertical. To the left of the sizing boxes is the rotation box. Click on an arrow to highlight the number in the box and type in 45. Your block will rotate to on point (45 degrees). Now you can drag your block into position.

For sashing, go into Worktable, Work on Block. From the Block menu, click New Block, EasyDraw. Click the Save in Sketchbook button on the left toolbar to save a blank block. Go to Worktable, and Work on Quilt. With the Set tool enabled, select the blank block. Drag a rectangle box the approximate size you need for your sashing to set a block. It would be necessary to make the width of the rectangle exactly what the width of your sashing needs to be. Length doesn't matter here. Then click on the Adjust tool and Rotate 45. Once you have rotated your rectangle block, if you need to change the width of your sashing, it's easiest to do it with the sizing adjustment boxes on the Graph Pad.

Printing

Q: Can I print out paper piecing patterns without designing a whole quilt?
A: Yes. It's easy. You just get a block showing on the worktable. If it's on the quilt worktable you need to select the block, to tell EQ4 you want to print the block, rather than the quilt.

From the BLOCK WORKTABLE:
  1. Get a block from the library.
  2. Open the Sketchbook.
  3. Click on the block you want to print, if several blocks are in the Sketchbook.
  4. Click the Edit button. The block will appear down on the BLOCK worktable.
  5. Click FILE - Print - Foundation patterns and print. Unless you sized the block properly on the quilt (not necessary) click the Options tab and size the block before printing.
From the QUILT WORKTABLE:
  1. Get a block from the library.
  2. Click on the Set tool on the Quilt tools. You'll see your block in the Sketchbook.
  3. Set one block into a quilt – anywhere, any size.
  4. Click the Select tool.
  5. Click on the block, to select it.
  6. Click FILE - Print - Foundation patterns and print. Unless you sized the block properly on the quilt (not necessary) click the Options tab and size the block before printing.
BlockBase and EQ

Q: What's the best way to locate a BlockBase block in the EQ4 library?
A: The best way to locate a BlockBase block from EQ4 is to know all the information about the block's location.
Try this:
  1. Search for a block in BlockBase.
  2. Click on the Locate tool in BlockBase. BlockBase will find that block in the exact library file where it is found.
  3. Note down three things:
    • the style name
    • the category where that style is found in BlockBase
    • the block's I.D. number

  4. Open the EQ4 Block Library - open the BB library -- look for the category name and open it.
  5. Open the style name and look for the block by number.
Note:The blocks do not appear in the same order as they appear in BlockBase. Instead, the categories are arranged alphabetically.

In every category you will find one page where the name of the page is the same name as the book. If you click on this page you will not be able to see any blocks because there are no blocks on this page (the page is just a "place holder"). This "place holder" page can appear anywhere in the list and the two-digit number with it may be a repeated number or a number out of the sequence. Simply ignore this page. Remember that it does not contain blocks.

You will notice there are two BlockBase books named "Miscellaneous" and two named "Realistic." The first Miscellaneous book is the actual Miscellaneous category in BlockBase. The second Miscellaneous book includes the Whole Top Designs. Since the Whole Top Designs category is new to BlockBase 2, your EQ program does not know its name so it repeats the Miscellaneous name. The first Realistic book is the Realistic category from BlockBase. The second Realistic book includes the Non-Square blocks. Again, EQ does not recognize the new name so it repeats the Realistic name.


CONTENTS: Announcements - Ask EQ - Free Stuff - Works For Me - Show & Tell - Quilt University - One-Patch Templates - Connecting Threads Round Robin Project.


 
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