Sew Precise! Frequently Asked Questions
General
- How do I link EQ6 to Sew Precise 1 &2, 3 or 4?
- Where are all the blocks?
- Why is the text on my printouts in nonsense characters?
- How do I install on D drive?
- How can I print a list of all the patterns in Sew Precise!?
- How can I print a reference block?
- How do I get my Sew Precise! blocks to show up in EQ4?
- I linked EQ4 to Sew Precise! Collection 3. What are the "Alternate Blocks" I see?
- Why does my printed pattern have more than one set of numbers?
- Why do my blocks look like they're displaying so oddly?
Can't find the answer? Post your question in the Message Forums or contact Tech Support.
How do I link EQ6 to Sew Precise 1 &2, 3 or 4?
Sew Precise (no matter the version) should link automatically. Go to LIBRARIES > Block Library. Click Link Library. Click Auto Add.
Where are all the blocks?
You must scroll to see all the blocks. You can also show more rows of blocks on a page.
Sew Precise! has anywhere from 600-1000 blocks, depending on the version you own. You only see 12 blocks on a page at one time, but there are more blocks to see. Here are two ways to see all of the blocks:
Scroll:
Scroll the scroll bar beneath the blocks. Shortcut: click on the scroll bar just to the left of the scroll bar arrow at the bottom right of your screen. This makes the page flip so you see the end of the page.
Show More Rows:
Right-click the mouse on any block. A menu pops-up. Click on Show 4 Rows. This changes your page so it shows 4 rows of blocks on a page, rather than 3. This lets you see more blocks at one time. On some files (Christmas, "A is For..." for example) you will still need to scroll to see all of the blocks.
Why is the text on my printouts in nonsense characters?
Your printer
controls printing the displayed font. So you may need to select a different font that your printer can print. The default font Sew Precise! prints with is MS-Sans Serif. This font may not be available on your computer. Since Sew Precise does not know which font to choose, it prints nonsense.
Here is how to tell Sew Precise which font to choose --- one your printer can print out, and you can read:
- Get into Sew Precise, and click on a block you want to print.
- Click on the Print button.
- Click on the Fonts button (find it at the bottom-left). You'll see a list of fonts which you can scroll.
- Click on any font name, to select it.
The list of fonts you see here will vary from computer to computer. You will see only the fonts your printer can print with. You will need to select a font for each of the 4 different bits of information on your printout:
- Unit label
- Patch number
- Header (title at the page top)
- Footer
You will see these 4 listed when you click on the little arrow to drop down the box that says "unit label." So do this:
- Choose a font for the Unit label
- Choose a font (it can be the same font) for the for Patch number
- Choose a font (it can be the same font) for the Header
- Choose a font (it can be the same font) for the Footer
- Click OK
This should fix your printout "garbage."
How do I install on D drive?
You must put it in a folder on D drive. You should uninstall Sew Precise! by opening My Computer, then Control Panel, then Add/Remove Programs. Now, reinstall Sew Precise!
- When it asks you to choose a destination location , click on the Browse button and you'll get a Choose Folder box.
- Change the drive to D:
You probably did all this before, but here is where the difference is. The Path now say D:\, right? You cannot install the program on the drive without putting it in a folder.
- Put your cursor after D:\ and type Sew Precise. Now, your path is D:\Sew Precise
- Click on OK, you will get a message saying that folder does not exist, do you want to create it?
- Click on Yes. Your destination folder will now be D:\Sew Precise
- Continue with the installation and have fun with the program.
How can I print out a list of all the patterns in Sew Precise?
To print out a list of all of the blocks in Sew Precise!:
- In Sew Precise! click on the Help button.
- Choose Pattern Index.
- Click on A. You'll see a list of the blocks with names beginning in A.
- Choose Edit from the menu bar above.
- Choose Copy. You won't see anything happening. But you have copied the list to the clipboard.
- Open your word processing software program and get a new document.
- Hold down the CTRL key and press the V (CTRL + V = Paste) to paste your copied list onto the page. You'll see all the block names beginning with A, plus the book and page they are on.
- Get back to Sew Precise! and get the B index and repeat the steps, and so on, until you have all the block names.
How can I print a reference block?
You can't print a reference block on sheets that include patterns. But you can print a separate reference block by doing this:
- Click on the Print button.
- Under Seam Allowance, choose "None."
- Under Options, remove checks from every box except "Grayscale" and "Print pattern name."
You will get a reference block, printed in the size you specify.
You may also find that if you print your patterns (with units separated, seam allowance and whatever options you'd like) and have the "Grayscale" and "Print pattern name" options selected, the block will be recognizable enough, and you won't need a reference block.
How do I get my Sew Precise! blocks to show up in EQ4?
To get Sew Precise blocks to show up
in EQ4 you link the two programs. Once you link them, you will have access to Sew Precise! blocks in EQ4's Block Library.
To link EQ4 to Sew Precise! you can download and install the EQ Doctor, which will do the linking for you *OR* you can run the EQ4 installation a second time.
IMPORTANT: If you run the EQ4 installation a second time, be sure to choose the same destination folder the second time you run the setup as you do the first time. When you get the Setup Options dialog, choose "Link EQ4 to other EQ programs." Choose the products you have installed on your computer and the location of the files.
When you have completed the installation a second time, start EQ4.
If you receive the message: "EQ4\RES\DEFAULT1.PJ4 contains an invalid path" this means that the second time you ran the installation, you did not choose the same destination folder as you did the first time. Run the installation program again choosing the same path as the original installation.
After you have successfully completed the setup to link the programs, open the EQ4 Block Library. You will see the Sew Precise! products listed. Double-click on the book to open the files and see the blocks. These blocks do not appear in their original fabric colorings. They appear in random solid colors ready for you to use in EQ4.
NOTES: If the book appears with the product name but does not open when you double-click on it, then you need to run the setup again making sure that you choose the correct location (path) to the files.
I linked EQ4 to Sew Precise! Collection 3. What are the "Alternate Blocks" I see?
Everyone who has SP3: Shirley Liby Designs actually gets two sets of blocks: 1 Alternate Patterns 2 Collection 3
In SP3 you don't see the 2 sets, but they're there. You automatically see the square blocks with spacers. You see the other set only if you choose "print without spacers."
If you do not know what spacers are, get into SP3, click on Help, click on Frequently Asked Questions, and you'll see an illustrated discussion of spacers which explains them in pictures better than in words.
If you have linked EQ4 to SP3: - what you see as "Collection 3" blocks are the designs with "spacers" -- spacers are what we call filler pieces that make a rectangular block a square. For example, a baby bottle with small "spacer" rectangles at either side, making up the rest of the square. These are the blocks you automatically see in Sew Precise 3. - what you see as "Alternate Patterns" are the designs without the spacers.
Why does my printed pattern have more than one set of numbers?
You have printed a "multiple unit" block. The block can't be sewn all at once, starting at 1 and sewing to 8, for example. Instead, it needs to be sewn in sections. Each section has its own numbers. So you sew one section from 1 - 3, then set that section aside. Then sew the second section from 1 - 4, for example. Then, the final step is sewing section one to section two. You'll find more information on sewing multi-unit blocks in the Sew Precise's Help or How to sections.
For sewing ease, be sure you print the pattern with the units separated, with each surrounded by seam allowance. To do this, have the option "separate units" checked (on the printing box) before printing.
Why do my blocks look like they're displaying so oddly?
Try setting your
graphics hardware acceleration down and see if this makes a difference. To do this start at the Windows desktop. Click Start - Settings - Control Panel - Display - Settings tab - Advanced button - Performance tab. You'll see a slider bar for Graphics hardware accelaration. If yours is set on high, slide the bar to the left to turn it down a notch or two. Then look at Sew Precise.