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You are here: Home > Community > Lessons > Benni Harper Mystery Lessons > Lesson 5

Benni Harper Mystery Lesson 5: Dove in the Window

quilt design by Tina Davis

Dove in the Window quilt by Tina Davis

Dove in the Window is an intricate star pattern made of primarily diamond shapes that give it a sharp, exacting look. Probably of east coast origin, the early nineteenth-century pattern in one of its many forms presents a picture suggestive of birds resting beak to beak. The design is said to have derived its name from the days when everyone had barns with dovecotes -- round holes cut in the gable and a tiny platform beneath -- all for the accommodation of pet pigeons. Each square can contain as many as fifty-six pieces, making it a time-consuming pattern not suggested for the impatient quilter. Some other names for the pattern are: Flying Star, Four Doves, Bluebirds for Happiness, Bird of Paradise, Mother's Choice, Flying Fish, Crow's Foot and Crossroads.


Download the Dove in the Window project

This block is a tricky one to draw, so we'll start by downloading the Dove project with the block drawn for you. Download the project, if you haven't already, by clicking on the underlined words below. Choose the Save option.

Download the Dove in the Window Project

Open the Dove in the Window Project

  1. Open EQ5.
  2. Click the Open an Existing Project tab (it appears immediately when you open EQ5).
    OR
    On the FILE menu, choose Open.
  3. Find "Benni-Dove" in the Existing Projects list.
  4. Click OK.
  5. The Sketchbook opens. The Quilts tab shows "No quilts." Click the Blocks tab, displaying a Star block. One of the names this block is known by is Dove in the Window.
  6. Click the X to close the Sketchbook.

Make a quilt layout

  1. On the main menu bar click WORKTABLE - Work on Quilt.
  2. Click QUILT, point to New Quilt and choose Horizontal.
  3. At the bottom of your screen, click the Layout tab.
  4. Make the number of blocks 1 Horizontal, 1 Vertical.
  5. Make the block size 15.
  6. Make the sashing 0.
  7. Click the Borders tab.
  8. Click the down arrow under Style to see your choices. Choose Triangle Out. Size: 2.00 for all sides; Blocks in border: 1.
  9. Click the Add button to add a border.
  10. Style: Diamond Blocks; Size 3; Blocks in border: 3 in each.

Set the block into the quilt

  1. Click the Layer 1 tab.
  2. Click the Set tool . Your Dove in the Window block should be selected.
  3. Click the forward arrow beneath the block, if necessary, to display the block in a coloring.
  4. Click on the center of your quilt. The Dove in the Window block will pop into your quilt.

Get fabrics from the library

  1. Click LIBRARIES - Palette Library.
  2. Click the name "Sea and Sky" in the palettes list.
  3. Click the Load button.
  4. Leave the dot next to "don't delete any fabrics," and click OK. The palette library will close and you will be returned to the quilt worktable.
  5. To see your fabrics again click the Paintbrush tool . Scroll to see all the fabrics in the Fabrics palette.

Color the quilt

  1. Click to select a fabric in the Fabrics palette.
  2. Hold down your keyboard CTRL key and click in the border to color all the same sections at one time.
  3. Choose another color, and click to color another part of the border.
  4. Keep choosing colors from the palette and coloring the quilt center and border.
  5. Here's a coloring trick: Once you have the quilt sections colored, you can change any color all over your quilt to another color by using the Swap tool . Click the Swap tool, pick a fabric in the palette and click a color on your quilt to replace it with the color you've selected. Keep clicking on colors and try them out in your quilt.
  6. Stop when you are happy with the coloring.
  7. Click the Save in Sketchbook button.
  8. Click the View Sketchbook button and click the Quilts tab.
  9. Click the Notecard button.
  10. In the top Name field, type: "My Dove in the Window quilt".
  11. Click the "X" in the bottom-right to close the Sketchbook.
  12. Click the Save button to save your notecard information.
  13. Your Dove in the Window project is now complete, and saved on the hard drive.

Try an on-point variation

  1. To choose a new quilt layout style, click QUILT, point to New Quilt, click On-point. Your first quilt will disappear and an on-point layout will be on your screen. Don't worry your first quilt is not gone forever, because we saved it in the Sketchbook.
  2. Click the Layout tab.
  3. Make the number of blocks 2 Horizontal, 2 Vertical.
  4. Make the block size 12.
  5. Make the sashing 0.
  6. Click the Borders tab.
  7. Click the down arrow under Style to see your choices Choose Triangle Out. Size: 2.00 for all sides; Blocks in border: 3.
  8. Click the Add button to add a border.
  9. Style: Mitered; Size .50. It will resemble binding.

Set blocks into the quilt

  1. Click the Layer 1 tab.
  2. Click the Set tool. Click to select your Dove in the Window block.
  3. Click on the center block of your quilt. The Dove in the Window block will pop into this block in your quilt.
  4. Hold down the CTRL key on your keyboard and click the top full block in your quilt. All blocks except the setting triangles will fill.

Color the on-point quilt

  1. Click the Paintbrush tool. Color the blocks and border any way you'd like.
  2. Stop when you are happy with the coloring.
  3. Click the Save in Sketchbook button.
  4. Click the View Sketchbook button and click the Quilts tab.
  5. Click a right-facing colorway arrow to get to Quilt 2 of 2.
  6. Click the Notecard button.
  7. In the top Name field, type: "My On-Point Dove in the Window quilt".
  8. Click the "X" in the bottom-right to close the Sketchbook.
  9. Click the Save button to save your notecard information.
  10. Your Dove in the Window variation is now complete, and saved on the hard drive.

Print the blocks (optional)

  1. To print templates for the block, be on Layer 1. Click the Select tool. Click on a block on the quilt. Click FILE - Print - Templates. Click the Size from quilt box. Click Print.

Dove in the Window - Tina DavisHere's what Tina's second variation looks like.

to be continued with another Benni Harper mystery quilt