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Benni Harper Mystery Lesson 6: Mariner's Compass

quilt design by Tina Davis

Mariner's Compass is an old English pattern that can be traced back as far as the 1700s. The design, taken from the wind roses found on ships' compasses and sea charts, was a favorite of nineteenth-century quilt makers living on the Eastern Seaboard. With its bold mixture of curves and narrow, radiating points, always in multiples of eight, it requires many hours of patient piecing and is often attempted only by advanced quilters. Other names include, Sunburst, Rising Sun, and Chips & Whetstones. It is to be noted that a compass is not only meant to point the way to our destination, but its function is also to show us the way home.

Download the Mariner's Compass project

This block is a tricky one to draw, so we'll start by downloading the Mariner's Compass 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 Mariner's Compass Project

• A "Save in" box appears. Click on the down arrow beside the "Save in:" box. A list drops down.
• Scroll to find the hard drive where you installed EQ5 (typically C:\). Click on this hard drive name. This puts the hard drive name in the "Save in:" box. You see a list of folders below.
• Double-click on folders and got to the My Documents - My EQ5 - PJ5 folder.
• Click the Save button. Your project will be saved right into the PJ5 folder for EQ5 to find easily.

Open the Mariner's Compass 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-Mariner" 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 Mariner's Compass.
6. Click the X to close the Sketchbook.

Make a quilt layout

7. Click WORKTABLE on the main menu bar and choose Work on Quilt.
8. Click QUILT on the main menu bar, point to New Quilt and choose Custom Set. A Custom Set layout is just our name for a quilt containing blocks of different sizes.
9. Click the Layout tab.
10. Make the Center Rectangle size for Horizontal and Vertical: 16.50
11. Click the Borders tab.
12. The Mitered Style is selected. We'll use that. Size: 1.00 for all sides.
13. Click the Add button to add a border.
14. Style: Mitered; Size: 2.00 for all sides.
15. Click the Add button to add a border.
16. Style: Triangle Out; Size: 3.00 for all sides; Blocks in Border: 1.
17. Click the Add button to add a border.
18. Style: Mitered; Size: .25 for all sides.

Set the Mariner's Compass block into the quilt

19. Click the Layer 1 tab.
20. Click the Set tool . Click to select your Compass block.
21. Since this is a Custom Set quilt, blocks don't automatically set with a click, because they can be set any size in this quilt style. To set the block, hold down your keyboard SHIFT key. Point toward the center of your quilt, click and drag diagonally with the mouse. A box forms as you drag. Release the mouse button and the block will pop into your quilt. Don't worry about size yet.

    Note: If the selected block does not pop into the box you dragged, the box was too small. Drag a larger box and it should work this time.

Set, resize and locate a block in Custom Set

22. Click VIEW on the main menu bar.
23. Look for Graph Pad. Be sure there is a check beside Graph Pad. If it is not checked, click on Graph Pad, to check it. The Graph Pad is the small bar that appears at the bottom of the screen, just above the Windows taskbar.
24. Click the Adjust tool (on the right-hand toolbar). This tool is used for Custom Set, to do all resizing and moving of blocks.
25. Click the block on your quilt. It becomes selected. The Graph Pad fills with numbers.
26. Look at the numbers in the center of the Graph Pad . These show the block size.
27. Click the arrows beside these size numbers to make your block size: 10.50 x 10.50.
28. Look at the numbers at the left of the Graph Pad. These show the block location.

    Note: Your quilt center is 16.50 x 16.50. After much calculation we figure the exact center of the this quilt center, for your 10.50 x 10.50 block is: 3.00 x 3.00.

29. Click the arrows beside these location numbers to make the numbers: 3.00 x 3.00. Your Mariner's Compass block will move to be centered in your quilt.

Set, resize and locate the Schooner blocks

30. Click the Set tool. Click on the second block in your Sketchbook palette: Schooner.
31. Point at the quilt - anywhere - and drag the mouse to set a Schooner block. Repeat this three more times to set four Schooner blocks. Again, don't worry about placement or size.
32. Click the Adjust tool.
33. Click on one Schooner block. It becomes selected
34. Click the size numbers (center) to make the Schooner block: 3.00 x 3.00.
35. Hold down your keyboard SHIFT key as you click on the three other Schooner blocks. All will become selected.
36. Click the Same Size button on the Graph Pad. All the Schooner blocks will now be: 3.00 x 3.00.
37. Click away from the blocks, to deselect them.
38. To reposition each of the blocks: Click on a Schooner block. It becomes selected. Then click the location (left) arrows on the Graph Pad. Here are the location numbers for each Schooner block:
    • 0.00 x 0.00
    • 0.00 x 13.50
    • 13.50 x 0.00
    • 13.50 x 13.50
    You should now have a Schooner block in each corner of your quilt.

Set, resize and locate the other boat blocks

39. Click the Set tool. Click on the third block in your Sketchbook palette: Sailboat III.
40. Point at the quilt - anywhere - and drag the mouse to set a Sailboat III block.Set one of each of the remaining sailboat blocks -- Sailboat , Bathtub Boat, Boat -- in the same way. Again, don't worry about placement or size.
41. Click the Adjust tool.
42. Click on the Sailboat III block. It becomes selected.
43. Click the size numbers (center) to make the Sailboat III block: 3.00 x 3.00.
44. Hold down your keyboard SHIFT key as you click on the three other boat blocks that you just set. All will become selected.
45. Click the Same Size button on the Graph Pad. All the boat blocks will now be: 3.00 x 3.00.
46. Click away from the blocks, to deselect them.
47. Next, reposition each of the sailboat blocks (but don't move those boats you moved to the corner) To move a block, click on any boat (it doesn't matter which boat goes where), then type one of the location numbers below into the location number boxes on the Graph Pad (the numbers on the left):
    • 4.50 x 0.00
    • 9.00 x 0.00
    • 4.50 x 13.50
    • 9.00 x 13.50
    You should now have boats along the top and bottom edge of your quilt center.

Set, resize and locate the Lighthouse block

48. Click the Set tool. Click on the Lighthouse block.
49. Point at the quilt - at any empty space - and drag the mouse to set two Lighthouse blocks.
50. Click the Adjust tool.
51. Click on one Lighthouse block. It becomes selected.
52. Click the size numbers (center) to make the Lighthouse block: 3.00 x 6.00. This makes it a tall rectangular lighthouse.
53. Hold down your keyboard SHIFT key as you click on the other Lighthouse.
54. Click the Same Size button on the Graph Pad. Both Lighthouse blocks will now be: 3.00 x 6.00.
55. Click away from the blocks, to deselect them.
56. Next, reposition each Lighthouse. Here are the position numbers:
    • 0.00 x 5.25
    • 13.50 x 5.25
    The quilt center is nearly done. Next we'll set plain strips between the blocks.

Set, resize and locate the lattice strips

57. Click the Plain Block tool. The Plain Block tool is used for setting plain (without piecing or applique) color or fabric blocks or sashes on your quilt.
58. Scroll the fabric scrollbar to find and click on the blue fabric with white "waves," or choose any other fabric you prefer.
59. Point at the quilt - at the space between any blocks - and drag the mouse to set sashes between all of the blocks. You'll be setting ten sashes - 4 horizontal and 6 vertical. You won't get them perfectly placed. So we'll resize and move them. If you color a border by mistake, click EDIT - Undo immediately after your mistake.
60. Click the Adjust tool.
61. Click on one vertical sash. It becomes selected.
62. Click the size numbers (center) to make the vertical sash block: 1.50 x 3.00.
63. Hold down your keyboard SHIFT key as you click on the other five vertical sashes.
64. Click the Same Size button on the Graph Pad. All six vertical sash blocks will now be: 1.50 x 3.00.
65. Click away from the sashes, to deselect them.
66. Next, reposition each vertical sash in the top row. Here are the position numbers:
    • 3.00 x 0.00
    • 7.50 x 0.00
    • 12.00 x 0.00
67. Next, reposition each vertical sash in the bottom row. Here are position numbers:
    • 3.00 x 13.50
    • 7.50 x 13.50
    • 12.00 x 13.50
68. Now for the horizontal sashes. Click on one horizontal sash.
69. Click the size numbers (center) to make the horizontal sash block: 3.00 x 2.25.
70. Hold down your keyboard SHIFT key as you click on the other three horizontal sashes.
71. Click the Same Size button on the Graph Pad. All four vertical sash blocks will now be: 3.00 x 2.25.
72. Click away from the sashes, to deselect them.
73. Now reposition the horizontal sashes on the quilt's left side. Here are the position numbers:
    • 0.00 x 3.00
    • 0.00 x 11.25
74. Next, reposition the horizontal sashes on the quilt's right side. Here are position numbers:
    • 13.50 x 3.00
    • 13.50 x 11.25
    Your quilt center is done.

Color the border

75. Click the Paintbrush tool .
76. Color the border and border corners as you would like. You may want to zoom in when you color the outside border, since it's so narrow.
77. When you're happy with your coloring, click the Save in Sketchbook button.
78. Click the Save button. Your Mariner's Compass quilt is now complete, and saved on the hard drive.

Print the blocks (optional)

79. To print templates for the blocks, 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.

Here's what Tina's second variation looks like. Tina played with borders and blocks in this completely different compass variation.

to be continued with another Benni Harper mystery quilt