Fall 2022 QAL – EQ8 Custom Set

I saved the EQ8 Custom layout for the Fall 2022 QAL and uploaded the EQ8 file to the “Files” Section of the AccuQuilt Qube Facebook Group. I have hesitated to do that because using Custom Set is a great tool in EQ8, but IMHO isn’t always intuitive and requires experience with the software. My recommendation is that when you open the file, first save the layout to your layout library so that you always keep the original file.

This is how to save a Custom Set to your Layout Library:

Select Libraries in the Main Menu and in the dropdown menu, select Layout Library…

In the Popup Menu, select Current Sketchbook from the Menu on the left. Select the Layout that appears on the right. In the lower left menu, select Copy.

In the Popup Menu, select “My Favorite Layouts“. Select a Style and right click. In the Popup box that appears on the right, type in the name of the style. Click OK.

Select the new Style that you named, select Paste from the Lower Menu. When the Layout appears on the right, select Save Library and click OK in the popup box that tells you the Layout has been saved.


To resize your Layout, check your Quilt Worktable Settings as shown below:

In the top menu, select Quilt and in the dropdown menu, select Quilt Worktable Options.

In the Quilt Worktable Options menu, select All Styles under Layout Options. Be sure that the option “Maintain existing block sizes when resizing layout.” is UNCHECKED.


To resize your Layout, click Layout in the top menu. Calculate the new size of your quilt by calculating the width and height of the finished block sizes in the Center Rectangle of the Custom Layout quilt.

Pay attention to the boxes in the menu that are marked as shown. Check or uncheck as needed.

Nesting Geese Border Tutorial

Last week I showed you a Migrating Geese Border Tutorial inspired by a Youtube video by Deb Tucker. This week I want to show you how to make a “Nesting Geese” border for your quilt. This is a quilt that I designed last Spring and today is the first time it has appeared on my website. The center is made by my favorite method for making a a throw quilt to accent a room. I call this method Four Blocks and a Border.

Cutting Instructions: You can use any size Qube and the block will be the finished size of the Qube that you use.

  • Background Fabric:
    • Cut 4 Shape 3 Half Square Triangles (HST)
    • Cut 4 Shape 4 Quarter Square Triangles (QST)
  • Color Fabric (may be assorted colors or a single color:
    • Cut 4 Shape 4 Quarter Square Triangles

Step 1: Sew a light and a dark Shape 4 QST sewing the long sides of the QST together as shown. Make two QST subunits


Step 2: Sew a dark Shape 4 QST to the left side of one of the Shape 4 QST subunits and a light Shape 4 QST to the right side of the Shape 4 QST subunit. This is for one half of the quilt block. You will be stitching a short side of the Shape 4 QSTs together.It works best for me to lay these out on a felt board before stitching to be sure that the correct sides are stitched together.


Step 3: Sew a dark Shape 4 QST to the left side of the other Shape 4 QST subunit and a light Shape 4 QST to the right side of the Shape 4 QST subunit. This is for the other half of the quilt block.


Step 4: Sew a Shape 3 HST to the top and a Shape 3 HST to the bottom of the Shape 4 QST unit. This completes one half of the block.


Step 5: Sew a Shape 3 HST to the top and a Shape 3 HST to the bottom of the Shape 4 QST unit. This completes the second half of the block.


Step 6: Sew the two halves of the block together to complete the quilt block. Note that the V of the geese is at the bottom of the quilt block.


Note: Another option is to reverse the two halves of the block to make a block with the V of the geese at the top of the quilt block.
And a third option is to use a half block to complete a border row as needed to make the length required for your border. The entire border can be made with half block units to fit your quilt top. You can see in the quilt below how a half block was used to finish each border on the quilt.


Nesting Geese Quilt

The Finish Line – Block 10 – Final Row

This row uses Flying Geese and Squares on Point and you can arrange them any way you like. You can point those geese flying up, down or to either side. And add as many Squares on Point or as few as you like.  And the only thing left after this are the final outer borders. The yardage and cutting instructions from Week 1 give some suggestions for borders, but you may have other ideas. Make this quilt your own. I can’t wait to see your creations.

Patriotic Stars Throw Quilt – Tutorial

I am reprising this quilt from a 2016 blog post that I wrote for AccuQuilt. I have searched the AccuQuilt blog site and cannot find the post for a link, so will rewrite it here as I think it’s a wonderful quilt and fun to make. The May-June-July months of Memorial Day, Flag Day, and July 4 are wonderful times to make this quilt. With the Patriotic Stars embroidery set, you can stitch the same star for every block or use a variety of stars from the set. There are three sizes of stars, so you can make blocks that fit any of the stars from the AccuQuilt GO! Star die.

Supplies Needed for QUBE and Star (to make the quilt exactly as I did with 6″ finished blocks)
Machine Embroidery Supplies:
  • Fusible – Lite Steam A Seam2 (Lite SAS2)
  • Medium to light weight tearaway stabilizer (satin stitches will need a medium weight stabilizer whereas blanket and lighter edge stitches will use a light weight stabilizer)
  • Machine Embroidery Supplies including coordinating thread and bobbin thread
  • Background Fabric for Star Blocks – ¾ yard
  • Applique Fabric for Stars – 1/3 yard
  • Blue Color 1 Fabric – 1/2 yard
  • Blue Color 2 Fabric – 1/2 yard
  • Background Fabric for Pieced Blocks – ½ yard
  • Border 1 – Red Fabric – 1/2 yard (or more if you use this for binding)
  • Border 2 and Binding– Blue Color 1 Fabric – 3/4 yard
Embroidery blocks (make 12 blocks):

Apply fusible as per manufacturer instructions and leave paper backing attached until stars are cut. Cut fabric and fusible to fit the star size for the quilt you are making. When cutting fabric with fusible and paper attached, the recommendation is to cut no more than 4 shapes at a time.

Embroider the stars onto a block that is approximately 3 ” larger than the finished block. When the embroidery is complete, center the star and trim the block to a finished 6-1/2”. Using a larger background square makes it easier to center the star perfectly in the block by trimming it to a smaller size rather than trying to center it perfectly in the embroidery hoop.

Pieced Quilt blocks: (make 13 blocks):

The Frayed 4-Patch Block is cut with Shape 2 and Shape 8 of the GO! 6” QUBE. This is the cutting diagram for the block.

Cutting instructions for quilt blocks:
  • Shape 2: cut 52 squares from blue color 1 fabric
  • Shape 2: cut 52 squares from blue color 2 fabric
  • Shape 8: cut 52 rectangles from background fabric
Cutting instructions for Borders:

Cut fabric for red borders using the 2-1/2” AccuQuilt Strip Die (Die # 55014 or 55017). Cut 2 strips 2-1/2” x 30-1/2″ Cut 2 strips 2-1/2″ x 34-1/2″.

Cut fabric for blue borders using the 3-1/2: AccuQuilt Strip Die (Die # 55032). Cut 2 strips 3-1/2″ x 34-1/2″. Cut 2 strips 3-1/2″ x 40-1/2″.

Assemble quilt as shown in the diagram below:
Add red border:

Pin and stitch the red vertical borders to the right and left sides of the quilt top, easing as necessary. Press seams toward the border.

Pin and stitch the red horizontal borders to the top and bottom of the quilt top, easing as necessary. Press seams toward the border.

Add blue border:

Pin and stitch the blue vertical borders to the right and left sides of the quilt top, easing as necessary. Press seams toward the border.

Pin and stitch the blue horizontal borders to the top and bottom of the quilt top, easing as necessary. Press seams toward the border.

Quilt as desired, add binding and a label to your quilt and you will be ready for the 4th of July.

 

Block 2 – Quarter Square Triangle Pinwheel

This week’s block is one of my favorite blocks because it uses Flying Geese and Rectangles and is so easy to make. The nice thing about it is that if you are setting blocks side by side rather than adding sashing, it is much easier to match the seams. In this case, you have sashing all around, but it’s a block worth adding to your repertoire.

Click the image below to go to the QAL page.

Block 2 Quarter Square Triangle Pinwheel

Pinwheel Row QAL with Block 2, Row 1 added

You will make three of these blocks for Row 1 of Pieced Blocks. And next week we will add the other two blocks and finish the row with sashing between blocks.

Starting with a Ribbon Border

This is the first week of the new Pinwheel QAL and I debated whether to start with one of the pieced borders or a Pinwheel block. That beautiful pieced ribbon border won. It is a border that can be used so many ways and is a fun thing for beginners to learn and for experienced quilters to enjoy making. You will find the block on the QAL page by clicking on the menu link at the top of this page or click here.

These are the dies that I used from the 8″ Qube – a shape 4 Quarter Square Triangle and a Shape 3 Half Square Triangle.

Shape 3 HST and Shape 4 QST

These are the shapes after cutting. I stacked and arranged them in the order of stitching.

Ribbon Border Shapes Cut

It is so important to keep the light and medium quarter square triangle shapes in the same position in each block so I like to put them all together before I start stitching. See below how I use a pin to mark the side that will be stitched. I go ahead and put the triangles together with a pin in each one and stack them and then chain piece the triangles.

Marking the side to be stitched.

And once the triangles are stitched together, here are a couple of options for arranging them. I love both of these configurations, but can you come up with some different arrangments?

 

Here are possible configurations as you might put them into the quilt. But wait! You may want to see what the other pieced borders look like and use this one somewhere else – there are four possibilities for this one.

            

Qube QAL – Block 13 – Magic Pinwheel

This is a fun block AND it’s the last block of this QAL. I hope everyone has had fun with this. I can’t wait to see all the beautiful quilts on Facebook. The color combinations have been wonderful. Click here for the QAL page.

My quilt is almost finished. I have the individual rows stitched together but still have to stitch row to row.  Here’s the block:

Block 13 Magic Pinwheel

And here’s a link to the new die launch for tomorrow. It’s going to be fun.

 

 

Matching Points – One Method

Many of the newer quilters participating in the QUBE QAL have talked about how difficult it can be to match points. Some think this is because of pressing seams open, but it can be difficult whether you press seams open or to the side. For years, I avoided pinwheel quilt blocks for this very reason. I took some pictures yesterday of one of the ways that I match points.

Helpful tips:
+ Use a large pin for matching points. A finer pin seems to slip within the seam.
+ Use a shorter stitch on seams that have matching points.
+ Use something to anchor your pin. I use a piece from a foam mat, but a piece of styrofoam or foam core board or a sewing ham will work as well.
+ Place pins so that you do not sew over them. I know many machine salespeople will say that certain machines will not hit pins. I have had many brands of machines and no matter what, sooner or later, the needle will strike the pin. And striking the pin just right will result in  the timing to be off enough to cause skipped stitches.

Here are pictures of one of the ways I match points. It really requires getting the pin exactly at the tip of the point and when pinning through the seam, the pin can slip just a little up or down. This is why a shorter stitch length really matters.

Placement of the pin from the top.

A look at the placement of the pin from the inside.

Pinning to secure the points before removing the alignment pin. One can pull the long pin back just before sewing so that the presser foot holds the fabric in place while sewing across the top of the point. After crossing the point remove the vertical pin

Tomorrow I’ll show you another way to match points.

QUBE QAL: Block 4 Clay’s Choice

The block this week is a simple one using only half square triangles and squares. However, for those who have the Corners Companion Qube, you might want to substitute the chisel die for a half square triangle and square.

Here are pictures of the original block and the one that is adapted using the chisel. I did not write instructions for the chisel die as that is a challenge for you. Hint: If you use the chisel, your construction will be in three rows as you will have to make the center as a pinwheel with the chisel units on either side.

Block 4 Clay’s Choice

Alternate Block 4 Clay’s Choice using the Chisel die from the Corners Companion Qube.

For those who prefer to press their seams to one side, here’s a video that will be helpful to you in matching the center of the pinwheel points. Pay special attention as this will make a huge difference in your quilting.

Piecing the Blocks for the QAL

There have been several Facebook posts of quilters who have selected and cut the wrong shape, e.g., a Shape 3 instead of a Shape 5 and not only did the shapes not fit but had to be re-cut. Reading the instructions really helps as the Shape #s are written on the diagram. Even so, it’s easy sometimes to pick up the wrong die. We talked about labelling the dies, but there is another step that really helps me.

Piecing the Block: First dies are selected and the shapes are cut from fabric.  After the shapes are cut, I use a foam core board covered with a thin layer of cotton quilt batting to lay out the shapes so I can see that the block will go together as it should.

And then after making sure the correct shapes for the block are cut, I stack and arrange the shapes into the subunits that will be made. For example in this block, there are four flying geese, four Shape 2 Squares and one Shape 6 Square on Point finished with four Shape 5 HSTs. This allows me to chain piece the subunits in the block.

One quilter wrote on the FB group about cutting shapes from thin foam and labelling them with a marker and then laying them out so she could learn the different shapes. This is a great idea for beginner quilters and those who are new to the Qube system. It’s nice to have a chart so you can visualize the shapes and shape #s. AccuQuilt has a wonderful resource with a chart with all the shapes from the Qube sets with all 216 blocks. I highly recommend you download this and print the chart and always keep it handy.

There are times when designing a block or trying a new block and it’s nice to know how the shapes will go together before cutting into fabric. In that case, colored paper is a great way to see how the block will go together. A pack of colored construction paper is always near my library of Qubes so that shapes can be cut and arranged and rearranged. When it is important to cut directional dies, I use a marker and scribble all over one side of the paper so that I can tell which is the right side and which is the wrong side of the fabric.