EQ7 Demo Suggestions

Giving an EQ7 demonstration at your guild, or a show? We think when people come to a demo, knowing nothing about quilt designing on a computer, they would love to see this in a 30 minute demonstration:

  • A quick, short overview. Your audience does not need to see (and can’t see) everything.
  • A show and tell of your EQ7-designed quilt: Show how YOU actually used EQ7 to design a real quilt(or several different quilts). Many people think of the program as a toy for making virtual quilts. They’re surprised that real quilts actually get designed and made. Open a project and show how you started with a blank layout, adjusted the layout, added borders, drew or chose blocks from the Library, chose fabrics, colored with the fabrics, designed the quilt, and finally printed the patterns. Then show your finished quit.
  • Several of EQ7’s automatic features:
    • Open a photo (you can get one from the Photo Library > then open the Sketchbook > go to the Photo section > click the Edit button to put the photo down on the worktable. Use IMAGE > Apply Symmetries to create kaleidoscopic designs. Watch this video >
    • Show ways to create new blocks without drawing. Watch this video >
    • Show them this new tool which usually wows people – the Swath tool in PatchDraw. Watch this video >

We think if you did all these things people would not be overwhelmed, and you would keep their interest.

If time allows

Have more time? Invite people in the audience to help you design a quilt, by asking them to decide on:

  • what layout style to choose
  • what blocks from the library – pieced? applique? then which pieced or applique – you could use Library Search to find suggested blocks.
  • what colors – then go to the Fabric Library, and use Search > By color to find fabrics
  • quickly set blocks and use the Swap tool to recolor in several different ways > save all color variations in Sketchbook > then ask audience members to vote on their favorite with a show of hands as you look at the several variations in the Sketchbook.

IMPORTANT NOTE

Before the meeting, or before you begin, do this:

  1. Hook the computer up to the TV, or projector – whatever screen you’ll display on. Then be sure to click the Set Block tool, and the Paintbrush tool. Do the Sketchbook Palette and the Fabrics/Colors Palette pop up? If not, it is because screen resolution has changed, and they are showing off-screen.
  2. Do this to fix: In EQ7 click FILE > Preferences > Restore > Restore Default Settings. You should then see the Sketchbook Blocks palette when you click the Set Block tool, and the Fabrics/Colors palette when you click on any coloring tool.Good luck with your plans!!!