Let’s get to know the basics of drawing an EasyDraw block.

  1. Open EQ8. On the Home Screen, click Design a block from scratch.
    blklesson1
  2. You’ll be switched to the Block Worktable with the NEW BLOCK tab selected. You can choose which kind of block you’d like to draw in the ribbon. You’ll see tips for the selected block style in the palette below.
    blklesson2
  3. Click Pieced in the ribbon, then EasyDraw in the palette.
  4. EasyDraw is like drawing with pencil and paper. In the EasyDraw tool palette, the Line, Arc, and Grid tools are for drawing; the Pick and Edit tools are for adjusting the drawing.
    blklesson3
  5. On the Precision Bar above the worktable set the Block Width and Height to 6″. Set the Snaps Horizontal and Vertical to 24. This will make our lines snap every quarter inch (0.25″). We’ll leave the Graph Paper off.
    blklesson4
About Snap Settings
The snap settings control where your lines “snap” on the block grid. In general, the snaps should be set at a multiple of the block size. For example, if your block is 10″ x 10″, set the snaps to 10 for a snap point at every inch. Set the snaps to 20 (10 x 2) for a snap point at every half inch (0.5″). Set snaps to 40 (10 x 4) for a snap point at every quarter inch (0.25″). And so on.
  1. Next to Snapping Options, make sure the first two options are selected (Snap to Grid and Snap to Node).
    blklesson5
  2. Click the Line tool in the palette (if it’s not already selected).
  3. Position your cursor at the upper-left corner of the block.
    blklesson6
  4. Click, hold, and drag your mouse diagonally across the block to the lower-right corner and release your mouse.
    blklesson7
    You’ve just drawn a half-square triangle!

    REMEMBER! The main rule of EasyDraw is that all the lines much touch other lines or the outside of the block. It may help to think of the lines as seams.

 

  1. Click the Add to Project Sketchbook button.
    Lesson1-23
  2. You’ll see a message explaining that you’re adding the block to the Sketchbook, but the project file has not been saved yet (that’s why it says Untitled at the top of the screen). Click OK. In the Save As box that appears, type Basic EasyDraw Lesson. Click the Save button to save the project file to your computer.
    blklesson8
  3. Let’s add a few more lines to this block. This time we’ll draw multiple lines at once. Click the Grid tool and set the Columns and Rows to 3.
    blklesson9
  4. Again, position your cursor at the upper-left corner of the block.
    blklesson10
  5. Click, hold, and drag your mouse diagonally across the block to the lower-right corner and release your mouse.
    blklesson11
    You’ve added drawn four lines at once to create a nine patch.
  6. Click the COLOR tab at the top of the screen.
    blklesson12
  7. Click the Paintbrush tool (if it’s not already selected).
    blklesson13
  8. Color the block with fabrics or colors.
    blklesson14
  9. Click Add to Project Sketchbook.
    tb-help
  10. Let’s make a variation of this block by deleting some lines. Click the Pick tool.
    blklesson15
  11. Click on one of the lines in the upper-right section of the block to select it. The line will be bold with little squares around it.
    blklesson17
  12. Click the Delete button in the palette (or press the Delete key on your keyboard). The line will disappear.
    blklesson18
  13. Repeat steps 20 and 21 until all the lines in the upper-right section have been deleted.
    blklesson19
  14. (Optional) Click the COLOR tab and color this new variation.
  15. Click Add to Project Sketchbook.
    tb-help
  16. Let’s start a new block. Click the NEW BLOCK tab.
  17. Click Pieced in the ribbon, then EasyDraw in the palette.
    blklesson20
  18. The same block size and snap settings we used in the last block should still be set in the Precision Bar. Confirm that Block Width and Height is still set at 6″, the Snaps Horizontal and Vertical are 24, and the first two Snapping Options are selected.
    blklesson4
    blklesson5
  19. Click the Arc tool in the palette.
    blklesson21
  20. Position your cursor in the lower-left corner of the block.
    blklesson22
  21. Click, hold, and drag your mouse diagonally across the block to the upper-right corner and release your mouse.
    blklesson23
  22. Position your cursor at the lower-left corner of the block again. Click, hold, and drag your mouse diagonally across the block. The curve is facing the same way it was the first time, but we want it to curve in the opposite direction this time.
    blklesson24
  23. While you’re dragging the mouse, press the Spacebar on keyboard. This makes the arc flip direction.
    blklesson25
  24. Click Add to Project Sketchbook.
    tb-help
  25. Click the Edit tool in the palette.
    blklesson26
  26. Click on the first arc to select it.
    blklesson27
  27. In the palette, under Add Nodes, change the number next to Partition to 4 and click Apply.
    blklesson28
    This sections the selected arc into 4 equal segments. Notice the three nodes added to the arc.
    blklesson29X
  28. Click on the second arc to select it.
    blklesson30
  29. In the palette, under Add Nodes, change the number next to Stagger to 4 and click Apply.
    blklesson31
    This sections the selected arc into 4 segments, but the two segments on the ends are “half” segments (in other words, three full segments in the middle, and the fourth segment is broken in half on the two ends). Notice the four nodes added to the arc.
    blklesson32
  30. Click the Line tool. We’re now going to connect the dots between the two arcs.
    blklesson3
  31. Position your cursor on the first node on the lower arc.
    blklesson33
  32. Click, hold, and drag your mouse to the first node on the upper arc. Release your mouse at that node.
    blklesson34
  33. Starting at the same node where you just ended the last line, click, hold, and drag your mouse to the next node on the lower arc.
    blklesson35
  34. Continue in this manner until you reach the last node on the lower arc.
    blklesson36
  35. Click Add to Project Sketchbook.
    tb-help
  36. Click the COLOR tab.
    blklesson12
  37. Use the Paintbrush tool to color your block with fabrics or colors.
    blklesson37
  38. Click Add to Project Sketchbook.
    tb-help
  39. Let’s take look at the blocks you’ve drawn in the lesson. Click View Project Sketchbook.
  40. Click the Blocks section on the left. The new blocks you’ve drawn are added after the default blocks. Use the scrollbar below the blocks if you don’t see them. The uncolored blocks you see are the “in-progress” blocks we saved in steps 10 and 33.
    blklesson38
  41. If you’d like to make any other changes to these blocks (add/delete lines, color with different fabrics, etc.), click the block to select it and then click the Edit button at the bottom of the Sketchbook. The block will be back on the Block Worktable with the DRAW tab selected.
  42. If you are done working in EQ8, click the Close button on the Sketchbook. Then you can close the program by clicking the X at the top or clicking File > Exit (PC) or Electric Quilt 8 > Quit Electric Quilt 8 (Mac).