First decide how you will use the fabric

 

Importing a fabric panel if your panel image is already cropped

You want to see one image of the whole panel, exactly what you imported, just as if it were a photo. You do not want the fabric to repeat (tile).

  1. Import from the Photo Library > Import
  2. Add to Sketchbook. The panel will be added to the Sketchbook’s Photo section.
  3. Use the Set Photo tool to set the image of the panel into the space.

 

Importing a fabric panel if your panel image needs cropping or resizing

  1. Import from the IMAGE worktable > Import Image.
  2. Use the Crop tool to crop as needed.
  3. Use IMAGE > Image Resize to adjust size or dpi.
  4. Click Add to Sketchbook. The panel will be added to the Sketchbook’s photo section.
  5. Use the Set Photo tool to set the image of the panel into the space.

 

Importing a fabric print if you have already cropped it to a small size

You want to use it as a cut up piece of fabric you can color any space with. You will see the one image that you import repeated over and over (tiled) as many times as needed to fill the space you’re trying to fill.

  1. Import from the ‘Fabric Library > Import
  2. Click Add to Sketchbook. The panel will be added to the Sketchbook’s Fabric section.
  3. Use any coloring tool (e.g. Paintbrush) to color with your fabric swatch.

 

Importing a fabric print if your image needs cropping or resizing

  1. Import from the IMAGE worktable > Import Image.
  2. Use the Crop tool to crop as needed.
  3. Use IMAGE > Image Resize to adjust size or dpi.
  4. Click IMAGE > Add to Sketchbook as Fabric. The panel will be added to the Sketchbook’s fabric section.
  5. Use any coloring tool (e.g. Paintbrush) to color with your fabric swatch.

 

Tips for cropping fabric prints

  • Pay great attention to where you crop. Try not to cut across a motif in the design if possible (sometimes of course it can’t be helped).
  • Capture the smallest repeat possible. For example: for a one-color polka-dot fabric, you need only capture one polka-dot. That polka-dot and background color would repeat, forming a whole which would not show the tiling.
  • For large-scale fabrics where one crop can’t capture the whole repeat, capture and import many different crops of the fabric. You can use the different parts of the fabric in different parts of your quilt just as you would when actually cutting the fabric up.
  • Don’t forget you can use the Fussy Cut tool to move the fabric image on the patch if desired.

 

Why does imported fabric look so small in a quilt?

The fabric image scales real size (as long as the imported scan was actual size – not re-scaled). This means if you view the fabric on a 10” block, on the BLOCK worktable, the fabric print designs will look exactly the same size they would on the actual 10″ sewn block. (Although the print will tile if necessary to fill the block patches). And if you view that same fabric on a 80” x 80” quilt, the fabric will appear exactly as it would as if you were viewing that 80” x 80” quilt from whatever distance away from the quilt you would need to be to see the quilt in the size (maybe about 8”) that you see it on the computer monitor. If you zoom in on the quilt (think of it as walking closer to the quilt) the images on the fabric will appear larger and larger as you zoom, just as they would as you walked closer and closer to the quilt.

How are you going to be using your final quilt image?

  • If you’re a professional, needing your quilt image for a book, magazine, or other printed material, pay particular attention to the cropping. An exact look should be possible: Many quilt fabric manufacturers use EQ7 for creating the virtual quilts they use in ads and other promotional materials.
  • If you’re just trying to see an impression of what the fabric colors will look like, having an exact look may not be so important. All of the fabric in EQ7 is real, scanned fabric and works quite well for getting an impression of the final quilt for quilt planning.