Monday, February 8, 2010

EQ6 and Rouenerries, Take Two

Couldn’t resist and did some more playing.  I thought I’d demonstrate here the way EQ helps me evolve a design.   So, this came along:

star and sixteen patch

Very sweet and traditional.  Then I wanted to try something more lap quilt size.  So I put the design on point and used the frame I had created last time in the setting triangles.

on point stars 2

Then I wondered about switching the placement of the stars and sixteen patch blocks.

alt stars 4

Which I didn’t care for, though I liked the look of the stars in the corners.  So I decided to try keeping the stars in the corners but having the rest be squares except for a single star in the center. 

five stars outlined

Then I wondered what it might look like if the framing outline was also patched on the 16 patch grid.  After modifying the setting triangle blocks, I had this:

five stars patch outline

Just a little more modification now: floating four patch blocks on Layer 2 to see what it would look like if the frame extended out into the border.

patch into frame 5 stars

A little more color play:

star color play 

Or perhaps putting some of the stars back in?

on point stars

Whew!  That was a lot of fun.  There were actually some other takes but I didn’t like any of them and made them go poof! all gone.  It was time to bring in Monsieur Jeff’s most excellent opinion.  And doesn’t it figure?  He liked the first one I designed best.  So it looks like this is the go:

final

Though I’m pretty fond of some of those earlier takes, I will admit. And actually have some ideas floating about for more tweaks on the above designs.  Perhaps the jury is still out after all.  Any opinions here?

In any case, it was still a lot of fun doing all the playing in EQ.  And I like the effect of that patched outer frame that extends into the border.  I think I’ll be playing with that again (though I’ll draw a block for Layer 1 that creates the same effect).

But, while the fabric now sits all lovely and siren-like in my sewing room, Jeff did, rather plaintively, make noises about my finishing the pink quilt.  So, pink first.  Then Rouenerries. 

Speaking of Monsieur Jeff.  He just called to tell me the roads to campus and the sidewalks on campus are very slick, so I should be careful when I head out the door (before long).  I am very, very tired of ice.  I think by the time summer comes I may be still so traumatized by this winter I won’t even want ice in my ice tea!

5 comments:

  1. My favorite was the one under the comment "A little more color play." I really liked the secondary square (just hinted at) around the center star. The one without stars was my least favorite. Thanks for sharing your design process.

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  2. Wow you sure had a lot of fun playing with these blocks.

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  3. Guess what I just got!?!?! I've completed lesson one so far. Much fun to be had with virtual sewing on days when I can't do the real McCoy.

    I love that fabric range. Sadly is very expensive here, so I've only got a charm pack to play with. Good tip to know I can import the zip files from Moda. What lesson is that in I wonder ;-)

    Cheers,
    AJ

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  4. I like the fifth one, just before the floating squares, though I think the changed border may have something to dowith not likeing the sixth!
    Great to see someone showing the step by step moves.
    Judy B

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  5. That's what I love about EQ6...you can play like that!
    Micki

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