EQ Lesson #2

The second lesson the EQ8 Designing Quilts book is Using Borders to Create Negative Space for Modern Quilt Layouts.

I already knew how to use borders like this but I did learn a couple of cool things like how to change the default widest width for borders. I didn't even know that settings for worktable options existed! We added 2 blocks from the library to get the above layout.

Then we played around with color and rotating the blocks to get this.

The we simplified the block for piecing...also nothing new.

But I did learn how to replace the blocks in the quilt and keep the rotation! This is also in the Quilt Worktable Options (the setting gear on the left tool bar).

I wanted to play with this "modern" style layout some more and I had visited Mom that day and saw that she had a big box of 2 1/2" squares.  That seemed like good inspiration so I thought I'd see if I could come up with something to do with them.....not that I'm volunteering to take them or anything. I simply used them for inspiration. I'm not about to sign up to takes someone else's scraps when I have plenty of my own.

Veteran's quilts are 48 x 60 so I decided on a block that's 8" x 10" for ease of designing.

This version is symmetrical so a little more traditional. The 2 outside borders are 8" wide (finished) and the 2 narrow sashings are 4" finished.

This version is more like the one in the lesson. The borders left to right are 16", 2", 2" and 4" - all finished widths. Not bad.

Then I played around with the block a bit and came up with this version.

This is the result of the new block set 4 blocks wide and 6 blocks long. The border on the left is 12" and on the right is 4", finished. I rather like this. 

Or, back to a traditional layout with 6 blocks across and 6 down. I like this. I actually like all of them but I'm still not volunteering to make any of them!