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Be sure to visit our tutorial
page for more help.
What is meant by "tracing" a block?
When you trace a block, you are actually drawing over a picture. Instead
of using tracing paper and pencil, you use the tools provided by EQ4. To
do this, you start with a picture or a scan that has been saved as a
bitmap image. You can covert a .jpg or .gif to a bitmap using any photo
program or IrfanView32.
On the Quilt Block Worktable, open a New Block in either the EasyDraw
or PatchDraw. Choose PatchDraw if you are going to trace an elaborate
applique motif. Click on "Import for Tracing" . Use the Select
tool to drag the size of this bitmap to fit your block by grabbing a
corner square, and dragging the whole thing into the right size and
place.
Click on the PatchDraw or EasyDraw tab at the bottom of your
worktable and you'll be ready to trace using your Line tool and/or
Bezier tool. If the object you are tracing is large or detailed, divide
it into sections and finish tracing each section before you go on to the
next. For delicate work, use the Zoom tool from the left tool bar to
highlight areas so you can use the Adjust tool. You do not have to trace
every element. Use the Hide/show bitmap button (the colored cactus
button) to check your lines as you go. Save often! Color and save the
block, deleting all the backup copies.
If your bitmap mysteriously disappears while you are working on it,
double check the Hide/show bitmap button. You may have left it on hide.
Please note your bitmap will not show on the color tab.
How do I trace a picture?
First, scan in your picture in .bmp format. If you already have a .jpg
or a .gif, most graphic programs will allow you to convert it. IrfanView
is an excellent FREE graphics program that is easy to use. To
import the image into EQ4 to trace it, open EQ4 and go to the Block Worktable.
Click on Block then New Block, choosing either EasyDraw or PatchDraw.
Click on Block then click on "Import for Tracing". Change the
outline to red to see it more clearly when you are tracing. By
clicking on the bitmap icon in EQ4 you can switch it on/off to see how your
tracing is coming along. After you are done tracing the block, color and
save it. For more help, see pages 102 - 104 in the EQ4 Design
Cookbook.
Is there a way to automatically trace a block?
No, there is no way of autotracing.
I need more control over the tracing tools
in PatchDraw.
Enable the Advanced Drawing Features from File, Preferences. Then go
into Block, Drawing Board Setup, the PatchDraw tab and check Auto Join.
Successive lines will automatically be joined to each other and you
don't have to worry so much about closing your arcs. If you need to
convert a line to a curve or to add more nodes to a line, use the
pop-out Edit menu from the Adjust tool. To edit a line or a node, click
on it.
I am having trouble seeing the lines I
have drawn. Are there any tricks to make it easier?
Try lightening the image in any photo program, or convert it to
greyscale. You can do this easily in IrfanView from the Image menu. Or
you could select color balance from the same menu to increase one of the
color values. Then select Decrease Colors, which will have the effect of
highlighting the image lines you will be tracing.
I am having trouble doing an elaborate
applique. I did it in sections, but the color is bleeding.
This is commonly caused by nodes (the end of each line) not
connecting. If you click on the Select tool, then click on any part of
your drawing and pull it apart, do you get any parts that are separate
lines? These won’t hold the color because they are not a closed patch.
You may also find a line hidden under another line, which needs to be
removed before the patch is considered closed. To find this line, you
will need to highlight and remove each patch (you can drag it off the
screen) to look underneath it.
In PatchDraw complete patches will color correctly. Your nodes are
more likely to close automatically if you draw your applique pieces all
at the same time without letting up on the mouse. If not, you can use
the benizer to connect the notes.
How do I print templates for applique
pieces without a seam allowance?
In Print Preview, use the Select tool on the left tool bar to click
on a template to select it. You should see a red outline around the
template. Click on the red X on the left toolbar to eliminate that
template.
Can I import a block and make a pattern of it?
Yes. In order to import a scan of a block, and make a pattern of it, you need
to trace the block in EQ4. The only way to make the bitmap smaller is to do it
manually, eyeballing it, before you begin to trace it. For more information, see the Design
Cookbook recipes on Importing a Bitmap and Tracing a Bitmap on pages 102-105.
I would like to covert a photo to a pieced block by tracing over a scanned
in photo. How do I turn off Snap to Nodes?
- Choose Preferences on the FILE menu.
- On the Drawing Options tab, click Advanced Drawing Features.
- On the DRAW menu choose Drawing Board Setup.
- Take the check from Snap to Node.
Be sure to reset your preferences when you are finished.
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