I received a request for a quick tutorial on how to select blocks from the EQ8 Block Library, add them to your Sketchbook, and then put them into a layout.

To start, when I opened EQ8, I selected the “Search for Block Patterns” Icon. Then I saw this screen:

From here, I can click on each type of block in the left hand column, and then scroll through the images on the right side. Once you find a block that you like, select it and click “Add to Sketchbook” up above. I chose the category “Four Patch” and then added “Blue Boutonnieres” to my Sketchbook. Then, I closed that screen.

I was then brought to the main screen where I selected “Quilt Worktable” in the upper right (see arrow). Then I saw a series of quilt layout choices at the top of my screen.

I selected “Horizontal” which is the standard grid layout that most people use.

Then, I clicked “Layout” from the top bar.

Here, I first set my block size (because it in turn, defines my quilt top size). I decided to make my blocks 12.” Then I set the number of blocks to 5 horizontal and 6 vertical which will yield a 60″ x 72″ quilt top.

Next, I selected “Borders” from the upper tabs. And I was able to choose the width of my borders.

I don’t usually use borders but to make the tutorial a little more interesting, I selected 2″ borders on all sides. You can see that EQ8 automatically calculated my new quilt top size at the top. The quilt is now 64″ x 76.”

Next, I selected the “Design” tab at the top and the real fun began!

Under the “Block Tools” section, you see the block that I added to the Sketchbook initially, on the far right. It’s accompanied by blocks that are standard to the EQ8 library and are built in.

I can either drag and drop the block into each spot on the quilt top, or I can hold down Control A and drag it to fill all the spots at once. I chose the later.

This is what I got. Now, I can play with the Rotate button and turn some of the blocks.

I tried rotating the blocks so that the navy sections of each group of four blocks would meet, creating another pattern, and came up with this:

I also played with the “Symmetry” button and I actually got the same design above, along with several other possibilities, like this:

Once I settled on a layout, I clicked the “Fabric Tools” tab to play with color.

I shared a video on Instagram earlier this month showing how to make color changes. You can view it here.

After playing with the colors for a few minutes, I came up with this:

Fun! I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial. If you are interested in purchasing EQ8, I would love to share my promo code with you. It’s EQ8AMYF and it will give you a 20% discount on all products found on The Electric Quilt website. The code is good through June only!