Have you seen this NEW Electric Quilt (EQ8) Add-on?

Kaleidoscope Collection 2!!

If you love to foundation paper piece, these blocks are for you! This collection adds over 500 kaleidoscope-style blocks to the EQ8 Block Library. Mix and match the blocks for amazing quilt designs. Print the foundation paper piecing patterns at any size using EQ8 software and start sewing!

I got a copy from EQ to play with, here’s what I did

When you first install it, you go into EQ block library and you’ll find the kaleidoscope collection at the bottom on the left

Under Spring and summer I found several fun blocks, one that I really liked was this tree block

 

But I didn’t want the star in the middle, and that’s easy to remove in EQ

First I went in and removed part of the star lines, but I still didn’t want that

So I removed them all

One thing in EQ8 is that when you print, it shows the COLORS! that’s huge!! Here if I kept the 12″ block and printed as is, part of the blocks would print out half, I didn’t want that, here’s how I fixed it.

Under the print preview, you can move the sections around, so I moved the side pieces onto 2 pages and printed those, then went back and removed the side pieces and printed just the corner pieces.

After printing them all I decided, I’d rather make a small pincushion, so I changed the block size in the print pop-up window to 4″ and printed the templates (all on one page!!)

Look at the difference in size when printing!!

And call me crazy for wanting to sew so tiny!! But that’s the fun part of Foundation paper piecing, it’ll be precise, even if it’s tiny!

I cut out the pieces and got my fabrics ready, I also folded the papers on all the solid lines which makes it easier to work with later!

 

I laid fabric 1 on top of fabric 2 and lined it up approx. 1/4″ from the fold line between step 1 and 2 on the paper, having the step 1 toward me and fabric 1 on top!

Then with a small stitch length (1.5) I sewed a bit before the line, then followed the line and a bit after the line, and repeated that on all the 8 pieces for the block.

I pressed fabric 2 (brown) up and away from fabric 1. Then I’d fold the paper on the fold line between 2 and 3 and trim the brown fabric 2 to 1/4″ away from the line (that’s the middle picture) and add fabric 3 underneath fabric 2 (right sides together- but I used solids so that doesn’t matter) then I’d sew on the line between 2 and 3 again starting a bit before the line and ending a bit after the line.

I kept going until all the pieces were done, gotta love that tiny tree!!

Then I trimmed all the papers on the dotted dashed line

and ripped out the papers

Then I sewed them together

And here I added another 4 1/2″ piece of backing fabric and sewed around the perimeter of the block (right sides together) leaving an opening, then turned right side out, stuffed with crushed walnut shells and sewed the opening closed and VOILA! a cute little pincushion!!

I don’t know if it’s too cute to poke a pin in, I might still use it.

If you want to try the Kaleidoscope add-on, it’s on sale on EQ’s website