Got back from vacation last Thursday and started back in on the donation quilt.  Its called “Free Spirt Medley” and the pattern is part of a Judy Martin pattern add on for EQ8.  I have always liked Judy Martins patterns and her way of writing/laying them out.  They are very logical with piece counts and yardages, units needed etc.  The EQ8 version isn’t all that, I have a few issues with it, and thankfully, I can deal with them, but I feel that another person with perhaps less experience, wouldn’t cope as well.

This is the quilt.

The first issue was/is with the yardage needed.  EQ8 has a option that will tell you how much fabric you need for a design.  The requirement for the red in this quilt was 2 ½ yards.  I should have checked that before I ordered it.  I have just finished the red pinwheel with stripes border – 36 blocks.  I have less than ½ yard of red left.  I ordered more red and blue, just in case.  Next up, the white and blue saw tooth blocks in the center section.  They are actually a sashing surrounding the Flying Dutchman blocks.  Each one has a large flying goose on the top and bottom of the saw tooth to combine with the FD block to form the blue outline around it.  These blocks are in the pattern as 3″ x 3″ squares.  If you’ve worked with EQ8, there is a a function it does that will morph the block you’re inserting in a quilt to the right size.  It’ll let you put a 3″ x 3″ block in a 6″ x 3″ space and make it “look” right.  The issue is that when looking at the block sizes to make, it shows the 3″x 3″ should be made, not the 6″x3″. Luckily I caught that one before making those.  The next blocks I have to make are the Flying Dutchman.  Not too complicated, except that they are on point, and the flying geese aren’t a common size.  They are 2 1/3 high.  The program does give foundation paper patterns to make these, but doesn’t really tell you which method to use as there are options for templates and rotary cutting too.   I’m planning on finishing the pinwheels today and moving on to the Dutchman blocks.

My design wall is looking pretty sparse.

Linking up with Judy at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts for Design Wall Monday today.