Ask EQ! - November 2008
Technical questions answered this month by EQ the Mouse
Q: Just who are you Mr. Mouse?
A: Thank you for asking. I am the official EQ Mascot. I have held this position since a winter night in 1993 when Penny noticed me running across her desk and hired me on the spot. At that time the EQ headquarters was housed in the basement of the Neumann/McMorris residence. I had come in from the woods for a bit of warmth and to see if Penny had left lunch crumbs behind. She took me by surprise, we both screamed, then she invited me to join the technical support department of Sara, Andrea and Penny.
So my job is to collect questions from you and to answer them, at times with their help. Do you have a question? If so, send it to the Tech Support email address (techsupport@electricquilt.com). Subject: Ask EQ. I'll answer your question, and you may see it in one of my columns.
November 2008 note from EQ the Mouse: Be sure to read our interview with Andrea this month. She’s a friend of mine, and I often hop onto her desk after hours to see if she’s left any lunch crumbs for me.
Q: What do I do about an error 42 when installing EQ6 on Vista?
This error 42 is Vista's way of asking you for more permission. Here's what to do:
Hold down SHIFT and right-click the red and white EQ6 icon on your computer desktop.
Choose Run As Administrator.
Choose to Allow this.
Now continue with the activation.
Q: I have a project with several quilts. I’d like to start a new project with one of these quilts. Is this possible?
You can put a quilt from one project into your new project as long as your project does not already have something in it. Here’s how:
Open your project with several quilts (we’ll call this Project A).
Click FILE > Save As.
In the “Save in:” box, navigate to My Documents > My EQ6 > PJ6
In the “Filename” box, name the project with a NEW name (*not* the current project name).
Click Save.
Delete all quilts from this project EXCEPT the one quilt you want in your new project (Project B).
Now that you only have the one quilt in your current project, close the Sketchbook.
Project A will have all the quilts.
Project B will only have the one quilt you wanted in it. You can continue to work, and will be in Project B.
Q: Is the size beneath the quilt the real quilt size?
Barb Vlack answers: Yes. The size given at the bottom of the screen is the ACTUAL finished size of the quilt.
When designing, it's common NOT to include seam allowance size when describing the size of a quilt or a block. For example, a magazine pattern may say that a block is 10" square --- that does NOT include seam allowances. UNFINISHED size of that block would be 10 1/2". Sometimes that difference may be given and stated that way.
Also, in a magazine, when they give the size of a quilt, that is the FINISHED SIZE, no seam allowances included.
For EQ, when you tell the program what size block you want, you type in the FINISHED size. EQ will add seam allowances when it presents the pattern.
On the other hand, when a magazine or EQ gives the size to cut a strip for rotary cutting, that INCLUDES the seam allowance. In this instance, you're not talking finished size but rather construction sizing before seaming. It's always good to check, though, in a magazine or book pattern, whether the templates include the seam allowance. Often it is obvious that the template includes the seam allowance because it's drawn that way, with a dotted line to indicate the addition of the seam allowance.
Q: I want to make a quilt with all triangles. Do you have a setting for this?
Yes. In EQ5 and EQ6 you’ll find two layouts made only with triangles. Click QUILT > New Quilt > One Patch. Now click the Layout tab, and for the style, choose either Lightning or Thousand Pyramids.
The Lightning layout is traditionally colored to form the effect of lightning zigzags. This is made by coloring the “Up” triangles from one row and the “Down” triangles from the row just beneath the same color (or scraps of similar colors) all the way across the whole horizontal row.
The Thousand Pyramids layout is traditionally colored to form the optical illusion of large and small triangles appearing and disappearing as you stare at the quilt. To create this effect, color all “Up” triangles with the darkest fabrics and all “Down” triangles with the lightest fabrics. This is a perfect scrap quilt design.
Q: I’m trying to install my EQ5 on my Vista Computer and am not sure what to do. Can you help?
Certainly. When installing EQ5 I would suggest doing it this way:
1 Put the EQ5 CD in your CD ROM drive.
2 If the installation starts up automatically, click Cancel, then Exit Setup.
3 Click Start > Computer > right-click the CD ROM drive > click Explore.
4 Double-click the Install2 folder.
5 Double-click the Setup file (that says Setup Launcher when you hover the mouse over it, without clicking). It looks like a blue computer monitor.
This should start the installation. It can help if you turn off your anti-virus software before installing.
Q: Help Mousie! I’m trying to draw a pineapple and am having problems. Can you help?
I’m your mouse! Andrea sent me some great tips on drawing Pineapples, so I’ll let her take over:
If you draw a pineapple according to the grid snaps and not with the following directions, you may notice your logs are not the same size when you print the block really large. This is because the 45 degree lines are being determined by the snaps and are not being drawn to be the exact same width as their horizontal and vertical counterparts.
When I'm drawing something like that (like a pineapple), I usually ignore the grid.
If my finished block size is 12x12", then I set my snaps to 12 as well.
I use Xings the whole time.
Let's say I'm drawing a pineapple (go look at one in the library while you read this):
1) I draw a horizontal line at the 1" horizontal mark and 11" horizontal mark.
2) Then I repeat the same for the vertical (1" in from each side).
3) I draw triangles (with Snap to Grid ON) in each corner and DELETE the nonsense behind them left over from my lines from steps 1 and 2.
4) Then I split the line for each triangle in half.
5) Next is the weird part. I draw 2 horizontal lines (1" apart) floating in the middle of the block not of any particular length. (Just a little longer than what I need for the first diagonal row.)
6) I use the Edit/Shape tool to split the top line in half.
7) I select the pair (all "3") and choose BLOCK > Rotate and set it to
45 degrees.
8) With Snap to Grid OFF and Snap to Node ON, I drop the pair so that the dot in line of my selected stuff drops right on top of the dot in the middle of the triangle.
9) Then I use Xings to find out where that inner line crosses the ones I drew in steps 1 & 2.
10) I DELETE everything I rotated and dropped into place and draw "clean" lines from the dots that Xings created.
11) I copy the clean corner and CLONE and ROTATE the rest in place.
12) The next row returns to Snap to Grid ON and just drawing at the inch marks.
13) Then repeat steps 4-12 until you reach the center or are happy with your drawing.
I know it's a bit excessive, but this will guarantee you a perfectly spaced diagonal bar that is the same size as the horizontal bar. So, just adapt these directions to fit your need for the block you are drawing.
Q: How can I erase a stencil from a quilt? When I use the Eraser tool it leaves a hole.
Erasing is only intended for Layer 1. Instead of using the Eraser tool to erase your stencil:
1 Be on Layer 3.
2 Click the Adjust tool.
3 Click on the Stencil on the quilt in Layer 3.
4 Press your keyboard DELETE key.
Do you have a question? Send it to Ask
the Mouse (techsupport@electricquilt.com).
