EQ7 Wreath Maker Tutorial

Have you spotted the April/May issue of McCall’s Quick Quilts yet? I’ve been stalking newsstands for extra copies. LOL.

 

I thought I’d share a tutorial about EQ7 Wreath Maker Tool . That’s what I used to create my Rainbow Hearts Quilt.

The Wreath Maker tool  is a fun tool to play with. It will repeat objects “in the round”. The process is a bit of trial and error to get exactly what you want. Remember if you don’t like the results just Undo and start over.

Just a few quick rules to follow….To use the Wreath Maker your design must be a patch. It will not work on items made using Brush, Ellipse or Rectangle tools until they are converted to patches. Also, your design must be selected using the Pick Tool before you begin.

Wreath Maker Dialog BoxThe Wreath Maker Dialog box has 3 settings.
· Number of Clusters: This represents the number of times the design will repeat in the wreath.

· Cluster Spacing: This is the distance the cluster is from the center of the block. 100% being the farthest from the center and 0% being the closest to the center.

· Resize Cluster: This is the percentage by which you want the design resized in your wreath.

Make a Wreath

Let’s play with some hearts. Place your design on the worktable.

Select the set and click wreath maker tool and enter the following:

Number of Clusters: 4

Cluster Spacing: 0

Resize Cluster: 100

You will get a wreath similar to this.

Did you know you can add a second wreath to a wreath? Wreath Maker will automatically center each wreath it creates so you don’t have to worry about lining them up.

Add another heart to the top of the block. In the dialog box enter the following:

Number of Clusters: 4

Cluster Spacing: 75

Resize Cluster: 100

You will have a double wreath similar to this.

Create a Wreath Without a Center Space

Even with a Cluster Spacing set at 0% you will notice that there is space left in the center of the design. Here is a trick to fixing that. Change the Snapping Options to include Snap Whole Patch to Worktable.

Select one stack using the Pick Tool. Drag it to the center of the block and it will snap in to place. Repeat with each stack until you get this.

You can create “in the round” and add a motif to the center.

How about curvy stems? NOTE: Wreath maker layers the designs in a clockwise fashion. If you plan to overlap stems there will be less editing if the flower is to the left.

You will notice that the last stem is out of place. That’s because an object can’t occupy two levels of a drawing at the same time. You can fix this by selecting the stem and send it to the back or select the flower and send it to the front.

Have fun with the Wreath Maker tool!!!