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You are here: Home > Community > Lessons > Benni Harper Mystery Lessons > Lesson 3

Benni Harper Mystery Lesson 3: Kansas Troubles

quilt design by Tina Davis

Kansas Troubles quilt by Tina DavisVariations of the Kansas Troubles quilt pattern have been traced back to the early 1800s, and it was officially recognized by the Ladies Art Company in the latter part of the nineteenth century. An agitating pattern consisting of small and large triangles resembling bear claws, Kansas Troubles evokes the image of rapidly spinning windmill blades or the twirling center of a tornado. The pattern, all sharp points and angles, will not produce a calming effect no matter what color fabric is used. In all, Kansas Troubles has over twenty-five variations. Some of the more popular ones are called Indian Trails, Climbing Rose, Bear's Paw, Little Lost Ship, Rocky Road to Kansas, Slave Chain and Endless Tears.

Start the Kansas Troubles project

  1. Open EQ6.
  2. Start a new project and name it Benni Harper 3 - Kansas Troubles. Click OK.

blocksSearch for blocks in the Library

  1. Click LIBRARIES > Block Library.
  2. Go to 1 Classic Pieced > Drunkard's Path.
  3. Find Falling Timbers (the sixth block) and click Add to Sketchbook.
  4. Click Search > by Notecard.
  5. Make sure all the checkboxes are checked. Type: Kansas
  6. Click Search and then click OK at the results box. You are now in the Search Results section (blue bar) of the library.
  7. Hover with your cursor over the first block to see the name. It is "Arkansas Traveler." Notice how "kansas" is actually a part of the word Arkansas.
  8. Hover over the next block. This is the "Kansas Troubles" block we want. Click on this block and click Add to Sketchbook.
  9. Click on the Library blue bar in the top-left corner of the window. Then go to 2 Contemporary Pieced > Good Alternate Blocks. We want 3 blocks from this style.
  10. Find 9-patch Snowball and click Add to Sketchbook.
    Find 4-patch Snowball and click Add to Sketchbook.
    Find Cross X and click Add to Sketchbook.
  11. Close the library.

Make a quilt layout

  1. Click WORKTABLE > Work on Quilt.
  2. Click QUILT > New Quilt > On-point.
  3. Click the Layout tab. Leave the on-point style set to the choice on the left.
  4. Set the number of blocks Horizontal and Vertical to be 3.
  5. Set the Finished size of blocks to be 12.
  6. Set the Finished size of sashing to 0.
  7. Click the Borders tab.
  8. Change your first border to be:
    • Style: Mitered
    • Size: 2.00
  9. Click the Add button to add another border.
  10. Make your second border this way:
    • Style: Mitered
    • Size: 3.00
  11. Click the Add button to make another border.
  12. Make your third border this way:
    • Style: Mitered
    • Size: 0.50

Experiment with block layouts

  1. Click the Layer 1 tab.
  2. Click the Set Block tool, then click your Kansas Troubles block to select it.

Note: Because you are working with an On-Point quilt the CTRL key will apply the action to every other block. Within other layouts the ALT key would apply action to every other block.

  1. Hold down the CTRL key on your keyboard as you click on the top-left on-point block in your quilt. Because this is an On-Point quilt, every other block in your layout will fill.
  2. Click on a different block in the palette.
  3. Hold down the CTRL key on your keyboard as you click on any blank block in your quilt. The alternate spaces will fill. Notice how the two designs blend together. Rather than seeing two individual blocks repeated, your eye mixes the designs, making a secondary design emerge.
  4. Click on a different alternate block in the palette.
  5. Hold down the CTRL key as you click on the alternate block space in your quilt.
  6. Repeat the last two steps, trying out each of the alternate blocks. When you decide which overall design you prefer, leave that quilt on the screen.

Color the blocks

  1. Click the Paintbrush tool. Choose a fabric from the palette.
  2. Hold down the CTRL key as you click in a patch in one block. Notice how all the similar blocks color at the same time.
  3. Keep holding down the CTRL key as you color all the blocks.
  4. Color the borders as well.
  5. Stop coloring when you like the quilt in front of you.
  6. Click the Add to Sketchbook button to make this quilt part of the project.
  7. Click the View Sketchbook button.
  8. Click the Quilts section.
  9. Find this quilt you just saved and click the Notecard button.
  10. In the top Name field, type: My Kansas Troubles quilt
  11. Click the X to close the Notecard, and then Close the Sketchbook. Your Kansas Troubles project is now complete, and saved on the hard drive.

Print the patterns (optional)

  1. Print templates for the Kansas Troubles block: Make sure you're on Layer 1. Click the Select tool. Click on a Kansas Troubles block on the quilt. Click FILE > Print > Templates. Make sure the dot is next to "Use size from quilt." Click Print.
  2. Print templates for the alternate block: Make sure you're on Layer 1 and still using the Select tool. Click on a full alternate block on the quilt. Click FILE > Print > Templates. Make sure the dot is next to "Use size from quilt." Click Print.
  3. Print templates for the setting triangle blocks: Make sure you're on Layer 1 and still using the Select tool. Click on a corner alternate block on the quilt. Click FILE > Print > Templates. Make sure the dot is next to "Use size from quilt." Click Print. Repeat for one of the half blocks along the edge in the middle.

 

Here's another version of Kansas Troubles, designed by Tina Davis. See what interesting versions you can make, using different alternate blocks.


to be continued with another Benni Harper mystery quilt