Our mascot, EQ the Mouse, answers frequently asked questions, with some help from EQ4 Magic author, Barb Vlack.

Installing

Q: How can I link EQ4 and BlockBase? They're both installed, but they didn't link.
A: Here's how:

1. Install BlockBase once again (don't uninstall it).
2. At the end of the installation, when asked if you want to reboot, click on NO.
3. After the installation, when you're back at the Windows desktop, reboot on your own.

1. Sew Precise 1&2
2. EQ4
3. Sew Precise 3
4. Sew Precise 4
5. STASH - install in chronological order, earliest to latest
6. BlockBase (say NO when asked if you want to reboot, during installation)

Importing

Q: I'm trying to import scanned fabrics, but get only a message about 256 colors, or a gray square. What's up?
A: The size of your fabric scan may be too big, you may have too many colors, or the resolution of your scan (this has nothing to do with your monitor resolution) may be too high. Make sure your bitmaps are:

• No larger than 200 x 200 pixels in size.
• No more than 256 colors.
• No more than 72 dpi (dots per inch) in resolution.

Drawing

Q: Why, when I'm drawing an 18 point Mariner's compass block and am partitioning each 1/4 arc into 9ths, does EQ4 lock up when I save the block?
A: Barb Vlack answers:

It's the ol' trying-to-draw-the-arcs-too-close-to-the-block-outline dilemma. If the arc flattens out where it meets the straight line of the block, EQ can't make a patch out of it, and may crash. The fix is to draw the circle slightly smaller within the block, so no edge of the circle touches the block outline. You can do this easily by changing the grid to a higher number and then drawing with Snap to Grid enabled. You can come close to the edge of the block. Just don't touch it with the arc.

Be sure to draw a little "bridge" between the arc and the block outline in one or more places so EQ thinks you intend to put a construction seam there. Then you can save without crashing.

Or you could draw a quarter of the block and use 4 to complete your circular Mariner's Compass.

Q: I've scanned in a picture and am having trouble tracing it. Help?
A: Barb Vlack answers:

Here are some tips for tracing that might be helpful.

1. Study the drawing you want to trace. Be sure that you can draw closed shapes to make it work in PatchDraw. Just drawing disconnected lines won't work.
2. See if you can use the shapes on the tools in PatchDraw to approximate the shapes in the drawing. You can always edit/tweak the accuracy of where the lines should go.
3. Don't try to trace exactly the first time around. It's easier to rough trace and go back and adjust your lines with the Bezier Edit tool.
4. Use the appropriate Snap-to tools in the Advanced Drawing Features. You may have to change around and enable one, more than one, or disable them all. Use HELP to find information on these tools if you've never used them.
5. Get very well acquainted with what the Edit pop-up menu box can do for you. You get it by clicking on the dark square in the lower left corner of the Bezier Edit tool. With the Edit menu you can add nodes to the outline of a shape, change curved lines to straight and straight lines to curves, choose the type of corner you might need, break the connection in a shape, and more.
6. It makes a difference whether you click on a node or a line to edit. The Edit menu will change from Edit Node to Edit Arc. The Edit tools that are appropriate for your selection will be dark.
7. Learn how to use the handles you get when you select a curve with the Bezier Edit tool. They do wonderful things!
8. Use the Zoom tool.
9. Be patient. It's fun and easy to trace once you get the hang of it.

1. With EQ4 running, Click "Open an Existing Project."
2. Click the Box at lower left to "Open a project not listed above."
3. With the "Open an Existing Project" window open, Click the Bent Arrow button, to go Up One Level. (This button is to the right of the "Look in" box.) This will give you the list of EQ's folders.
4. Double-click on "res" to see the contents of the folder. There should be only one file – default1.
5. Click on default1. Then click Open. The default1 Sketchbook will appear on screen. Close the Sketchbook.
6. Make a backup copy of this file. Choose FILE - Save As, and name the project defaulteq. There will now be two files in the "res" folder, default1 and defaulteq. Defaulteq is your copy of the original and should not be modified.
7. Now you can change default1 with your own preferences. Get fabrics from the Library as described on Page 52 of the EQ4 Design Cookbook.
8. Now save the project. Choose FILE - Save As, and keep the name of the project default1. Your own default fabric selection is now saved in the res\default1.pj4 file and will be loaded each time you start a new project.

1. Repeat Steps 1 to 4 above. When the "res" folder's contents are shown on screen, there will be two files "default1" and "defaulteq".
2. Select "defaulteq"and bring it into EQ4 as usual. Click File, Save As, and save this project with the name "default1".

1. Click HELP - EQ4 Help
2. Click Designing a Quilt - Designing a Country Set Layout.

• To set a block, select the block on the Sketchbook block palette, point to the quilt, then drag the mouse on the quilt. A box forms. The selected block pops into the box.
• To resize a block, click the Adjust tool, click the block on the quilt, look at the numbers in the center of your Graph Pad (they are the size numbers). Resize the block by clicking the arrows or typing in the size you want.
• To resize several blocks at once, once you've sized one block and while it's still selected, hold down your keyboard SHIFT key, and click on all other blocks you want to make the same size. They will all be selected. Click the Same Size tool on the Graph Pad (double crossing arrows). All selected blocks will instantly resize.
• To make a border around your blocks, line up blocks to make a border, or click the Plain Block tool, point to the quilt and drag out a rectangular border-size strip. Click the Adjust tool, resize it to make it the size you want, then drag it up to your blocks, to border them. Repeat for each side of your blocks, to make borders. If necessary you can rotate the strip, using the Rotate tool on the Graph pad.

1. Open My Computer.
2. Open C drive
3. Open EQ4
4. Open the PRJ Folder
5. Hold down the SHIFT key on your keyboard as you click on each project you want. (If you have lots of projects, perhaps do 5 at a time – the number of projects you can fit onto a floppy disk will vary, depending in large part on the number of scanned fabrics in the project. The scanned fabrics really expand project size.)
6. When the projects are highlighted, hold down the CTRL key on your keyboard and press the C key for copy.
7. Click the Back button, or the Up button, to get back to the main My Computer opening screen.
8. Put a formatted floppy disk into your floppy drive.
9. Click the letter name of your floppy drive (usually A:/).
10. Once your computer is looking at your floppy drive, hold down the CTRL key and press the V key for paste.

• EQ4 – you're free to use all of the blocks except those by Rita Denenberg and Debbie Sichel. They are clearly marked as by those designers.
• BlockBase – please contact the source, to see if the blocks are copyrighted by that source.
• SP 1 & 2 – you're free to use all of the blocks except those in the file "From Our Friends" -- these are designs by EQ users.
• SP3 designs are copyrighted by Shirley Liby.
• SP4 designs are copyrighted by Donna McDade.