EQ4 Photos-as-Fabric
by Patti R. Anderson
(A tutorial on how to use photo images as
fabric in EQ4)
Whenever anyone says, "I wonder if
we can do this in EQ?" something strange comes over me. My adrenaline starts
pumping, my brain starts working overtime, and then I jump to the challenge.
Hey, I never said I was normal. :-) Recently on the InfoEQ mail list, someone
asked if there was a way we could add photo images to our quilts in EQ4.
After a little trial and error, I discovered a way that we can import photo images
into EQ4 and make it look like we have photo transfer blocks in our quilt.
I knew that we would have to use the
Import fabrics feature in EQ4, but I needed to be check to see if we could predict
how the fabric falls into a quilt layout. I played around and studied how
the fabric tiles in a quilt layout. Look below at the image of a quilt layout
with four blocks set 2 x 2 in the center, and Corner Block Borders. I chose
a fabric already in EQ4 that had a large single motif so that I could easily see
the tile repeats. Fabric always tiles from the upper left hand corner (northwest).
If you look at the northwest corner of the blocks in the quilt center (look at
the red flower) you can see that the fabric tiles separately for each. In the
border, fabric tiling is separate for each border and each corner block.
In the top and bottom borders you can see that the fabric tile repeats due to
the larger width.
Once I was sure that fabric tiling
was consistent in the way it falls in a quilt layout, I knew we could make a "photo
image fabric tile" to fit a quilt block. Before you think I'm nuts, let
me show you how I did it step by step.
What you need:
1.
Create
the Quilt Layout. Since this process involves dimensions by pixel,
you will need to get your quilt made in EQ4 first. If you change the quilt
center layout or the borders, the photo-as-fabric will need to be resized.
2.
Measure the space. Have your quilt on the Worktable.
Click on the Snapshot tool
and take a snapshot of JUST the blank block/space where you want to place your
photo image. Choose Copy to Windows Clipboard from the Export Snapshot dialog
box. (At this point you can minimize EQ4, so that you can bring it up later in
Step 8.)
. 3. Find pixel dimensions.
Open Irfanview. In the Edit menu, click on Paste (or use Ctrl+V).
You should now see the image of the blank space you copied to the Clipboard.
Click on the Information button in Irfanview and in the Image Properties box,
look at the line that says Original size. Write these pixel dimensions
down. My space is 209 x 208. I didn't get it quite square, but
that's OK.
4. Crop the photo image.
Open your photo image file in Irfanview. Irfanview cropping tool is ready
to use as soon as your image is showing. My original photo bitmap is a rectangle
and I need it to be square, so I'll do that first.
Point
the cursor at an approximate starting point and while holding down the mouse,
drag a box to select the area you want to crop, releasing the mouse when you're
done. The cursor changes to a plus sign. If you don't like the selection,
click off the image and start again.
If you watch the blue heading at the top
of the Irfanview window, you can see the dimension change as you make your selection
to crop. This will help you make it somewhat square.
Once you have made your selection,
in the Edit menu, click on Crop (Ctrl+Y). the area you selected is now in
Irfanview.
5.
Resize the image. In
the Image menu, click on Resize/resample. Type in the pixel dimensions you
wrote down in Step 3, in the New size boxes. I rounded up to 210 x 210.
Click OK.
6.
Decrease colors to 256.
In the Image menu, click on Decrease Color Depth. Click to check 256 colors.
Click OK.
7.
Save as bitmap.
Now save your new photo image as a bitmap. In the File menu, click on Save
as. Give the file a name and under Save as type, select BMP-Windows bitmap.
You now have a new bitmap resized and ready to import as fabric into EQ4.
8. Import photo bitmap as fabric.
We're almost there now. Go back to EQ4. In the Library menu click
on Fabric Library. In the Fabric Libraries box, click on Import. Navigate
to find and select your new photo image bitmap file. Click Open. You should now
see the image in the Fabric Libraries, click on it and then click Copy to add
it to the fabrics in your project file. Click Close. The image will
be added to your fabrics. Please note that these photos-as-fabrics will
be larger and you will only see a portion of it in the Fabric Sketchbook.
9. Add the new photo fabric to the
quilt. With your quilt on the Worktable, click on the Paintbrush tool,
select your fabric from the menu. It will be the last one in the mini Fabrics
& Colors Sketchbook. Point and click on the blank space to fill with
your new photo fabric. Save to Sketchbook. Save the project file.
10. Perfect fit! You now have
a very close facsimile of a photo transfer quilt in EQ4. Now you can play
with fabrics in EQ4 before you make a REAL quilt!
Extra hints and things to remember:
-
If you change the borders or the quilt layout
in any way, the photo fabric tile will not be centered.
-
EQ4 projects using photos as fabric result in BIG file sizes. Don't push
your luck in trying too many photo fabrics in one project file. (ask me how I
know...<grin>)
-
Take the time to add your
new photos-as-fabric to the My Library files for safekeeping.
-
In the Sketchbook, the photo will not tile correctly in the quilt.
-
Practice, practice, practice. You've heard it before, yes?
This photos-as-fabric method will be easier the more you play with it.
Visit this page on my Patchpieces website to see the photo transfer quilt of
lighthouses that I am going to make for my daughter Bethany. http://www.patchpieces.com/Photo-as-Fabric.html
The lighthouses have already been transferred to real fabric and I
almost have all the gorgeous blue fabrics that I will need to make it. That
is what this exercise was all about, right?
Patti
has become notorious for stretching EQ to the limits of its potential and regularly
adds lessons and tips for EQ users to her Patchpieces
website. You will also find Patti on the Faculty at QuiltUniversity.com,
where she teaches the intermediate and advanced EQ4 classes, as well as other
quilt classes.
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Quilt Software review, 
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