Tech Sunday - Using Criss Cross Triangles in QuiltCAD

In this tutorial we will be continuing our exploration of QuiltCAD.   This week is about the Criss Cross Triangle.  For this tutorial, I have set up a quilt that has 4 blocks across and 4 blocks down. 

Click on the Tools tab, which is between Layout and Size.  They tap on the Triangle Blocks tab.

You will see three options.  Diagonal from the bottom left to the top right, which I will refer to as right because it leans towards the right.  Diagonal from the bottom right to the top left, which I will refer to as left.  And Criss Cross.  For this tutorial we will be using the Criss Cross option.

This is similar to the diagonal options that we discussed last week.  If you uncheck any part of the criss cross block, that part will not be effected by your design.  At this time you cannot put a different design in those parts.  You can use this feature in many ways, but for now I want to show you how you can use the triangle blocks that came installed with your system and make them into blocks.  Some of them are really cool and others, let’s just say they will probably never be quilted. 

On the top of QuiltCAD tap on Select | Select All. 

The tap on the Criss Cross option under Tools | Triangle Blocks.   For now leave all four quadrants checked.  Now go back to Select and tap Unselect All.  Then tap on the top left block so that only that block is selected.  On the right tap on Layout and Select Pattern. 

We will be putting the first 16 blocks into our quilt so that we can see what happens to them when we use them with the Criss Cross Triangle.  So tap on 1.gpf and then tap open.  Then tap on Place Pattern.

See how different it looks.  And you can see you would get secondary designs if you placed another one next to it.  Click on the block so it is deselected and then click the second block on that row.  Go back to Select pattern, select 10.gpf, tap OK and then Place Pattern. 

Continue doing this until you have placed the first 16 patterns onto your Quilt. 

This gives you an idea of how the patterns would look quilted out.  Some of them I will probably never use, but there are several that I know will make it into quilts in the near future.  So, as you are looking for patterns to place in blocks, don’t just look at block patterns.  Look at your triangles too.  

For a printable version of this post click here.

This post first appeared on www.ThreadWaggle.com