Foundation Pieced Applique Easter Eggs

Continuing on with an egg-travaganza theme, I will be sharing a new way to add foundation piecing to your applique shapes.  The only applique "drawing" in this tutorial is deleting a few patches from a block in the library and rotating the ending shape.

Super simple.

Foundation Pieced Applique Easter Eggs Tutorial

When I was working on the Easter Egg Hunt post, I found all these decorative eggs in the EQ8 Library.  They are all under 05-Contemporary Applique>Holiday -Easter.  While I loved the blocks, I wanted something simpler to work with.

So I deleted all the elements other than the Easter egg shape.

Then rotated the shape, to have three different Easter eggs.

Decorative Easter Egg from the Contemporary Applique library in EQ8

Easter Egg 1

Easter Egg 2

Easter Egg 3

I then created my quilt layout.  I kept it simple.

• Horizontal Layout
• 1 x 3 Blocks
• Block size 9" x 9"
• Sashing (including sashing border) 1-1/2" 
• Border #1  Long Horizontal 2"
• Border # 2  Mitered 1/2"

Put the egg blocks in the quilt.

​Colored the quilt using the fabrics from last weeks video (a combination of default fabrics and those in Themes>Dots) in the EQ8 Fabric Library.

Foundation Pieced Applique Easter Egg -- Quilt Layout

Super simple - but I promised you foundation pieced eggs.  I decided to go with a strip set concept.

• Using EasyDraw, set up a 10 x 10 Block.
• Set the snaps at 40 x 40 (every quarter inch).
• Snapping options: just Snap to Grid.
• Draw a series of horizontal lines.  I varied the width of the strips from 1/4" to 3/4" inch finished sizes.  That means the cut strips would vary between 3/4" to 1-1/4".  Feel free to change up the size of the strips to match any pre-cut strips you are working with.

Strip Set Drawn in EasyDraw

Color your strip set with a favorite fabric collection.  I used the fabric collection I had collated for last weeks blog post.

Strip Set Block Created in EasyDraw

Set your new block in a horizontal quilt with a 1 x 1 layout, 10" block, and no border.  

Add your quilt to sketchbook as a photo.

On the image worktable, edit and resize your image.

Save as Fabric.

Editing the EasyDraw Block on the Image Worktable to convert to fabric

Locate the initial quilt (with the eggs) and edit.

Replace the fabric with the foundation fabric.  Hint:  It will be the last fabric on the palette.

Use the Advanced Rotation option and Fussy Cut to finalize placement of the fabrics.

​Add to sketchbook.

Foundation Friendly Egg Quilt in Default and Dots Fabrics in EQ8i

Here are the final foundation friendly blocks.

Foundation Egg #1

Foundation Egg #2

Foundation Egg #3

To print your foundation, print your block at 9 X 9. 

​Make sure to select Showing Fabrics.  If you have a grey-scale option on your printer, select that.

The lines between the fabric pieces will be your sewing lines for your eggs.  You can also use this to cut out your final egg shape.

Note that these will print without seam allowances.

Applique Egg Foundation Printed from EQ

Check out the video for step by step instructions to create your own Foundation Friendly Easter Egg Applique blocks and quilt.

Just for fun, I decided to try the concept with a different fabric collection.  I chose the Spring Equinox fabrics by Art Gallery.  They were part of Stash Collection #1.

​I think it gives the blocks and quilt a more elegant look.

Spring Equinox from Art Gallery

Foundation Strip Set Block

Spring Equinox Egg Quilt

Spring Equinox Egg Block #1

Spring Equinox Egg Block #2

Spring Equinox Egg Block #3

I would love to see what you decide to work with when implementing the ideas from the video.  Feel free to share your designs in the Learning EQ Facebook group.  I've set up a dedicated post for your pictures.

Learning EQ Facebook Group for Foundation Pieced Applique Easter Eggs

Happy quilting.

​Kari

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