Pieced Gradations EQ8 Tutorial

Pieced Gradations

8/9/2025

When I saw the latest free fabric collections from Do You EQ was the August 2025 Collective Collection by Kaffe Facett, I knew I wanted to feature at least one of the fabrics in a quilt.

The quilt I designed for this tutorial would work for any large scale focal fabric. So if you have 2-1/2 yards of a focal fabric in your fabric collection -- this would be a perfect opportunity to put it to use.

Pieced Gradations EQ8 Tutorial

Adding New Fabric to Your Electric Quilt Project

(This part is not included in the video.)

If you would like to use one of the Kaffe Fassett Collective August 2025 fabrics for your project, you can download the collection at DoYouEQ.

Download and install the collection on your computer by following the prompts from EQ.
In your EQ project, select Libraries>Fabric Library.
Navigate to 2025 Fabric of the Month>08 FreeSpirit-Kaffe Fassett>August 2025 Kaffee by Kaffe Fassett.
Click on the fabric swatch (or Select All Fabrics).
Select Add to Sketchbook to place in the current sketchbook and use in the project.

Fabric Library - Kaffe Fassett Collection

Kaffe Fassett fabric used in my quilt.

Quilt Layout

On the Home screen, select Design a Quilt from Scratch.
Select New Quilt>Horizontal.
On the Layout tab:

Set the number of blocks at 5 Horizontal and 6 Vertical.
Set the size at 9 x 9.
Set the finished size of sashing at 6 x 6.

On the Border tab add the following borders:

Border #1 3" Long Horizontal
Border #2 6" Corner Blocks
Border #3 .5" Mitered

Layout Tab on the Quilt Worktable

Pieced Sashing Blocks

Select the Block Worktable.

Block #1

Select New Block>Pieced>EasyDraw
Set the block width and height at 6 x 9
Use the Grid tool and drag a grid with columns set at 1 and rows set at 6
Color using Greyscale fabrics (these are at the end of colors).

Block #2

Select New Block>Pieced>EasyDraw
Set the block width and height at 6 x 6
Use the Grid tool and drag a grid with columns set at 1 and rows set at 4
Color using continuing to use lighter greyscale colors from from Block #1

Block #1 - Greyscale Gradation 6 x 9

Block #2 - Greyscale Gradation 6 x 6

Creating the Quilt Center

Select the Quilt Worktable.

Select Fabric tools.

With Control or Command, use the Paintbrush to color the 9 x 9 blocks with the focal fabric.
Select Fussy Cut and drag to reposition some of the fabric (so each of the pieces look a bit different)

Under Block Tools>Set Block, locate the Gradation blocks.

Set two 6 x 9 blocks in vertical sashing and the 6 x 6 block in the cornerstone between them.
Rotate so the strips go from Dark to Light to Dark.

Select Fabric tools and recolor the strips using a series of colors inspired by the focal fabric. (I used teal.)

Under Block Tools>Set Block, locate the Gradation blocks.

Set two 6 x 9 blocks in horizontal sashing and the 6 x 6 block in the cornerstone between them.
Rotate so the strips go from Dark to Light to Dark.

Select Fabric tools and recolor the strips using a series of colors inspired by the focal fabric. (I used teals and purples.)

Add to Sketchbook. This will save the colored blocks.

Set Greyscale Gradation Blocks in the Quilt -- one set horizontal and one set vertical. Rotate to move from Dark to Light to Dark.

Recolor gradations using two different colors inspired from the focal fabric

6 x 9 Teal Gradation

6 x 9 Purple Gradation

6 x 6 Light Teal Gradation

6 x 6 Light Purple Gradation

Under Block Tools>Set Block, locate the gradation blocks (now colored).

Right click on a colored block and select Split Coloring. This will allow you to see all color blocks without using the Block selector.
Place the teal blocks in Vertical sashing columns. Rotate the blocks to go from dark to light to dark.
Place the purple blocks in Horizontal sashing rows. Rotate the blocks to go from dark to light to dark.
The teal cornerstones are placed between the light sides of the 6 x 9 teal blocks and the dark sides of the 6 x 9 purple blocks.
The purple cornerstones are placed between the light sides of the 6 x 9 purple blocks and the dark sides of the 6 x 9 teal blocks.

Color the first and third borders.

Add Colored Gradation blocks to the quilt and rotate. Make sure to check both coloring and rotating to achieve the "weave" effect.

Close up of quilt center with colored and rotated sashing

Creating the Pieced Border

Because the gradation blocks are not all the same size, we will use a custom quilt technique to add the pieced border blocks to the quilt.

Color the corners with the focal fabric (on Layer 1).
Select Layer 2.
Under Block Tools>Set Block, drag both the teal and purple coloring of the gradation blocks on the quilt worktable.
Select a block with the Adjust tool.
Under Quilt Grid Set-up, turn on Snap Block Position to Grid. Set the Grid Snap Increments every 3 inches.
To rotate the 6 x 9 blocks, after selecting the block - with the Adjust tool, type in 90 next to block rotation. This will change the block from 6 x 9 to 9 x 6. You can use the Rotate button to rotate within the 6 x 9 or 9 x 6 block.
Once you have a block with the correct coloration and rotation on the quilt, you can copy and paste and position the duplicated blocks on the worktable.
Position the blocks in all four borders. Note that when you move a block with the Adjust tool, it will snap to the nearest 3" X and Y axis.
For the Top and Bottom borders, you will need seven 9 x 6 blocks and two 6 x 6 blocks.
For the Left and Right borders, you will need eight 9 x 6 blocks and three 6 x 6 blocks.
Position and rotate the blocks to go from Dark to Light and back to Dark in each color family. Sometimes you will use the 6 x 6 blocks. Other times you will not.
Add to Sketchbook to save.

Position the Gradation Blocks on Layer 2

Using Adjust tool for set up Snap Block Position to Grid, setting the Grid Snap Increments, Copy, Paste, and positioning blocks on the borders.

Top Border

Bottom Border

Left Border

Right Border

Here is the final quilt from the video.

Kari's Pieced Gradations Quilt

Replacing Gradated Colors with Fabrics

Note that this is not in the video.

Just for fun, use Randomize (under the fabric tools).

Select Map to fabrics and click on a fabric in the quilt to replace all the colors in the quilt with fabrics. It will only replace with fabrics in the sketchbook -- so you will need to add more fabrics for this to work.

Then use the Paint Brush with Control or Command to change individual patches in the blocks.

Here is my recolored quilt. Which do you prefer?

I would love to see what you do with the Pieced Gradation Quilt. Do you have a focal fabric that has been sitting in your collection that you could feature in the quilt?

Share your design in the Learning EQ Facebook group. I've set up a dedicated post for your photos.

Pieced Gradations Learning EQ Facebook Post

Happy quilting.

Kari

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