Wednesday 28 February 2018

Printing The Patchsmith's PDF Pattern Books


If you purchase any PDF version of The Patchsmith’s pattern books the very first thing you should do is download the book and save it to your computer.   It is important that you open the pattern from the saved copy on your computer as this pattern will open in your PDF reader.
Tip:  To view and print PDF files you will need Adobe reader which can be downloaded free from Adobe.   (Alternatively you can use a different PDF reader.) 

Next you need to decide whether you want to print the whole book or just the block you want to work on.   (The tutorial details an earlier PDF version of my Sampler Blocks pattern book and the page numbers refer to that copy.  Change the page numbers to reflect the applique sheet(s) from another Patchsmith pattern book.)

If you like to work from a paper copy you could go ahead and print the whole book.  Make sure you have enough ink and paper.  
Your screen may look slightly different.
1.         Click on the print icon on the bar at the top of the screen which will bring up the ‘print’ screen (you can also press the ‘Ctrl’ and ‘p’ keys at the same time);
2.         Make sure ‘all’ is selected in the ‘pages to print’ section.
3.         Check the 'Actual size' box in the 'Page size' section to ensure the applique sheets print to the correct size.  If you're not using Adobe this may be referred to as ‘scaling’ in which case you should select ‘none’.
That's it – you now have a hard copy.  

If you are quite happy to work from the screen you may just want to print the applique pages.  
All the applique templates can be found on pages 59-67
4.         Select the relevant page number(s) of the pages you wish to print in the 'pages to print' section - in the case of the Sampler Blocks pattern book this will be '59-67’;
5.         Make sure you select ‘Actual size’ in the ‘page size' section.  If you not using Adobe this may be referred to as ‘scaling’ in which case you should select ‘none’.  Once printed you can use the print check boxes on each applique page to ensure the applique templates print to the correct size.  

If you don’t want to print the complete book at this stage (you may not have enough ink or you may only want one or two specific blocks for a project) you can select just the block pattern pages that you want: 
I am printing pages 8-10 - enough for Blocks 1, 2, 3 and 4

Tip:   You will find the page numbers for each block in the 'Contents' section of the book.

Whether working from the screen or from a printed copy I hope you enjoy the pattern books.  And remember, I am just an email away.  (My email is in my profile).

Sunday 25 February 2018

The Patchsmith's Sampler Block Patterns


Here it is – The Patchsmith’s Sampler Quilt Blocks - a book chock full of fifty fun 6” block patterns.  The book is available in paperback format from Amazon.  BUT ..... this is so much more than a book – it is a year of fabric fun with me, the Patchsmith.

Just a selection of The Patchsmith's Sampler blocks

Each week I will be focussing on one block from the book (yep – I shall start at Block 1 and work through them in order).  There are forty-three patchwork blocks and seven applique blocks – so something for everything.

Some of the blocks are really easy (such as Block 32 – 'Chunky Log Cabin'). 
Block 32 - Chunky Log Cabin

Whilst others, such as Block 43 - 'Chain Link' are a little more tricky.  But don’t worry – I will be here to help you with hints and tips every week from 4th March throughout 2018.   
Block 43 - Chain Link

(If you can’t sew along with me you can still access the hints and tips for the blocks by clicking on the ‘Patchsmith Sampler Blocks’ tab at the top of this page but they will only appear as I sew each block so check back regularly.)

This is a great book for honing your patchwork and applique skills – and the really good news is you can use whatever fabrics you have to hand – after all elephants don’t have to be grey – who wouldn’t love a ‘pink elephant’ or two?
Block 37 - Elephant
So what are you waiting for – The Patchsmith’s Sampler Quilt Blocks pattern book is available now via Amazon

Block 1 - Brick Wall
We begin the sew-along on the 5th March with a great filler block - Brick Wall.

Sew you then ......