05 | Create block variations

Exercise 05

05 | Create 1+ Sawtooth Star block variations.

Objective | To build off Exercise 04 and use additional color tags to create block variations of the Sawtooth Star. These variations can either be used along with the original block or replace the original block.

01 | Cloning the Original Sawtooth Star Block

In order to create block variations, we need to clone (duplicate or copy) our original Sawtooth Star block. This way we can experiment with our block and create different colorways.

1. Click on the BLOCKS tab on the left side control panel.

   

   Blocks tab on left side control panel
2. Click on the three dots button ()next to the Sawtooth Star block.

   
3. Click on the Clone option.

   
4. Now there are 2 of the same Sawtooth Star block.

   • Tip: You can rename the duplicate block, Sawtooth Star (2) if it helps keep you organized.

   • Note: The new block has 0x next to it, indicating that it is not used in the quilt grid yet.

   

   Original and cloned Sawtooth Star blocks

02 | Block Variation A: Changing Color

Now that we've cloned (duplicated or copied) the original Sawtooth Star block, we can now have some fun and create variations of it.

In this variation, we're going to create a variation by only changing the color of the Sawtooth Star from Color Tag B (black) to Color Tag D (Bright Aqua).

Cloned original Sawtooth Star block

Recolored cloned Sawtooth Star block

1. Click on the Edit button ()next to the cloned Sawtooth Star block.

   
2. The Block Editor window will open.

   

   Block Editor
3. While holding the shift button, click on all the pieces in the block editor canvas area that use Color Tag B.

   • Note: These pieces will be faintly outlined in blue when selected.

   • Note: You can also change the color tag one at a time (instead of holding down shift and selecting all the blocks).

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4. Click on the Link button next to Color Tag D.

   • Note: This will change all the pieces that used to be black to Bright Aqua.

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5. Click on Save to Quilt to exit the Block Editor window.

   

03 | Block Variation B: Relinking Block Pieces

What if we'd like our next block variation's star to have two different colors instead of just one? To do this, we need to edit the cloned block and link the pieces of the quilt to a different color tag.

In this variation, we're going to create a Sawtooth Star block with two different colors on the points of the Sawtooth Star and a center section with background fabric.

Original Sawtooth Star block

Cloned variation of Sawtooth Star block

1. Clone another Sawtooth Star block (see Step 01).

2. Click on the Edit button ()next to the cloned Sawtooth Star block.

   
3. The Block Editor window will open.

   

   Block Editor
4. While holding the shift button, click on two sets of diagonal star pieces in the quilt block canvas area.

   • Note: These pieces will be faintly outlined in blue when selected.

   • Note: You can also change the color tag one at a time (instead of holding down shift and selecting all the blocks).

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5. Click on the Link button next to Color Tag D.

   • Note: This will change all the selected pieces that used to be black to Bright Aqua.

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6. To change the center square, click on its piece in the canvas area to select it.

7. Click on the Link button next to Color Tag A.

   • Note: Now the center square has been changed to the background color, Color Tag A.

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8. Click on Save to Quilt to exit the Block Editor window.

   

04 | Block Variation C: Redesigning Block Pieces

What if we'd like to replace the center square in our Sawtooth Star block with a half-square triangle? To do this, we need to edit the cloned block by adding new pieces to the block and linking them to a color tag.

In this variation, we're going to create a Sawtooth Star block with two different colors on the points of the Sawtooth Star and a center half-square triangle.

Original Sawtooth Star block

Variation of Sawtooth Star block

1. Clone another Sawtooth Star block (see Step 01).

2. Click on the Edit button ()next to the cloned Sawtooth Star block.

   
3. The Block Editor window will open.

   

   Block Editor
4. To redesign the center of the star, click on the center square.

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5. Click on the Trashcan button () on the central Toolbar.

   • Note: Once the shape has been deleted, the checkerboard pattern means this space is now empty.

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6. Click on the half-square triangle shape () below the canvas area.

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7. Move and scale the new half-square triangle shape so that it fills the empty space (see Exercise 02 | Create a block for referesher).

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8. Select the newly scaled half-square triangle piece and then click on the Clone button () to create the second half-square triangle.

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9. Click the rotate button () four time and move the block so that it fills the remaining empty space.

   • Note: Once rotated and place in the center, these 2 half-square triangles look like a square. This is correct. In the next step, we'll recolor our pieces.

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10. Now that our center space is now a half-square triangle block, we can colorize the pieces to emphasize the diagonal. To color the block, click on all the pieces and link the corresponding Color Tag so that it looks like the below image.

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11. Click on Save to Quilt to exit the Block Editor window.

    

05 | Add New Blocks to Quilt Grid

Now that we have our new block variations, let's add them to our quilt grid so we can see them in action.

• See Exercise 03 | Add blocks to quilt grid for a refresher on how to add blocks to the our quilt.

For this example, I added our last block variant to the entire quilt.

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