Sunday, January 13, 2013

Let’s Get…Techie!

Oh man…you techies out there must be howling! 

Yesterday I didn’t post pictures of the Quilt App in operation as the glare from my camera flash hitting the screen on my iPad made it impossible to get good clear pictures. 

So yesterday I am outside in the shade setting up a small table to take pics of my Sweet Apple when hubby says “What ARE you doing?”  I explain.  He gives me ‘the look’ and says..  “You can take pics of anything on your iPad simply by pressing that side button (Home Button) and the on/off button at the same time”…duh!  Sheesh…YET another thing my Sweet Apple can do!!

Ok…enough of the chit chat…let’s get serious!  Remember this is a little like the blind leading the blind…bear with me!

First off this Quilting App is called Quilt Fab by Mary Kay Podlecki and it’s a beaut!  Mary Kay must be some kind quilter!

We’ve ALL bought those 100 Block Magazines…or the 501 Blocks books..well this App is VERY similar to that except it is WAY better…WE get to control the blocks, the settings, the patterns…with the touch of your finger! 

Let me walk you through it….

I have just selected the Bear Paw Block…so this is what appears on your screen.  The Bear Paw on the right… You can see how many blocks are in this quilt..20…Finished Size of block is 12”.  It gives you the yardage (or metric measurements) and then below what you need to cut out. 

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Let’s say that you want a SMALLER block so you click on the arrow beside the 12” and this wheel appears…you click on what you want…ie 6” and presto..you now have 6” blocks with all the yardage and measurements changed to accommodate a 6” block!!  Pretty cool! 

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Next you click on the Number of Blocks that you want in your quilt…Let’s pick 36 blocks and presto new yardage requirements and instructions for that quilt!  Pretty slick!2013-01-12 14.26.42

Now let’s move down to the instructions….You click on the first unit to cut out…and you get clear written instructions and a Pictures!! YAY…it treats us like a moron…just what I want!

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Every step is the same…picture with the instructions!!  Love it!

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You can also pick the layout of your quilt…this is single tile (see the bottom row of buttons…I have selected tile)

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With a plain block…

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With sashing…

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Now comes the fun part…you can team your block up with another block…in this case I clicked on the 7-grid chain! Nice quilt…eh!

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Now you can click on the colour combos…

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So there you have it…we are now ALL designers!! 

Mary Kay has also put together a Patch Library for us…click on each and you get everything that you need to know about that particular patch!

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This App can be found in the App Store under the Lifestyle Section!  Oh…and the GOOD part…it’s FREE!!

Yup…t’s a GOOD THING!  Block FAB or Quilt FAB (listed under both names) is Fabulous and gets a two thumbs up from this techie…Laughing out loud!

Have a SUNNY Sunday and Happy Quilting!~P

29 comments:

  1. Thanks for the great info Paulette! I'm going to have lots of fun with that app.

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  2. OH no Paulette, now I really, really need to buy myself an IPad.
    Enjoy!!!!

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  3. Oh Paulette, thank you so much! That is awesome!

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  4. I have that app. Lots of fun! Just for the record, I have had my ipad for a year now, I didn't know I could take a screen shot picture like that! I probably should have asked my kids. Just checked. Of course THEY knew that. I wonder what else this ipad does???

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  5. Another one that is free is QuiltCalc. Has measurements and you can use it on your phone even if it isn't an iPhone.

    Cheery wave!

    Bev

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  6. Will this app work on my Android device? Sounds so fun!
    Paulette

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  7. This is really great, thanks Paulette! Every once in a while I like to bust out a traditional block and I'm going to download this app so I don't have to carry books around! Happy New Year!

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  8. Oh WOW!!! I had NO idea my ipad could take pictures OR that there was an app that would let you "design" your own blocks!!! I am sending you a GIANT thank you for this great information and if you come across anything else this great, please, please post it! Wonderful information!!!!

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  9. OH MY GOD!!!!!!!! I don't know which I am more excited about the word FREE or APP! you really are my bestie...none of the others matter to me....

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  10. Well I downloaded the app to my IPad but got nothing like what you posted. Just a black screen with a pop up window with the calculation to change blocks etc. but nothing that is in your background. Rats!

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  11. Just checked again and realize that I needed to download the block app ass well. Hopefully I can figure this out now. Thanks for the info.

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  12. thanks so much (and no, I didn't know I could take a screen shot either!)
    Great App! You are my kind of Techie!!

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  13. p.s. I also found an App (free) that tells you how much thread you will need to quilt!! It is from Superior Threads.."How much Thread Does it Take".
    I am always running out of thread..so hope this one helps!!

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  14. That is the best App ever!! And I have another one for you to look at too.
    Its called Quilt Calculator by Robert Kauffman. I refer to it often to calculate border, binding and backing yardage.

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  15. Thanks I just downloaded the app, quilting and free it was calling my name. I'm not a techie by any stretch of the imagination. I also didn't know I could take a screen shot either but, I'm sure my 13 yr old son does. I do have 1 question, where do you go for the list of blocks? I checked setting and I checked about, I couldn't find a block list? HELP!

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  16. Thank you, thank you, thank you, a brilliant app for a novice like me on the computer.

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  17. I am impressed, Paulette! Rick must be ever so proud of you for finding and embracing your "techie side"! Splendid ideas, and thanks for sharing.

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  18. Wow, i will certainly study this closely when i find a bit of spare tome. Many thanks for sharing Paulette

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  19. Yes, I found this app awhile back, but you gave me a perfect tutorial so I now know how to use it! Thank you!

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  20. Thanks for posting about this! I added it to my I-Pad and I can't wait to play with it! :0)

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  21. Wow! Love it. Thanks for sharing. I just learned how to take a screen shot last week from my Apple store. I am not very techie either. My kids are always telling me how to do things.

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  22. thank you downloaded it and will play with it later today
    I can't find quilt fab is it another name????

    are they both the same thing?

    thanks a great tutorial and a great find!
    Kathie

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  23. That is awesome! Thanks so much! Makes me want to buy a device that uses apps now! :-)

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  24. Oh ya, screenshots are so easy on these devices. Wow, I didn't know that app did all that, I have it on mine but haven't even looked much at it. That's cool you can do that with it. I love collecting apps.

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  25. This looks great! I am definitely going to have to get this. Thanks!

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  26. OMG! I would have loved to have been there to see his face. Thanx for that, I had to ask my husband how to use my tablet to do the same thing....I'm not a techie either. Unfortunately, my husband says I can not down load that great app. It is not compatable with my table, but I was able to download a different version for mine. L

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  27. Thanks for the info Paulette! I downloaded the App for my Iphone. Had to download one called BlockFab too to get all the blocks (maybe because it is Iphone and not Ipad. But it looks great! Thanks for the tip and enjoy your App too. Laura

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  28. Thanks for the post with all the great photos! I love to see how quilters make use my apps. It has generated a lot of email to me, and more downloads than Christmas Day!

    There is some confusion: the apps for playing with the quilt blocks and library are BlockFab (for the iPhone and iPod touch) and BlockFab-HD (for the iPad.) My apps are all for Apple devices -- I have no plans to port them over to Android devices.

    If you have any further questions or suggestions, I'd love to hear from you: write to BlockFab at Podlecki.com. I hope you enjoy using my apps as much as I enjoyed creating them! Mary Kay

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