Tutorial for QuiltSandwich

Link to QuiltSandwich documentation

QuiltSandwich is not a quilt designer. It is a powerful set of calculators and other notions that make it faster and easier to gather and prepare fabric for sewing.

QuiltSandwich is unique because the tools work together and are helpful throughout the process of gathering and preparing fabric. Each tool can also be used on it's own — so you can work the way you want to work, in the way that best fits a project at that moment.

This tutorial gives a basic understanding of the tools that make up QuiltSandwich. The tutorial screenshots are on an iPhone. However, QuiltSandwich can be used on either an iPhone or iPad. All settings are available on both. One advantage of the iPad is it is able to show the yardage calculator and cutting diagram on one screen.

1 Preparation. Create a list with the count and size of each piece
in your quilt's design, pattern or kit

QuiltSandwich calculates fabric yardage and creates a cutting diagram for pieces. It requires just 2 pieces of information:

Count
Finished Size

For example, here's the list for this design. The count and size is listed for each, along with a note about planned fabric color.

Grid Maker app creates unlimited graph paper

13 6x6 squares Purple

2 6x6 square Pink

2 606 square Light Green

2 6x6 square Golden

2 6x6 square Orange

1 6x6 square Green

1 6x6 square Medium Blue

1 6x6 square Sky Blue

1 6x6 Blue Green fabric

48 1.5x6 rectangles Navy Blue

48 1.5x6 rectangles White

88 3x3 squares White (border)

240 3x3 Half Triangles White

52 3x3 squares Purple

104 3x3 Half Triangles Purple

1 6x6 square Navy Blue

10 3x3 Half Triangle Medium Blue

15 3x3 Half Triangle Green

9 3x3 Half Triangle Light Green

13 3x3 Half Triangles Orange

12 3x3 Half Triangles Yellow

11 3x3 Half Triangles Pink

9 3x3 Half Triangles Sky Blue

9 3x3 Half Triangles Blue Green

2 Add project to QuiltSandwich

Tap 'Quilt Projects'.

Next, Tap '+ New Quilt' to open pop-up.

If you are looking for a new design, tap '⬇︎PATTERNS' to find a free pattern to download from quiltingapps.com. After downloading you can edit fabrics or make adjustments to re-size the quilt.

Tap 'Add a New Quilt' in pop-up.

There are two options for making copy of a quilt project:

'Copy Quilt w/Fabrics' makes a copy that includes the Fabrics.

'Copy Quilt w/out Fabrics' makes a copy that includes all the pieces, however, there are no assigned fabrics.

Tap to enter quilt info:

Name.
Quilt finished size width and length.
If you've got one, you can add an image for the thumbnail!

The name, quilt size, and images can be edited later.

3 Add pieces

From the Home screen, tap 'Quilt Projects' to open the projects list.

Tap 'My next quilt' to open.

Projects are listed newest at the top.

Reorder projects with a tap-hold-drag gesture on the project row.

Tap '+New Piece' to open pop-up.

The three options are described below:

Add Piece from Calculator
Add Piece from Fabrics
Snap a Picture to Add Fabric

1. Add Piece from Calculator

Tap 'Add Piece from Calculator' to open Calculator.

Scroll to check allowances.
Tap Scissors for cutting diagram.

Tap 'Rectangle or Square' for more piece shapes

Use adjustments to allowances as a way to squeeze more pieces out of a piece of fabric.

Tap Save.

The new piece is added to My next quilt — with a reminder to add fabric.

QuiltSandwich adds the seam allowance to the finished size to figure for you the cut size before it calculates yardage and creates the cutting diagram.

NOTES ABOUT THE CALCULATIONS:
Yardage Calculations are rounded up to the nearest 1/8 yard.
When Least Fabric is selected, calculations are run twice in the background, first orienting pieces in one direction and then the other. The layout that uses the least fabric is shown.

The yardage for each piece is calculated independently. So, if the cutting diagrams for multiple pieces from the same fabric show 'good size scraps', review for opportunities to adjust allowances and buy less fabric overall
When fabric price per yard is entered, QuiltSandwich will calculate the cost shown for the amount of fabric used by that piece, the total cost of the available yardage or FatQuarters is shown in Fabric Stash.
If you are working with cut sizes enter the piece cut size AND set the seam allowance to zero. This is explained further on the How do I? page "What if you only have cut sizes to work with?"

2. Add Piece from Fabrics

Tap 'Add Piece from Fabrics' to open Fabric List.

Scroll through current list of fabrics.
Tap a fabric to choose it for the piece.

These fabrics were added earlier. How to add fabrics is explained later in this tutorial.

Tap Save.

The new piece is added to My next quilt — with a reminder to add fabric.

3. Snap a Picture to Add Fabric

Tap 'Snap a Picture' to add fabric by letting QuiltSandwich access the Camera.

Take picture. 'Retake' until you like it, then tap 'Use Photo'.
Set image to be saved to just the app 'Off' or to both the Photo Library on the device and in QuiltSandwich.

Tap Save.

The new piece is added to My next quilt — with a reminder to add piece size and count. Of course Fabric details are still needed, tap Fabric tile to edit.

4 Add fabrics

Above, we went through the process to add a fabric directly to a project. Here we'll learn how to add a fabric independent of a project — that is, how to add fabrics that are listed in 'Add Piece from Fabrics'.

Tap 'Fabric Stash' to add a fabric to access unassigned fabrics.

Tap '+ New Fabric'.

Pick an option from the pop-up --

Snap a Picture — opens the Camera
Photo Library Image — opens Photos
App Image — lists the images saved in QuiltSandwich

You can also add a fabric by taking a screenshot of an internet fabric.

There are three ways to add a fabric to QuiltSandwich --

Newly taken with Camera
Selected from the device's Photo Library
Selected from images already in QuiltSandwich but not copied into the Fabric Stash list

However a picture of a fabric is brought into QuiltSandwich, a fabric tile is created and added to the fabrics in the Fabric Stash as the first tile.

Tap a color tile to see basic info about it. As you'd expect, new fabrics come in:

Unnamed fabrics
Set to default 44"
No pricing
No yardage shown

'Edit Fabric' button opens fabric settings so info can be added and fabric defaults adjusted, if needed.

Color tiles can be rearranged by using the tap-hold-drag gesture.

Use 'COMPARE Fabrics Side-by-Side' to see how well one fabric will look beside another.

Tap 'COMPARE Fabrics Side-by-Side' to bring up a pair of large swatches that you can swipe through (top and bottom).

Tap icon in the bottom tab bar to exit Fabric Stash.

5 Use Color Mix after loading all pieces and fabrics for quilt top

Color Mix is one of the tools on the My next quilt page you can open with the Quilt Projects button or from Quilts in the bottom nav bar.

Use Color Mix before cutting ...and maybe even before buying your the fabrics!

Color Mix displays the quilt top fabrics (including border!) in the proportion they will have in the final quilt top. It is a unique and powerful way to assess the overall impression of a quilt top.

In this example — notice how the very high number of colors in My next quilt (good scrap quilt pattern?) all look good together. This should create a quilt top that doesn't have any pieces looking out of place.

Set Color Mix to Gray Scale to see the same fabrics as above, however the color is removed. Gray Scale reveals the tone each fabric which is another unique and powerful way to assess the overall impression to expect for your quilt top.

6 Figure yardage for the rest of the quilt sandwich

+ New Piece
(or + New Fabric!)

Tap to open the picker and scroll to see other piece shapes and pieces:
• Binding: Straight-Grain or Bias
• Backing: Best Fit, Vertical or Horizontal
• Batting: Best Fit, Vertical or Horizontal

IMPORTANT:
The quilt size for the project must be correct at this point. It is the basis for calculating yardage for the binding, backing and batting.

To edit the quilt name, size or add images, tap the top row on the Quilt page (It has quilt name and size.)

Some cutting diagrams, like this one for Bias Binding, can run for several pages.

7 Use fabric lists to help gather and cut pieces

All the information added about pieces and their fabrics will help make gathering fabric and working at the cutting table easier.

Shopping List

Acquiring fabrics?
Go to Notions for a Shopping List. This checklist summarizes all the fabrics in the project and lists what is needed.

Fabric Checklist

Gathering fabrics to your cutting table?
Go to Notions for the Fabric Checklist. This checklist lists all the fabrics in the project in a checklist so you can mark off each fabric as it is found.

Fabric List

Pattern PDFs

Working at your cutting table?
Go to Notions or the Quilt page for the:

Fabric List organizes piece cutting by fabric. It lists each fabric with the pieces to be cut from it.
Pattern PDFs is a single PDF with all the individual cutting diagrams. The PDF can be referenced from your device at the cutting table or printed if you prefer to work with paper.

That's it.

Your pieces are ready —
There are enough.
Each is in the right fabric.

FOOTNOTES

Quick Calc version of yardage calculator
Journal
More Notions tools

Quick Calc version of yardage calculator

Quick Calc version of the Yardage Calculator

Tap 'Yardage Calculator' on opening page to quickly get to the calculator.

It opens to Quick Calc which is optimized for quick figuring. Fabric size and piece info is added by spinning picker wheels.

Tap 'Switch' to close Quick Calc and open the full calculator.

The full Calculator shows defaults for the allowances.

This is an easy way to adjust yardage to fit your favorite methods!

Tap 'Switch' to return to Quick Calc.

Tap 'Save' to add piece to a project.

Journal

Open a quilt to find the Journal button.

It has:

A text editor for adding multiple notes
Unlimited images

The Journal can be saved as a PDF to Print or Share.

More Notions tools

Triangle Calculators

Calculators convert Triangle Finished Size dimensions into Cut Size
Set of calculators that use finished size to calculate cut size dimensions for: Half Rectangles, Half Square & Corner and Quarter Square & Side Setting Triangles.

Size it! Calculator

% change to get from original to desired size
Figures enlarge or reduce percentage.

Share & Archive

Share a project / Save a project
Create quilt project file to Share to another quilter to open in their QuiltSandwich. This same file can also be Saved and Archived to iTunes to free up space on a device.

App Images

Manage images stored in QuiltSandwich
Display of all images stored in the app. Images that are no longer needed can be deleted here.

Mattress, Pillow, and Batting Sizes

Table of common sizes
For mattresses, pillowcase & pillows, and batting.

Conversions

Conversion tables
Yards to inches, Decimal equivalents, Inches to millimeters, Yards to meters

Pixel Quilt How-to Guide

How-to guide for making Pixel Quilts (from images)
QuiltSandwich has partnered with image-to-pixels app Color Hints Mosaic (CH Mosaic). This guide outlines the steps to transfer a pixeled image from CH Mosaic into QuiltSandwich to get the assembly pattern, yardage by color with cutting diagrams.