Foundation Factory: Carol Doak Designer Edition: How do I?

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• Find a Block
• Select a Block
• Navigate from one book to another
• Print a Block
• Change the Size of a Block
• Distort a Block
• Print a Block Larger than a Sheet of Paper
• Change the Size of a Sectioned Block
• Print Blocks with Metric Measurements
• Print Multiple Copies of a Block
• Print Multiple Copies of a Sectioned Block
• Maximize the Number of Copies Per Page
• Flip a Block
• Print a Block on Iron-on Transfer Paper
• Print a Block Without Numbers
• Print a Block with a Dashed Seam Allowance
• Shade a Block to See it Better When I Sew it
• Print a Block with Thick Lines
• Select a Smaller or Larger Font for Printing Numbers
• Pause my Printer Between Sheets
• Export Blocks to Quilt-Pro

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  Finding a Block

  
  To find a block in the Block Folders screen, click on one of the folder buttons. The Blocks in Foundation Factory: Carol Doak Designer Edition are arranged into five folders, one for each of Carol's Books. Within each folder, the blocks are arranged into sub-folders according to type of block. For example, all of the flower blocks are grouped into the Flowers folder.

  To select a folder, click on the folder button. The selected folder will be highlighted.

  The five blocks included in this program are:
  
  Easy Machine Paper-Piecing
  Easy Reversible Vests,
  Easy Paper Pieced Keepsake Quilts,
  Easy Mix and Match Paper Piecing
  Easy Paper-Pieced Minatures.

  Selecting a Block

  
  To select a block within a folder, click once on the block preview button. The selected block will be highlighted.

  To view the print screen for the block, either double click on the block preview button, or select the block and then click on the View button.

  In folders that contain a large number of blocks, you will need to scroll down to see all of the blocks. To scroll, simply move the scroll button on the right side of the screen down.

  Navigating the Block Library

  
  When you open the Foundation Factory: Carol Doak Designer Edition, you will see a button for each of Carol's Books. To select a block, press the button for the book. You will then open the book. Within each book, the blocks are arranged into folders by catagory. For example, all of the flower blocks are in the flowers folder. To view the flower blocks, click on the flowers button.

  To navigate from one book to another, press the "Back to Folder" button. Pressing this button will take you back to the book buttons screen.

   

  Printing a Block

  
  To show the print screen , first select the block and then select the view button.

  Once you are viewing the print screen, you are ready to print the block. To print, set the printer options by clicking on the properties button next to the Printer Select drop-box. This will bring up your printer settings dialog box. Make any necessary adjustments.

  Next, select the desired size and number of copies for the block and then click on the print button. Your printer will start printing the blocks automatically.

  Changing the Size of a Block

  
  To change the size of the finished block, simply enter the numbers in the Finished Block Size area on the Print Screen. You do not need to add the seam allowance. Foundation Factory automatically adds a 1/4" seam allowance to every block and every section in a sectioned block.

  You will need to enter both the horizontal and vertical measurements of the finished block. Foundation Factory shows the default measurements of the block, which is the size that the block was originally drawn.

  Distorting Blocks

  
  You can distort a block by selecting different number for the width and height of the block. Foundation Factory will preview the block as you distort it. To keep the block square, select the Keep Proportions option. This option will force the block to remain square.

  Changing the Size of a Sectioned Block

  
   The finished size of sectioned blocks refers to the finished size of the block once the sections are sewn together. For example, If you wish the finished block to be 6 x 6 inches, then enter those dimensions. Foundation Factory will automatically section the block and space the sections.

  Printing a Block Larger than a Sheet of Paper

  
  To print a large block (larger than the standard 8 1/2" x 11" sheet,) simply enter the block measurements at Finished Block Size on the Print Screen.

  Foundation Factory will automatically print the block on multiple sheets of paper. You can then tape the sheets together and sew the block.

  Using Metric Measurements

  
  You can convert Foundation Factory to metric measurements by clicking on the English or Metric drop box in the Print Screen. Converting to metric will measure block dimensions and the seam allowance in centimeters.

  Printing Multiple Copies of a Block

  
  You can easily print multiple copies of any block by adjusting the Number of Copies setting on the Print Screen. Foundation Factory reports how many blocks you can print on a page and also how many pages it will take to print the desired number of copies. For example, if you wish to print 20 copies of a 3 x 3 inch block, Foundation Factory will calculate that it will take 5 pages and that it will print 4 blocks per page.

  Printing Multiple Copies of Sectioned Blocks

  
  When Foundation Factory prints sectioned blocks, it automatically calculates the spaces between the sections when it reports the number of copies per page and the number of pages required

  Maximizing the Number of Copies Per Page

  
  To get the most blocks out of your paper, you can adjust the page margins on the print screen. Set the margins as narrow as you can. But remember that all printers have a minimum page margin. Consult your printer manual to find the minimum margin.

  You can also adjust the size of the block to fit the maximum number of copies onto a page. Often, adjusting the size by as little as 1/4" can add extra copies to a page.

  Flipping Blocks

  
  Foundation Factory prints the blocks exactly as you see them in the pattern preview on the print screen. The finished sample reverses the block to show how the completed block will look. Remember, all foundation patterns are "backwards."

  You can flip blocks either horizontally or vertically. To flip a block, select the Flip Horizontal or Vertical options. Flip the block so that the Finished Sample is facing the desired direction. The pattern you print will be reversed so that it will match the Finished Sample.

  It is especially important that Alphabet blocks be printed backwards so that the letter will be correct when the block is sewn.

  Printing Blocks on Iron-On Transfer Paper

  
  To print a block on Iron-on transfer paper, select the Mirror for Iron-On option. This option reverses the block, title text, and numbers. Foundation Factory does not flip the finished sample block because the final block will be flipped twice by the time it is sewn. When you print a block with the Mirror for Iron-On option, make sure the finished sample block is facing the direction you want, the foundation preview will flip accordingly.

  Once you have selected the desired options, place the iron-on transfer paper in your printer and print the paper according to paper packet's instructions.

  Printing Blocks without Numbers

  
  To print a block without numbers, turn off the Print Numbers option.

  Printing a Block with Dashed Seam Allowances

  
  Foundation Factory normally prints the seam allowance as a dotted line. However, on some printers, this dotted line may appear to be solid.

  If this happens to you, select the Draw Dashed Lines option. This option will print the seam allowance as a dashed line. Only the seam allowance will change. The lines in the block design are always solid.

  Shading Blocks for Better Visibility

  
  The Print with Grays option colors key areas of the pattern gray so that you can see exactly where to place the fabrics. You will find this option especially helpful when printing sectioned blocks.

  When you select the Print with Grays option, Foundation Factory will preview the shaded block.

  Printing a Block with a Thick Line

  
  

  If you desire your foundation blocks to print with a thicker line, check the thick lines checkbox in the Print Screen. When the checkbox is not checked, the foundation block will print with the normal thin line.

  Selecting a Smaller or Larger Font

  To choose the font size for printing numbers, press the Font button in the Print Screen. The font button will open the standard Windows Font dialog box. Select the font type and size to print the block numbers.

Pausing your Printer Between Sheets


If you are hand feeding sheets of paper into your printer, you will need to select the Pause Between Pages option on the print screen. This will prevent automatic paper feeding and allow you to feed one sheet of paper at a time into your printer

 

Exporting Blocks to Quilt-Pro


Due to the agreement between Quilt-Pro Systems and Carol Doak, you cannot open the Carol Doak foundation blocks in Quilt-Pro.

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