01 Photograph Your Blocks

// Orphan Block Quilts //

TIP: Label your quilt blocks as you take their picture. This way you can name them in PreQuilt to stay organized. I like to pin scrap paper or use stickers.

TIP: Measure your blocks! This will help for the next step.

01 Take the Pictures

The first step is definitely taking good quality images of your constructed blocks. You don't need a fancy camera, I just use my cellphone! Here's an example of what my photographs look like:

Here are some tips on maximizing the quality of your quilt blocks:

Photograph only one block at a time.
Photograph the block from directly overhead - Any angles will skew the block.
Keep the block squared in the frame - This will make it easy to crop out the background.
Make sure the quilt block is in focus - It might help to step back a little.
Try to minimize any extreme shadows - So that your photograph is as true as possible to the real block.

02 Transfer Pictures to Computer

Once you have all your blocks photographed, transfer them to your computer.*
Save them in the same place, such as a folder, and if you were labeling them as you took your pictures (see above tip), name the file by their label name.

*There are several ways to transfer you photographs from your cell phone to your computer:

Email them to yourself and download them onto your computer.
If you have Cloud Backup (like Google or Apple), log into the account from your computer and download them.
Plug your phone into your computer and transfer the photographs.

03 Label Blocks & Rename Files

This step is optional, but it is helpful for keeping your blocks organized both physically and digitally in PreQuilt.

Using numbered pins, labels or stickers, name or number your orphan blocks. In this example, I'll be naming all my blocks 'B##'.
Find your image files on the computer and rename them so that the name of the file image matches the label on your block. If you skip this step, you can always rename the files inside PreQuilt. (See the Prep Your Blocks directions).
While you have your blocks out, measure them.

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Last updated 2 years ago

01 Take the Pictures

The first step is definitely taking good quality images of your constructed blocks. You don't need a fancy camera, I just use my cellphone! Here's an example of what my photographs look like:

Here are some tips on maximizing the quality of your quilt blocks:

Photograph only one block at a time.

Photograph the block from directly overhead - Any angles will skew the block.

Keep the block squared in the frame - This will make it easy to crop out the background.

Make sure the quilt block is in focus - It might help to step back a little.

Try to minimize any extreme shadows - So that your photograph is as true as possible to the real block.

02 Transfer Pictures to Computer

Once you have all your blocks photographed, transfer them to your computer.*

Save them in the same place, such as a folder, and if you were labeling them as you took your pictures (see above tip), name the file by their label name.

*There are several ways to transfer you photographs from your cell phone to your computer:

Email them to yourself and download them onto your computer.

If you have Cloud Backup (like Google or Apple), log into the account from your computer and download them.

Plug your phone into your computer and transfer the photographs.

03 Label Blocks & Rename Files

This step is optional, but it is helpful for keeping your blocks organized both physically and digitally in PreQuilt.

Using numbered pins, labels or stickers, name or number your orphan blocks. In this example, I'll be naming all my blocks 'B##'.

Find your image files on the computer and rename them so that the name of the file image matches the label on your block. If you skip this step, you can always rename the files inside PreQuilt. (See the Prep Your Blocks directions).

While you have your blocks out, measure them.