Step 3: Identify & Activate Block Groups for Customization
You’ve chosen your template, great job! Now it’s time to tell the Quilt Planner which parts of your quilt you want to customize.
Before you start adding fabric, you’ll first identify and activate block groups. This step tells Quiltster what you want to edit, and helpful visual cues on the screen show you exactly what’s selected.
Let’s walk through what you’re seeing on the main Quilt Planner screen.
Quick Note Before Getting Started
This post is part of the My First Quiltster Project beginner series. Follow along step-by-step and you’ll go from pattern selection to a finished, shareable quilt plan.
- Choose a Pattern
- Choose a Template
- Identify & Activate Blocks ← This Step
- Add Fabric
- Save Project
- Share Your Project to the Gallery
- Share Your Project on Social Media
Understanding Block Groups
Most quilt templates are made up of block groups which are sets of blocks that repeat across the quilt layout.
Blocks inside the same group are designed to stay consistent which helps your quilt stay balanced and accurate to the pattern.
When one block in a group is customized, all blocks in that group are customized at the same time.
That’s intentional and very helpful.
How to Identify a Block Group
Move your mouse slowly over the quilt layout. As you hover, you’ll see a set of blocks highlighted together. That highlight shows you:
- Which blocks belong to the same group
- What will be edited together
- How the pattern is structured
This hover highlight is just a preview, nothing is selected yet. Think of it as Quiltster saying, “Hey these blocks are connected.”
Some patterns don’t use block groups. Instead, the entire quilt activates as one large block, and you’ll color the smaller sections during the Block Editor step.
*Note: If using a smartphone, you can tap on an area of the quilt to see the groups.
How to Activate a Block Group
When you see the group you want to customize: Click once on any block in that highlighted group.
When activated, the group will display a striped overlay pattern. This striped look is your confirmation that the group is now active and ready to edit.
Center block group activated. All center blocks are selected and will be edited together.
Outer block group activated. All outer blocks are selected and will be edited together.
Editing Just One Block (Unlock Feature)
Sometimes you may want blocks in the same group to look different if you want to:
- Alternate colors
- Create a rainbow colorway
- Any intentional variation from block to block
That’s where the Unlock feature comes in.
When you unlock the pattern, you can activate and edit individual blocks inside a group instead of all of them together.
We cover this fully in a separate tutorial, but for now just remember:
Locked: Edit the whole group
Unlocked: Edit individual blocks
Go to the Next Step: Open the Block Editor
After activating a block group, look at the bottom center of your screen. You’ll see the Edit button turn blue when a group is active.
Click Edit to move into the Block Editor where you’ll start assigning fabric and colors.
That’s exactly what we’ll cover in the next tutorial.
What's Next?
You’ve activated your project and now it’s time to start adding fabric in the Block Editor.
Continue with the next step in the My First Quiltster Project series:
- Choose a Pattern
- Choose a Template
- Identify & Activate Blocks
- Add Fabric ← Next Step
- Save Project
- Share Your Project to the Gallery
- Share Your Project on Social Media
Follow the series step-by-step and you’ll have your first Quiltster project planned and ready to share.
Happy Quiltstering!