Quilting Software Versus Hand Drawn Plans?
 

I am fairly new to quilting - having only completed 4 quilts - 3 I originally designed and 1 from a published pattern - all simple designs no doubt. Since I am new to the world of quilting in so many respects, I was wondering if most preferred designing quilts using the quilting software that is out there or just putting your plans on paper? I have been looking at various software but don't know anyone who uses them or have forgotten to ask the question when I've run into a fellow quilter.

Would love anyone's input/thoughts on this. Thank you in advance.

I'd use software if I had it. But paper and pencil works until I find the money

Thanks. Yes, I'm going to have to save for it if I get enough positives for software.

There are some free software available. I use Gimp all the time.
Here's a great tutorial that miholmes put together for us.
http://www.quiltingboard.com/tutoria...e-t141145.html

I use Electric Quilt and I love it. If you want an inexpensive software try Quilt Design Wizard. It's a simplified version of Electric Quilt. However, good old graph paper and colored pencils also works well.

There are pros and cons to both systems. Software is expensive, but I like that I can try different colors with the click of a mouse, instead of re-coloring the drawing. The software can also estimate fabric yardage for you.

I am a beginner quilter and I have had the EQ software programme for about 48 hours now! One thing I wasn't expecting was how much I am learning about quilt construction and block identification. In order to facilitate the learning process I have been reconstructing quilts in the software from magazine pictures or other pictures off the internet. In fact two quilts for which I had been planning on buying the pattern for - once I had truly analysed them for the purposes of putting into the software I realised how simple they really were and knew that I would find them far to boring to make. Now granted, I would have to come across about thirty of those to make up the price of the software. :)

My primary reasons for buying the software :
1/ I have a very hard time finding patterns that I want to make. I find lots that are 'close' but not quite right. The software lets me very easily 'tweak' different elements of the design.

2/ I am still rubbish at imagining different colour combinations. I have no stash to speak of and if I walk into the quilt shop without some semblance of a plan or intent I become overwhelmed and frozen with indecision. The software lets me try different combos - heck I can even try using actual fabrics currently available on the market.

Was it worth it ? I suspect that only quilt professionals would be able to fully realize a positive cost-benefit ratio over a short period of time. However is it fun ? You bet. And I really think it will help 'stretch my quilting wings' so to speak. And I look forward to creating truly unique quilts!

I take the middle road and use non-quilting software to design my quilts (my avatar quilt included). Excel, Publisher, a photo editing program, Paint, programs that are not intended for quilt design, but work very nicely for it nonetheless. Excel can be set up to be the same as graph paper for instance. I see no reason to buy specialized software, but many people swear by it. If, in the future, I can't live without it, I may reconsider.

i love my EQ since I love to tweak patterns after I get them designed. It's hard to do that with pencil and paper. Changing block sizes is a breeze and, when altering the quilt size, the math is done for me :thumbup:

Thanks so much for sharing your insight and approaches on quilt design. I really appreciate it. I think what I will do -- if I can wait -- is ask for EQ for Christmas; I love the idea of practicing designs from magazines or from internet patterns to develop the skill of using the software and also tweeking patterns after getting them designed. In the interim, I will use graph paper and colored pencil and also try the free software/other software out there that's available. You've have greatly helped in making my decision.

I have the Quilt Design Wizard and it's not too bad, but is limited in what you can do. I do have issues with printing from it. I'm sure it's something in the settings, but I haven't figured it out. The print is so small I can't read it. I'm talking like a size zero font...smaller than the fine print on a prescription bottle. Even with glasses I can't read it. If anyone has suggestions on what to change to enlarge the print, please let me know. By the way, I am very computer savvy, so it's been quite frustrating for me!

Change the font size on your computer using Control Panel...how exactly depends on which OS you have.

I have been using EQ for several years and I couldn't do without it. It does have some limitations (or maybe I don't know all the ways of using it) but it's definitely worth the money to me.

I have EQ 5. I found it frustrating and irritating to use. I know the next versions have been improved so maybe I'll upgrade one of these days. I found it a lot faster and easier to design using graph paper and pencils. The math just isn't that hard to do and I have a calculator that makes it even faster to do.

I'm with you on this. I use design programs on computers all day, but I found EQ hard to learn. It's okay if I'm looking for a traditional block, but for my own quilt designs I'm happier with pencil and paper.

Janet

People can tell you how wonderful or not something is but the only way to know if it is what you want is to try it yourself. EQ7 is the best quilting design program available. I have all the other quilt software and they are good but not better. Other drawing programs are excellent, some are free but not designed for only quilting. No block library, fabric files, quilt lay outs, border layouts, quilting motifs, applique designs, cutting sizes, etc. EQ7 has all this and more. When I first heard about EQ I knew it would be something fun and useful, if I listened to everyone that said it was too expensive, too hard to use, I could do the same thing with graph paper, use Windows Paint program, save my money for more fabric, I would have missed out on a great quilting tool for me. I've had it since it was on floppy disk and used DOS instead of Windows.

My ultimate goal is to learn all I can from design to finish and from manual to electronic. I am excited about what everyone has shared and look forward to doing it both ways but aim to get software for ease and know-how. Again, everyone's input has been invaluable to me and the viewpoints shared from both sides of the fence are valid and very helpful.

I am an EQ user since EQ4. I have EQ7 which is a more user friendly program. It gives you many things and options for design. It does not give you instructions on how to sew the half square or quarter square triangles together etc. It is a Design program. I do also have several other quilt design programs. Quilt Pro because I have many of Carol Doaks books and cds. I use them far less than EQ. Yes I am a pattern designer and a teacher. I love EQ and am on it just about everyday! It is a very big program. Even I am still learning what it can do. Check out the site and see what it can do. They also have many add ons you may or maynot need. Only you can be the judge. I love my EQ and would never go back to paper. I do sketch out a few quilts when inspiration hits. But I bring the sketch to the computer and design what I want. I hope you figure out your needs and enjoy EQ when you get it! Luann

i would guess this would be a personal like/don't like matter- when i first bought my Viking sewing machine we also bought an EQ-5 program *years ago* i think i (tried) to use it once ---even signed up and paid for a class to learn how to use it at the lqs--- went to all 3 of the class sessions--- then i don't think i ever opened it-picked it up again- don't even know if i still have it somewhere- i always know where my pad of graph paper is though-
the lady who taught the class uses her's a every day---loves it & can not imagine how i even function...
some people like things like that- others---not so much...i'm one of the 'not so much' folk.

Yes, if you look at EQ strictly by the numbers I can see how you'd come to this conclusion. However, the second part of this statement is where you can't assign a cost benefit - how much FUN do you have using this software? Some people may not use it much at all, which makes the software too expensive for them. But for people who really enjoy the design process, the software is worth the price. I know of one quilter (http://virtualquilter.wordpress.com/) who really enjoys it because she can design way more quilts than she could ever make in a lifetime.

Thank you, MRSRAB for starting this thread. I was going to look through the archives for just this information. Thank you QB members for your feedback. I enlarged a block and added a pinwheel where a square had been. I've made 3 sizes of pinwheels so far. At least the "too big" ones can be cut down. EQ sounds like it would have saved me time, fabric & frustration.

I'm the odd duck, I suppose, but I use Quilt Pro and have found it quite user friendly in all the versions I have used--4, 5 & 6--the current version. I did start my quilting life with graph paper, rulers, a protractor, colored pencils and a calculator but quickly learned about quilting software and purchased Quilt Pro version 4 off ebay. Much quicker to design when you can change colors and patterns with the click of a mouse. Yes, I can do all the math with a calculator but it's so much easier having a program do it for me.

I am looking for a quilt design software that will allow me to scan my fabric and use in doing my layout of my quilt. Will any of the programs mentioned above allow me to do that? Thanks for this great site.

Just make sure that your computer is compatible with the software/program you want to acquire.

Ok ladies, I feel like a dinosaur. I'm using Quilt-Pro 4. We bought the first ones many years ago and I was too intimidated to learn it, but DH has come up with a special quilt he wants me to make and now I have to. I've been working on it. Eventually I'll get it but I'm not real technically sound. I'm excited about it being able to print out the whole pattern with yardages & all though, when I'm done!

I have been quilting long enough that I can pretty much figure out how to make quite a few quilts w/o software. My favorite sources for patterns are books. Any book I own I have at least 3 quilts I want to make out of it. Most books include templates or instructions for cutting and peicing. I like the portability of books. I look at them in bed before going to sleep, on the sofa while DH and I sit in front of the TV, I take them on trips to look at. Sure you could do all that with a laptop but I guess I am old school. The one thing I do love about s/w like EQ is you can preview your quilt with your fabric choices.

Edited to add, I will still buy patterns, especially for complicated things like feathered stars, mariners compass or the gorgeous bella bella quilts that are based on Italian floor mosaics. Again, if it is a stand alone pattern or a book, I will always go for the book.

Pretty sure that is an EQ6 and 7 feature.

I LOVE designing my quilts -- I use both graph paper and EQ (now 7). EQ frustrates me -- here is an example. I designed a quilt with 56 blocks, there are 4 block sets that are the same pattern and different color ways. With EQ I was not able to find out how many of each color way I needed. It does not tell me how many pieces I need to cut of each block to do the whole thing. I wound up counting the blocks by hand using the printout of the quilt and doing my figuring by hand.

What I find most useful with EQ is the fantastic assortment of blocks -- I have made a lot of wonderful quilts using the blocks in EQ and BlockBase. EQ also updates their fabric selection regularly -- I find I don't need to scan in my own fabrics since I can get most of what I want in their fabric assortment.

I have been tempted to buy Quilt Pro because I have heard it is really flexible, but it takes a lot of $$ to buy a new program -- once you have bought one they offer good deals to upgrade to keep you hooked.


This is why I still use graph paper.

Perhaps it is the geek in me, but I'm a software kinda gal. If I design something on paper, I will redo it in software for convenience. The software does the math for you; tells you how much of each fabric you'll need, provides cutting or foundation plans, and allows you to print out the quilt for a colorful visual aid.

Yes, I have both EQ 6 & 7, and you can scan (or take pictures) and import your fabrics to use in your layout. Several fabric manufacturers also have files you can download that will import the latest fabrics into EQ.

Normally I would not want a computer program but I am working on a scrappy quilt and do not have a place to lay it out to make sure the colors are where they need to be. I am not using a pattern or any thing, just putting it together.

I just purchased EQ 7 about a week ago. I am finding this to be a fascinating tool! I, too, am finding that I am learning about quilt construction and block identification, as SoSewSue said. I have done the same as she has - found a pattern I really liked, then drew it out in EQ 7. I have a hard time visualizing things. I need to literally see it. I love how I can change color schemes, turn blocks around, etc. and "see" what it looks like. Even just playing around with the program like this - it spurs on other thoughts as to what I might like to do in a quilt. The great thing is - I can tweak a few things and see what it looks like before committing with fabric.

I agree with QuiltnLady1 on this. I thought the yardage calculator and/or rotary cutter tool would be more helpful. And some of this could be user error (since I have only had the program for a week). I think the yardage calculator might be more helpful. But the rotary cutter - as best I can tell - you can only have it "analyze" one block at a time (not the entire quilt). So that feature isn't seeming very user friendly yet.

All in all though I love the program and what it allows me to do and see before I commit to a particular pattern and fabric! :p

I had Electric Quilt 6 and upgraded to EQ7. I love it because I can design patterns and they are saved to use again or to tweak into something else. I'm hopeless at keeping track of paper it's digital all the way for me. For example, I am making 4 identical Christmas throws for my family in memory of my grandmother. I have all the fabric purchased and set aside. And pictures of the finished product but now that the first one is done I am taking a break. I know the plans are safely inside EQ and backed up on Carbonite.

I am presently asking the same thing YOU asked as I sit with grafting paper and math solutions to limited remnants of fabric for borders, trying to decide which stack & whack block should go where as NONE are exactly alike! I thought this could help me see them set up. I love my wall quilt for playing with REAL blocks and REAL fabrics but when it comes to setting the quilt together...I think the software could save me hours of math and figures so I could get busy sewing. Thank you for asking this! I can see not all versions of EQ are created equal. HOPE people continue to post their opinions to help me decide.