Is it worth the money?
 

I'm coming into a little extra cash and have thought about buying the EQ7. It's kinda pricey, so I was wondering if it's worth the price tag. Tell me what you like about it and what you hate about it.

Check out previous threads about it. I'm one of those who find the learning curve for EQ7 very steep. It's not intuitive for me, so it would take me many hours of study and learning to learn how to use it -- even at a rudimentary level. Some people take to it like a duck to water, but I'm not one of them!

I'm with prism99 on this one! But everyone is different so you might be one who can jump into the deep end of the pool and not drown!

I like it a lot, and don't find it difficult to use. I did a lot of price comparisons and found that quilt in a day had the best price by far:

http://www.quiltinaday.com/shoponlin...ay.asp?i=28132

you have to add it to your basket to check the price.

I just luurrrve my EQ7! I agree, check out the previous threads, you are not the first person to ask. And, you will get as many people who love it as hate it.

My favorite things - I can dream up any block, color it any way I want, set it on point or horizontally, completely mess around with it without wasting any fabric. I can audition all kinds of variations and fabrics virtually. I love to paper piece, so I like to draw and print complicated blocks. I like to get estimates of how much yardage a specific project will require. I can spot problems before they happen, as seen in previous threads on this board about how a quilt ended up with sections that, once sewn together, unfortunately looked like swastikas.

I can do a lot of things that EQ7 does with Gimp and it's free. I would suggest you try using
Gimp and when the time comes where it no longer meets your needs then move to EQ7.
There is a great tutorial on how to use Gimp in the Tutorial section. Check it out.

I really like it. I would check out previous threads alot do not care for it.

I use it all the time and wouldn't be without it. For me, EQ was well worth the expense. However, your experience will depend on how comfortable you feel using new computer software, and how willing you are to spend some time going through the EQ lessons or help screens when you have a question.

I have EQ5 - don't feel a need to upgrade. I use it but certainly not to it's full potential. DH bought it for me for a gift at the time. I agree with Peckish as to auditioning fabrics/colors; changing settings, etc. My favorite part is the yardage estimates. BUT for some of the yardage estimates are way over - you can tell they just look wrong. In that case I re-calculate myself and add a bit. Then again, I always add extra for any yardage estimates so I don't run short when I make cutting/sewing errors. Cuz it seems I always do at least 1 per quilt!

I've EQ since it was ran on Windows DOS. I have EQ7 and only use a fraction of the features, I doubt any quilter will outgrow it. I import thumbnails of fabric on line before buying it to see how it looks in a quilt pattern. I convert block patterns to paper piecing. I enlarge or reduce patterns. Just open the book and follow the steps.

I just downloaded this for my Mac and can't wait to try it. I have EQ5, I think, and while I liked playing with it, I'm sure I never used it to its full potential and so never felt like it was worth it to upgrade. Plus, EQ doesn't run on my Mac (even on Parallels, I tried).

Looking forward to playing with Gimp!

If you can do it in Gimp, you can do it in Photoshop or Illustrator if that's what you have. I can use all 3 plus EQ5. Gimp is free, but some of us also edit photos and might have Photoshop already.
The actual drawing programs are far better for Celtic designs.

I stayed with EQ6 for the price reason. I really only use it now when I want to duplicate and play with quilt block I have seen in other quilts. That allows me to figure amy of material and for that its is sufficient.
MaryKatherine

I agree with BellaBoo. I have had it since Version 3. The best upgrade imho was when they went from 5 to 6. I did go with 7, but havent begun to explore the possibilties! I think its easy to use compared to other programs. I have tried Gimp, its ok for photos but I use EQ more to design quilts, design blocks, test layouts, etc. I rarely use graph paper and colored pencils for anything anymore.

I've had EQ7 for a couple months and it does a lot. But there are a few things I wish it does that it doesn't.

1) if you plan a quilt with several different blocks you must print templates for each block separately. You cannot print templates for the entire quilt at once.

2) Blocks are square/rectangular. So if you want to design hexagon blocks or triangles, its possible but they're in square settings. Its much more difficult to design quilts (such as with simply amazing spiral quilts) with unusually shaped blocks. I would really love to be able to make irregular shaped blocks and set them into a quilt.

Heavy learning curve. Its possible I don't know some tricks that would allow me to do what I want, but I've emailed customer support and though they responded promptly and were polite, they basically told me EQ7 doesn't do what I would like it to.

Having said that, I think it is a great program and I still use it frequently.

I like it and use it all the time. Since I've used other graphics software I didn't find it too difficult to learn.

I can't tell you whether it would be worth it for you, but I can tell you about my own perspective. I got EQ5 as a gift a few years ago and was thrilled, but I discovered that I never used it. The basics seemed simple enough to learn, though I never tackled its advanced applications. I just wanted to be able to look at a quilt layout to determine color placement. It always seemed like so much more effort than just laying out the fabrics or making a sample block.

That said, it could be just the thing for you, depending on your main purpose in getting it.

I tried Gimp and it drove me nuts!

There is the basic version wizard. Eq has a comparison if the 2 programs. Maybe that one would be better. I sometimes regret not having gotten that one instead.

What is Gimp and where do I find it?

I've got QuiltPro V6 - I have fun playing around in there but get a little frustrated when I try to create my own blocks. Has anyone used both programs? If so, what are the pros/cons of each?

I don't think EQ works on Macs so if you are a Mac person, make sure I am wrong. If you discover that EQ is for you, WAIT! Eleanor Burns periodically puts it on a really good sale so watch for that!

Also my experieince, and I think a very basic piece of knowledge is missing in the instructions, probably one of those things that people assumes everyone knows. But I don't & can't figure out what I need to know. I can't get it to do what I really want. I have used it for very basic projects but it is easier to draw those out. Years ago on my first computer I had a program that I bought for $25 at Joann's, I could do more with that program than I can do with EQ7. I know what I really need is a good basic class on it but haven't been able to take one. I have same problem with Master Works Lite, to me the instructions start in the middle & they leave out the basic first steps so it never makes sense.

I'm diffenitely going to try GIMP. Free is good if it works. If I find I need more (not likely), I can always purchase EQ. Thanks for the info.

margie77072
My GF in TX has EQ and uses it all the time. I lived in TX but moved to WA in 2009, so I knew my GF capabilities with EQ. Last week I sent her a picture of a block one of my neighbors wanted to make into a quilt, but didn't have the pattern. My GF drew it up on EQ, assigned colors to it, prepared layouts for several sizes of quilts, including fabric requirements, cutting directions, etc. - all on EQ. My neighbor was shocked and impressed, to say the least. Now, my neighbor can purchase the required fabrics and start cutting! I think it is a great tool. I don't own it, but I know some of what it will do!

Here's the link to GIMP. http://www.gimp.us.com/gimplp2/index-yahoo.php?pk=486

GIMP tute http://www.quiltingboard.com/tutoria...e-t141145.html

Thanks for all the help. Believe it or not, I've decided to go with Quilt Pro 6. It's on sale today only and I get a 30day free trial. Please I have some of their other stand alone products. I had completely forgotten about Quilt Pro and then someone mentioned it and the light bulb went off. Thanks again ladies.

If you aren't electronically savy and intuitive you may not be happy with it. I bought the version that was on sale a couple of years ago, after asking if I could design landscapes and other non-blocks with it. I was assured I could. I took a class and, after the second one of three, asked if we would get some non-block instructions and was assured we would. We didn't. Those classes cost me $50!!!

I'm not electronically savy and unless you are you will not get much use out of it. I'd sure try this "Gimp" program (which I have never heard of before) before thinking about putting big bucks out for any EQ program.

I have EQ6 and would love to upgrade when I have some extra money. I mostly make my own patterns though. I rarely buy someone elses pattern...if I see something I like I either try to recreate it in EQ or something similar. I think it's completely worth the money for my purposes, but I have known people who never used it.

I agree. I thought I would really like it and use it....nope! Cannot get into it at all...money wasted,
so far anyway...

I have the program but have not really spent the time required to have it become as useful as it can be. For lots of us it has a larger than anticipated learning curve. If you quilt shop has a class or there is way for you to try it before buying I would strongly suggest that you try it out. For what the program can do, it is a good value.

I guess I can't figure out what it is you say is missing. EQ has tutorials built right into the software. Starts at the beginning and goes all the way through. There are also tutorials on this board, EQ classes at Quilt University, tutorials on YouTube, and EQ has a very good support forum where you can ask anything. What do you mean, you can't figure out what you need to know?

There is a great tutorial on how to use EQ7 right here on this board, done by Rhonda. She goes through virtually every aspect of EQ7 and holds your hand. By the way, it IS worth the price tag.

Week 1: http://www.quiltingboard.com/tutoria...n-t166726.html

I'm still stumped by EQ5! Guess if you have computer savy etc it might be worth it, I never use my EQ5, wish I did but my learning curve went straight in the dumpster.

I love it. It takes time to learn it but it is worth it. I haven't mastered drawing but I will someday.

I have it, and we have a "love/hate" relationship going on. When I don't use it for awhile, I have a hard time designing a quilt and get frustrated with it, but if I am using it for a day or two, I love it and we work well together. I do download fabric lines into it, and it is wonderful to see my project in real life fabrics. I do not use it as much as I could/should. I would shop on ebay also. EQ7 gives you more than 1 download.

It's not necessarily a matter of being able to figure it out. It's a matter of how much time would be required to figure it out. My time is more valuable to me at this age than it used to be. I'd rather spend my time actually quilting than figuring out software, especially since my job for years was to write the d*** stuff!

EQ7 has unlimited installs, but you can only have it active on 2 computers at the same time.

I don't know what I need to know, except somthing very basic, just getting to the tutorials & opening program to design a quilt. I am missing a basic piece of computer knowledge but don't know what. But when I had a $25 version years ago I could do all kinds of things, design a quilt, get it to print out with amont of fabrics needed, etc. I can't get EQ7 to do that. If I knew what I was missing I coud find the answers but I don't know what I am missing.