I finally splurged and got EQ6 and I loved it so much I updated to EQ7. It's lots of fun to play with. I've designed a number of quilts including my avatar. And I feel I'm learning about color and patterns just by playing with the designs. I used pencil and graph paper prior to getting the software. This is much easier cause you can change the design without re-drawing and save all your design options so you can compare them. I'd say go for it but don't get discouraged if it takes a while to learn. Just follow the lessons. Also the reference manual is one of the best I've seen.