I initially bought EQ6 and upgraded to 7. I also have the Dear Jane software, which is based on EQ5, which is how I know what a great improvement was made with version 6. I use EQ with almost every quilt that I make, and also make EQ projects for lots of quilts that I see online. I find it's very helpful in deciding on the layout, altering the block design, coming up with borders, finding color combinations, etc. The online lessons and help are great. However, I've never had the need to import my own fabric. So far I've been happy using the fabric libraries that I find online.